Playing an NCAA Sport is not that easy!

I'd like to see a chart by classification.  I bet the kids who play in the top classification in their state the number is more like 20-25% and for the kids in the lower classifications it is probably less than 1%.

In the reality picture the opening post is correct. BUT ...

There is a place for every high school starter depending on where their priorities lay. I know a kid who wasn’t an impact player at a small classification high school. But he sat the bench at a mediocre D3 for four years. Personally, I wouldn’t sacrifice quality of education to claim I played college baseball. I wouldn’t want to put in the work to sit for four years. But this kid’s father had plenty of money and a place for him in the family business.

From 13u to 17u the kid’s father left no dollar unspent getting the kid developed to mediocrity. But from 13u to 16u the dad had a good time fooling himself. He constantly told everyone how many kids the program places in D1 ball. What the father was overlooking was the program’s 17u A team placed players in D1 ball. Everything else from 9u to 16u and 17u B was about revenue generation.

d-mac posted:

I'd like to see a chart by classification.  I bet the kids who play in the top classification in their state the number is more like 20-25% and for the kids in the lower classifications it is probably less than 1%.

All prospects are not created equal. The 6’2” 190 son of a former MLBer has different odds than the 5’8” 150 son of the high school music director/band leader.

7.3% sounds really low to some, but it's about right.

There are a lot of "D1 or nothing" kids who self select out.  Alot of those kids with that mentality have plenty of talent to play D2 or D3 but they prefer the big D1 college experience and/or just don't love the game enough.

Injuries, especially arm injuries, takes another portion of players out of the picture.

Then you have to factor in that, in a huge portion of the country, high school Baseball is very mediocre, and there are a ton of high school teams.  There just aren't a huge percentage of high school players from Wisconsin, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, etc that go on to play college ball.

The fact that there is such a small amount of scholarship money in Baseball is another factor, especially for multi sport athletes.  The reality that a kid could be looking at 25% of a scholarship in Baseball vs a full ride in Football, Basketball or even Golf (!) takes even more players out of our sport.

Then you factor in drugs/drinking, bad grades, attitude issues, troubles with the law, etc, as well as simply those who are unable to afford college.

If anything, 7.3% sounds high to me

The NCAA metrics have gone up and I'm not sure how or why?  It used to be 5.6% for NCAA baseball when I first starting reading HSBBWeb posts 12+ years ago.   I wonder if there is a trend to offer more NCAA sports as the number of colleges and Universities is relatively static?  I wouldn't think so.

I agree anybody who can play an NCAA sport and succeed in the classroom is probably going to be successful in life.  Times have changed and recruiting college athletes (in every sport) has become its own industry, and a way for colleges to attract people they wouldn't normally target.   I was talking to my Dad about his college athletic experiences (he was a gymnast in the late 50s/early 60s...academic scholarship) and he said he had very little contact with the Coach during the admission process.  He remembers talking to him once and that was only because he visited the campus by himself (6 hours away).   My grandparents worked, and my father was the first in his family to go college.   My experience was very similar in the early 80's.  I applied to a handful of schools and talked to the tennis coach via phone, and visited each campus on my own.   My parents had better things to do than visit a college, and left that up to me.   College was not a big concern for them...although that would change in 1982 when my tuition would go up 50%.  Contrast that with today's college recruiting experiences (and scandals), showcases, camps and college visits.  It is extremely hard to be in that 7.3% or whatever it is.  

Families are scrutinizing every last penny as they may have multiple kids to get through college....I know I did.   It really makes me wonder some days if college sports is the tail wagging the dog.

Television and then cable television changed sports. Television has corrupted sports all the way down to LL.

My kids and I benefitted from colleges sports. But it’s become is really absurd. We’re a long way from 1852 when Harvard met Yale in crew.**

My  great grandfather graduated from Bowdoin (now a NESCAC) in 1892. He played football,  baseball and ran indoor track. I found a letter about the football season. It told him when he returned to college in two weeks they had a game the following weekend. To get in shape run a mile per day and quit smoking. If you can’t quit smoking at least cut back. 

** Recognized as the first official and recorded intercollegiate athletic competition

I'd like to see the percent of the 7.3% that actually make it out of college with a degree (as a member of their team) in 4 years from the school they enrolled at as a freshman.........college baseball is not easy.  People will tell you it's hard, it's a full time job, etc....but you truly have no idea until you are in it.

I think that there are also different kinds of "hard". My 2018 has found the BB(at a D3 equivalent) to be a joy as a Freshman, and while he spends a lot of time training, the rewards have far outweighed the pain. Loves the coaches, and teammates. He has surprised me at how at how far he has been able to train and sculpt his body. He is in a very rigorous school, however, and he has found the studies to be a real challenge. He is doing well, but it has taken him a lot of all nighters. It does help that other team mates are also in the same boat, whether it be ChemE, CS, Honors Finance, or the like. While they do have more than their fair share of fun, they HAVE to study. Their star SS was lost to the team, as he wasn't able to keep up academically.

   Some of his buddies who went on to play college ball have had varied experiences. One has quit BB already. Many can't get any playing time, or are having trouble being effective when they do( at  D1 P5's, Mid majors, D3's, and other levels). One pitcher at a mid major has done really well...a couple few years ago he was a relative nobody, as was a guy who is doing well playing for an Ivy. Another went to a JUCO, and did so well that he has been picked up by a top 25 D1. Another went to a Juco World Series. My takeaway from all this is that players continue to evolve past HS/travel BB, and that going to a top 40 school for baseball isn't always the best thing. Make sure that it's also the school for academics, because BB might end up being less of a factor than you thought, and sooner than you thought. There are all sorts of different expectations amongst these kids academically, but there is no doubt that they will be better off ending up with a degree out of their college BB career, whether it be a two year degree out of a Juco or a 5 year ENG/Finance/What have you degree out an elite school.