On the Importance of Seizing Opportunities

Just my humble opinion, for what it's worth. If my son was a scholarship player at a JUCO and was offered a walk on spot at a "big time" D1, I would most likely advise him to stay with the JUCO. Obviously there may be extenuating circumstances, but as the question was posed, that would be my advice. My reasoning would be that if you had not been getting the "love" by any of the big boys, you most likely are ahowing up for a try-out. Been said on here many times don't chase the name on the front of the uniform. Better to be wanted (ie scholarship) than #38 at fall tryouts that will be cut down to 30-32 players. JMO

Yeah, younggun, I hear you.  A kid from our HS actually deferred admission to a strong So  Cal D3 -- strong both baseball wise and academically -- to give the JC route a year  -- I guess a year or maybe two, I don't know how long they let you defer, but I assume just a year --  to potentially bear D1 fruit.  Everybody says the kid is a potential D1 caliber athlete. Solid ratings from PG and others.  But somehow it didn't happen for him this past year. (2014). He's a great student.  Got into some really good schools and was offered a chance to be a recruited walk-on at at least one.  But he took his 4.2 average and decided the JC route would be better than either the D3 route (at least for now) or the recruited walk-on route.  

 

Tough decisions some of these baseball-ambitious young men have to make.  As things are trending at this moment,  looks like my own son, who is also baseball ambitious,  will be facing the same kind of decision as these two young men just faced.  Some D1 nibbles, but no offer yet. But he still has the hunger.  

So despite my desire to see my son follow the money and focus on his education, he decided to the go the recruited walk on route at a top D1.  He wanted to challenge himself to compete at the highest level and against the best kids possible.  He is two years in and they have been two seriously hard years....filled with incredible work and disappointment for lack of opportunities he seemed to deserve.  The walk on route means that you have to PROVE for a very long time you deserve even a small look and then you'd best be perfect in that opportunity and even then you might not play again for 3 weeks!  It's been as great for him as a competitor as it has been hard.  But, if you belong, and don't give up and believe in yourself and love the game enough to get through huge hurdles, the cream rises to the top.  At the end of his second year on a team one victory away from Omaha he was a starter.  I definitely confirm it's the HARD road and will test anyone mettle but not impossible.  Personally, I still wish he'd have gone to a lesser program and had an easier path but he wouldn't be the player he is today and his mental toughness is crazy and will help him his whole life. 

Cali, I understand your son and applaud him. I was one if those athletes. I was certainly not eye candy, but I don't think anyone could outwork me. I never played beyond high school but those lessons in determination and never giving up served me well in my professional life. I wouldn't change anything looking back. I hope your son has all the success in the world, whether baseball is his future or not. I have always loved, admired and respected the underdog.

I too went the route mentioned in the OP.  Unlike Cali's son, I just couldn't change the mindset of the coaching staff.  However, I readily admit that I didn't have talent anyway.  I was a hard charger who out worked everyone else.  There is a point where athleticism or the lack thereof becomes problematic.  I too was offered to go the JUCO Route.  I should have done so.  Still, I had a great experience as I learned every day who I really was. 

I think the topic can be appreciated and understood in many different ways.  What, for our son, was most important was understanding his opportunities and then seizing the right one. For him, the constant opportunity which developed following the Stanford Camp was with a young and aggressive  D3 coach who was  building a powerhouse program at a top academic university in Texas.

Just as soon as he graduated HS, opportunities also arose from one of the top JC's in Northern Ca. and from 2 D1 programs in Northern CA, when he was seen against pitchers who went in the top 4 rounds in the draft in consecutive years. 

Our son was very reluctant to "buy in" to the lure of the D1's which came in very late with offers, even though he had a burning desire to prove he could play with anyone.

If we were jump forward 4 years, the shortstop who did accept the very late offer at one of the D1's and our son were both drafted by MLB, with the D3 guy going 3 rounds before the D1 guy. Our son competed against that same shortstop during 2 Summers in the NECBL. He also played against Team USA  each Summer in the NECBL,being one of the only players  to play every inning of each game each Summer against Team USA. There were an abundance of radar guns when he led off against the projected #1 pick that year...and sent a line drive right past his ear on the first 95mph fastball.

No matter which route is taken, from the top D3 to  a "recruited walk-on," that player is going to be an underdog in the bigger scheme of college baseball and beyond. Being at  "lesser program" isn't likely to be easier than a walk-on at a top D1, if the aspirations are to be the best and to create opportunities. It could be a  different type of hard work and challenge but anyone trying to measure the difference in "hard" is going to be challenged to find them.  Whether it is our son at the D3 or calisportsfan's as the highly successful recruited walk-on, there is probably a  common denominator not apparent if we only look at  "seizing the moment." In my perspective, seizing the "moment" isn't as important as  understanding the opportunities for "fit" which success in a high profile situations might create. Having seized that moment passes with the next game. Looking longer term for lasting opportunities that moment creates should couple with making choices which work best, so there are 3- 4 years of moments, which then help that player seize more moments at the next level.