Now that Senior NLIs Are Signed, What Can Juniors Expect?

Do a search and read the posts in all the threads started by Francis7 over the past 6 months. That will cover most of it.

When you say HA, what do you mean?  Ivy League?  Patriot League?  Some other kind of D1, like Davidson/William and Mary?  D3?  The paths are quite different for each of these, so it would help if you can say what you mean.

Thanks, @adbono, I will look up @Francis7's posts as suggested.

@anotherparent, I mean (a) Ivy League, (b) NESCAC and Colonial Conference, and (c) other D1s like William & Mary or Holy Cross.

Check out this thread from this past April:

https://community.hsbaseballwe...ll-2021-class?page=1

But I'm sure you'll also get specific advice, especially from people who have just gone through it this year.

@NotMadeOf$$ posted:

Evening, all.

Now that NLI week is over, my assumption having never gone through this before is that college coaches' attentions (especially HA and D3 coaches' attentions) turns to juniors.

Obviously this year is not normal, but I ask for the sake of getting perspective on what normal looks like... in a normal 12-month period starting now (i.e., from a junior's Thanksgiving to a then-senior's NLI signing), what does the ebb and flow of action/interest for a strong position player prospect look like?  

By "strong prospect," I do not mean a P5 prospect, but rather I mean high GPA at a good public school, more than a handful of AP classes, both velos in the mid-80s, playing for a great travel organization with good connections and lots of 2022 commits already.  My son has already filled out probably two dozen recruiting questionnaires and communicated back-and-forth (mostly email, mostly just introductions and thank-you's) with nearly as many coaches.  Will attend HF camp and what his travel coaches know to be "the right" PG and PBR tourneys next summer.

In a normal year, what could such a kid expect of the next 12 months?  Particularly interested in the usual ebb and flow.

I second the advice to search the forum. Look for Fenway South, in particular, whose son played at an Ivy and is an absolute wealth of information. We're in the process now but thought I'd share a few thoughts.

Son is engaged with a few HA schools as you've defined them, plus one or two others. For the most part these schools have committed a guy or two each. Each program suggests that they are now focused on the '22 class. Each says they're hoping to see prospective recruits in person in the spring and summer. Don't know how feasible this is given our current situation re COVID.

And that's the big variable. If the dead period is indeed extended to 4/1, then I presume they'll spend the late winter/early spring looking at video (esp games) and working the phones with travel/HS coaches. That should probably be a high priority. Then, assuming we have a HS season (which I expect we will, even in California) the floodgates should open once the dead period is lifted. Sounds like you're focused on the right events esp HF given your son's academic orientation.

Hope that helps, happy to talk in PM as well. Oski

In the short term, I wouldn't expect much if anything at all. Recruiting tends to die off after October. Mix in covid, canceled seasons, extra eligibility and not a single person has a clue. They're also with their teams now as travel ball really isn't being played anywhere.

As for recruiting - the GPA, honors, and all that is nice, but it is irrelevant until they identify you as a prospect. People think the grades qualify you for the baseball. The baseball qualifies you, the grades eliminate you. In other words, coaches don't look at GPA and start recruiting. They look at skill and say can this kid get into my school.

As it has been mentioned, you need to identify the level of baseball he can play at, not the level of academics. The grades don't matter if he can't play baseball at a William and Mary, Davidson, Richmond, etc. The difference between A10/CAA and NESCAC athletics is night and day. So identify the talent level and go from there. Is he a potential D1 player who would be fine ending up at a NESCAC, or is he a borderline college prospect who is hoping his grades can take him to a D1 program. There is a big difference.

Great post, @PABaseball.  I appreciate the logic.  Thank you.

Here was our experience (2019 grad), but this is just one person.

Oct/Nov junior year:  some HA D1s contacted son (after Ft Myers) with personal emails, invited him to winter camps, but too far away, so we'll never know what would have come of attending.

Dec. junior year:   got his SAT score

Jan.-Mar. junior year:  son emailed various HA D1 and D3 schools, with his scores, measurables, video, and summer tournament schedule.  Some expressed interest.  D3s mostly said they would not be at those tournaments.

summer after junior year:  was seen at tournaments by some D1 coaches, nothing came of it, went to a HA D3 camp in July, Headfirst in early August, got offers of Early Decision D3 support in late August.

That was an old timeline for HA.  Who knows what it is now, but the only way to find out is to email coaches in January (before their players come back from vacation) and ask.  Listen to your travel coaches, but know that some don't know much about HA recruiting on a national level, if that is your goal.

@adbono posted:

Do a search and read the posts in all the threads started by Francis7 over the past 6 months. That will cover most of it.

LOL!