Not getting seen

He doesn't have D1 velocity, even for a lefty. He'll have to increase his velocity very quickly to draw D1 attention. If he's a pitcher his sixty time is not relevant. Almost all (not all) D1 players are either pitchers or position players, not both.

Before attending these showcases did he contact the coaches of programs he's interested in, telling them he would be at these showcases? It's only September. He still has time. Do any of his chosen programs have weekend camps where he can show off his stuff?

You've learned the value of being on the right showcase team. Summer ball (travel teams) of senior year is usually too late to be noticed. The spring NLI signing period is in April. Walking on is a long shot.

Now regarding D3's, they don't make offers if you see "offers" as financial. D3's only show interest. A D3 coach may use some clout to get a player into the school who might not otherwise have been accepted.

Don't rule out D3's. Ultimately it's about getting an education. Your son has D3 velocity. There are high end D3 programs who can beat low end D1's with their best pitchers. The goal should be to get on the field, not on just on a team.

Good luck.

Low 80's for a Lefty Side Arm is low? We've seen a couple of side arm pitchers at Durham Bulls Park AAA throwing 75-81 FB and they were righties. I understand his overhand velocity of 85 is low but thought his sidearm was at least decent.

Ironically, he is only interested in D1's because he doesn't want to lose site of getting a good education and his grades and extra curriculars should get him in to all but the best schools easily. In our state, most of the D3 schools either don't have strong Political Science programs if they have one at all. That's his dilemma. He's already received a letter from a D3 but the academic program isn't strong enough for him.

Leftysidearmom, welcome to HSBBW.

I really would be hesitant to say that he could not be a DI pitcher, but knowing a few colleges in NC, he may be hard pressed to get a good shot at even a walk on position with some of the power house teams you have there. Could he go to some remote DI program and get a shot, there may be a possibility.

There is a difference between a scout (pro) and college coaches. College coaches would not be tracking a team who had all their players committed, your son’s challenge is to get in contact with them and indicate you are interested in them and to sell them to showing up to your game and see your son play.

I agree RJM, unless your son is just a stud hitter and pitcher, if he is trying to showcase himself for a school, he should choose which way he is going. As RJM stated, even though you would expect there would be more two way guys with the roster limits, there are not that many around and expending energy at positions at the expense of doing the best at one is just not effective use of time in front of a coach.

If he just does not want to go the DII or DIII route, the JUCO route to a four year program is also an alternative.

Good Luck and enjoy the ride.

quote:

he is only interested in D1's because he doesn't want to lose site of getting a good education

Huh? There are some incredible academic D3's. Some play very competitive baseball like Johns Hopkins, Trinity, Marrietta, Emory, etc..

A degree in political science is short for "I need to go to grad school." He doesn't need to major in political science to get a relevant grad school degree.

Leftysidearmom,

I noticed that you have changed your original post, so it makes RJM’s and my responses appear out of context in some areas, which is fine. I was just wondering myself what in the world I was responding to.

Short of that, Good Luck to your son and Enjoy the Ride!

Homerun, I felt it was far too loooong with alot of unnecessary sentences. You both made excellent points and suggestions and have answered my most pressing questions about the timing for D1's. He's got quite a bit to consider in this process(such as does he want to go to school out of state where a D3 would have his major).

Wish we had started this whole process his Junior year. Wish we had found your website sooner. Oh well...everything happens for a reason.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
He doesn't have D1 velocity, even for a lefty

He could change a lot between now and next season. Bum, Jr. clocked in at about 83 at the same time and saw a big increase in his Junior year, and he didn't have the size. This kid could easily be working mid-80's by next Summer.

quote:

Originally posted by Bum:

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
He doesn't have D1 velocity, even for a lefty

He could change a lot between now and next season. Bum, Jr. clocked in at about 83 at the same time and saw a big increase in his Junior year, and he didn't have the size. This kid could easily be working mid-80's by next Summer.

Very true. But this kid is a senior. It's go time. But you can only go with what you have unless some coach is going to see projectability.

I'd advise you to keep an open mind about all schools. There are solid academic institutions at every level: D1, D2, D3. Don't rule out anywhere just because you may not have heard of the school. The two things that need to be going on simultaneously at this stage are this: Your son should be hitting fall camps and showcases which multiple coaches are attending. That gets him seen by a wide variety of schools, which will give you an idea of who might actually be interested in him. The other thing is to do your homework on schools to see what they have to offer academically. Visit the Web sites, and take campus visits that aren't related to baseball just to see if he likes the school for itself. Then see if there's a place where baseball and academics might converge in your mind.

It's not too late. You just have to get very busy. You also need to have a true sense of your son's skill sets. Objective opinions are important so you don't end up at a place where the chance of playing is slim or nonexistent. Good camps will generally give you a fair assessment in a written report. Been through it with my son, and it's work. Sometimes you have to recruit the school instead of the school recruiting you. Wish you luck.