Need help with next step

BAP51,

You've shared a little bit of info. From what you've shared, you are doing all the right things in terms of going to camps and contacting coaches. My biggest question is are you doing these things directed at the right coaches/schools? Have you determined that you are "fishing" in the right pond? In other words, are you at that right baseball level to be considered for these programs? Do they have a need for your skills? Continue reaching out to these coaches but you may also want to reach out to some new coaches from schools you haven't considered yet...schools that interest you but maybe you don't know alot about. Maybe you'll want to consider expanding your search to be more regional or larger to find the schools that fit you.

Can you share a little more about your goals and academics?

Fantastic advice from fenwaysouth!

In addition, have you had this conversation with your HS and summer coaches? What do they say? They can probably help 'guide you' in the right direction for your talent level...whatever it is. They also may be able to help in terms of contact/follow-up.

I know that if BC invited you to the BAWS, he sees some talent there as well. If you know him at all, ask him what he thinks...where you should 'cast your fishing line.'

Best of luck. Keep asking.

Fenwaysouth and justbaseball, thank you for the responses.

Most of my contacts have been with low D1s and some pretty solid D2s. I have been going after schools that are my academic fit as I have a fairly average GPA and SAT scores. The schools that I have contacted have the major I want which is sports journalism (I'm undecided still). I want to play baseball at the level that I am capable of. I know I am not a top D1 prospect, I'm very realistic. I like the region that I am in and I would like to stay fairly close to here.

Skill wise, I have really only been seriously evaluated by BC and one low D1 that told me through email that I projected to have the ability to play SS at the college level. I'm a solid player but I am not flashy and can easily be overlooked.

Another problem I have is what are the right questions to ask the coaches other than "what are your needs"? I feel stuck after that.

Where did Nathan Trosky say where you might fit? I would reach out to him as he is one of the class acts in helping kids find the right fit.

I do not know Nathan Trosky very well. I have just been at some of his events and I did not perform very well. From being at his events and talking with other players who play for him, he is a very good resource for anyone in my area but I just do not know him very well.

Have you filled out college recruiting questionaires, found on each college website?

Have you prepared a bio-resume (player profile) of your specific qualifications, including GPA, SAT results, references from coaches you have played for, your summer game schedule, etc?

And, broaden the net, as others recommend.
Good luck!

I have filled out more questionaires than I care to remember.

I have my standard introduction letter that I have sent in my contacts to these colleges. I will add my academics to this letter too.

Thank you baseballmom and BOF.

Be sure to give contact info from any scouts, HS coach, summer coach & schedule, too. Ask for permission from the coaches to include them. If applicable, add community service or charitable work & references.
Coaches want good academians, good character, good baseball skills.
Good luck!!

If you are willing to leave CA, there would be a LOT bigger pool of schools to choose from...

One problem is that I do not have the resources to play in front of scouts from out of state let alone in state. I'm pretty open to going somewhere else though.

quote:

Blue10 said....If you are willing to leave CA, there would be a LOT bigger pool of schools to choose from...

I hinted at this in my earlier thread. Blue10 came right out and said it. She is 100% right based upon what others have told me about D1/D2 recruiting in California. The bottom line is that it is about numbers, and supply vs demand. The reality is that you may need to look beyond CA if you want to play in college. I'm not saying abandonning everything you've done so far, but I am saying that you may need to consider extending your recruiting reach beyond CA.

There is a reason many schools across the country have many Californians. CA has alot college level players playing outside the state because that is where their was opportunity to play at the next level. They are everywhere. My son's school in upstate NY is about 66% west coasters. THere is far more supply of talent in CA than there is demand. I think you need to understand how difficult it is to get recruited in California and then modify your recruiting strategy accordingly. Based upon everything you shared, you seem to be doing all the right things. However, there are some things that are beyond your control. One of those things is living in CA with possibly the largest population of college baseball recruits. Please give it some thought and best of luck.

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BAP51 said. One problem is that I do not have the resources to play in front of scouts from out of state let alone in state. I'm pretty open to going somewhere else though.

Most national & regional programs recruit in CA. Why? Becasue that is a huge talent pool for the coaches. Research the various showcases, tournaments, etc... to find when, where and who will be at these showcases. There is a lot of info here, as well as other sites. Ask your travel coach, or whomever you know would know that information.

Again, good luck.

You are getting some great advice here. Fenway is absolutely correct about Ca. The fact is there is more baseball talent here then there are roster spots. If you want to play in college you are likely going to have to leave the state based on what I have read in this thread. In Ca in particular most D1’s are well on their way to have their rosters filled, (they will have a few spots left, but mostly for pitchers) Ca D2’s are typically filled with D1 drop downs, and D1 players who want to play early in their careers.

I would make up a profile and email it to Nathan and ask if you could talk to him for a few minutes. I am sure he will respond and take your call. He is a quality guy and gave my son good advice the one time he met him. I would make up a list of 25 target schools for you that fit what major you have and as well as academically and get your profile in their hands via email. There are plenty of D3 schools that will offer a surprising amount of money for middle of the road academics. Since you are in California JC ball is also a great option for you. Make sure you get in contact with the JC coaches in your area as they will be out watching HS games and looking for players.

You will likely need some help in getting all of your material organized and make sure someone proof reads everything you send out. Have your mom or dad, or someone you trust help you.

I am of the opinion that if you really want to play college ball you can find a place, it will likely not be in Ca, and it is going to take a lot of work (and some luck) on your part but you can find a place if you work it. You will have to get a very realistic opinion of where you fit from someone, which is why I am directing you to Nathan, find a scout team this fall and he would also be able to help you. BTW scout team rosters will be filled this summer so you will have to jump on it. This is very important since you will be wasting your time sending information to programs that you have no chance of playing at.

Good luck!

Fenwaysouth, you have really opened my eyes and given me a completely new perspective on the talent in CA and the supply and demand of players here. I am going to reevaluate my list of schools and change my recruiting strategy accordingly. Most of the showcases I have come across are for schools in CA, so I need to research that a bit better.

BOF, I have emailed Nate and am waiting for a response. Right now I am exploring all my options, such as the local JCs which are fairly easy to be feed into in our area. I have contacted a regional scout team league too.

From both of your posts it is much clearer to myself that I need to find a better fit. Thank you both for this wealth of information, I feel much better about the direction I am heading in.

Sounds like you've made a decent attempt to be seen however you aren't getting any interest from the schools. If nothing else happens over the next few months it will/(is?) be time to work on a development plan to get you to a 4 year school (i.e JC path). You need to find a coach that is interested in you as a player, not some "no risk" potential walk-on player.

Good players and those needing a little development get overlooked all the time and they get a second chance by playing JC ball.

I suggest you talk to the SRJC coach about your skills and ask him what he thinks. SRJC is a very competitive in baseball and plays in the most competitive JC league in Norcal. SRJC is also a top academic JC that has good transfer rates to schools like UCB. The coach has probebley seen you play or knows about you and/or it wouldn't be much trouble for him to see you play. Alternativly you can try the COM or NAPA coaches as they also recruit in your area. Players transfer from these schools to D1s, D2s every year. However its probebely not as easy to get into the JC baseball programs as you seem to indicate in your posts.

fyi Local D2's like SSU, SFSU and Chico are very difficult for freshman to make the team let alone play.

The only question you need to ask a coach is "where do you see me in your program?"

quote:

BAP51 said....From both of your posts it is much clearer to myself that I need to find a better fit. Thank you both for this wealth of information, I feel much better about the direction I am heading in.

BAP51,

You're welcome. PLease come back to this thread in a few weeks and let us know your progress. CollegeParentNoMore also has excellent advise above to consider. There are so many excellent resouces on this site. If you tell us what works and doesn't work we can try to help. Good luck.

CollegeParentNoMore, right now my summer team is comprised of all SSU, SRJC and COM rising freshmen and sophomores and one rising senior. Many of the kids from my town seem to make the SRJC team with ease even if they are middle of the road, non-standout players but this is mostly my observation over the past few years. I have recently been directed to talk with the SRJC coach, from a local, as to increase my options.

From this thread I have changed the direction of schools that I am seeking out. I have been taking every opportunity to be seen by different people. I recently won a spot on the All-BAWS team.

quote:

my summer team is comprised of all SSU, SRJC and COM rising freshmen and sophomores and one rising senior.

Do college coaches watch these games? IF pro scouts watch that would be a plus. Although its probebely to late you might want to go with a summer team that is playing in some showcase tournaments. You might be able to hook up with some teams in need of tournament players late summer and/or fall. My son used to play for SR Connie Mack, not sure what the choices are these days in SR, but they sometimes looked for tournament players towards the end of summer as kids dropped off the roster or got hurt.

quote:

Many of the kids from my town seem to make the SRJC team with ease even if they are middle of the road, non-standout players but this is mostly my observation over the past few years.

Do they play? Perhaps I should have said "play" rather then "make the team". SRJC plays in a competitive league and can't compete with average HS players. If they play perhaps they have developed after HS, my point being I know kids that have gone to JCs, including SRJC, COM and even SSU that thought it would be a cakewalk and never played again. I am not saying you feel this way, but I think your post communicates a certain disdain for the JC player.

CollegeParentNoMore, I may be wrong in my perspective but it does seem that making the SRJC team is a cakewalk to the average high school starter. Most of the players from my school have contributed and gone on to play at four-year universities elsewhere. It has seemed to me through my process that many of these players attempted to play D1 ball out of high school and did not find a school so they went to the SRJC as a back-up. I do not think these players were not good enough to play at that level though.

I am not against going to the JC, I would just rather go away to college and have a different experience.

BAP51,
One aspect could be that your exposure so far has been mostly in Northern CA. When we think about it, that is about 11-12 DI programs, if we go as far south as Fresno State and Cal Poly SLO.
You are clearly a solid 2B based on the BAWS selection.
So, one focus is how many of those DI programs will be recruiting someone who looks like a college 2B and then where do you slot in terms of those. It is pretty likely there might only be 6-10 openings for a 2B in the Northern CA DI's. It does not get better when we open Southern CA because of the vast amount of talent there coupled with the fact schools like UCR and UCI don't recruit much outside of Southern CA and even limit within that area.
In terms of SRJC, if DI is your goal, having them as a back up might be a serious consideration, recognizing they place only a small percentage of players at that level.
From what our son tells me, it could be very important for you to get on a scout team if you can, for the Fall. Last Fall our son spent a fair amount of time at those games all over the Central Valley and Northern CA.
Lastly, not only would it be a consideration to expand your schools and search outside CA, I suggest expanding the levels, to try and overcome the fact that there is mostly regional scouting recruiting and little national recruiting.
Finally, I would emphasize your SAT/ACT preparation. With a B average, your SAT/ACT score, if very good, might open some doors that are slightly open to closed with your GPA.
Hope these thoughts are helpful.
Keep an open mind. Our son and another middle infielder from his school ended up at a D3 in Texas,did well and both ended up playing in Milb.
Good luck in this process. I hope you are finding solid and useful information.
This is a tough process because it appears you are/can be a very good player, but your come from an area where openings are limited and the number of very good players is plentiful.

Infielddad, thank you for the insight. A PM has been sent your way.