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Please help provide some direction?

SandmanSandman500+ posts
Hi,

Our son is a public high school Junior middle infielder in the Northeast, at a relatively small school of about 1200 students and he is hoping to play college ball. I'll try to layout below the variables that are swirling through our heads and maybe you kind folks can help us out. I sure hope we don't have so many restrictive variables that we're making it almost impossible to find a fit? And if we do, it will be difficult to decide which restrictions to remove in order to widen the net a bit.

Goals:
- No plans for pro ball, as he would rather have a career and be home with a family vs. the travelling life of pro ballplayers.
- Nevertheless, he greatly desires to continue playing ball as long as the game allows.
- Prefers structured, competitive varsity ball vs. club or intramural.

Experience:
- Youth - Like many passionate players, he's played since he was 4, always made All-Stars through LL (4 years Majors) and Babe Ruth (13YO).
- HS Spring - This will be his first year on varsity, after having started at shortstop on JV and freshman teams the past two years.
- HS Summer/fall - Last summer and previous fall, wood bat travel leagues (one was Connie Mack, don't recall the other, but both teams have other college prospects and extremely knowledgeable/experienced coaches). This summer, he's hoping to at least play Jr. Legion and Connie Mack (wood). The Legion team still has many older kids on it (18-19YO), and won't be taking underclassmen who don't also pitch.
- Multisport - Starting shooting guard on varsity basketball team. Keeps him in shape during baseball off-season. Wink

Academic
- We'll know his current GPA when report cards come out next week, but he's an all A/B student, w/ a few honors classes per year (no AP yet). Good shot at top 20% of class.
- Hasn't taken SATs yet, but will at least twice this year.

Physcial:
- 5'9", 150 lbs (gained 15 lbs. last summer/fall, weight lifting; hoping for similar results this year).

College Search Parameters:
- DIVISION: We don't wear rose-colored glasses, so we're pretty sure he's not a D1 prospect if he didn't play varsity in freshman or sophomore years. I don't know about D2? D3 seems to be a good fit for non-stud (but good) players who are also above average academically. Also, neither he nor my wife are interested in JUCO (again, if his goal is to go to college, play ball and get a degree, and move into a career, he's not looking to add years to the process).
- LOCATION: Within a couple hour driving commute from RI = RI, CT, MA. Expanding this to 3 hours would open up the NY schools too, but we've seen many of them seem to have very NY-heavy rosters.
- SIZE: Nothing smaller than 4000 students. Private campus over inner-city atmosphere. He's a very social kid, though not a partier (yet? Wink), but likes to be around the action (i.e. attends lots of HS sporting events). Prefers a bit of a big school atmosphere (which seems to conflict w/ where his baseball skill set might point him -> D3).
- MAJOR: Likely something in business (i.e. finance, investments, marketing) or perhaps Computer Science or Info. Systems. Aptitude tests so far suggest Marketing/Sales (people person).
- ROSTER: Prefers geographic diversity vs. a team entirely comprised of local HS students.
- COST: Ok, here's where it gets a bit tricky. Our daughter is a freshman in college (URI) and we're already spending close to $20k/yr. Our EFC suggests that we can spend $35k/yr on college. That doesn't help now, but during the 2 years when both of our kids are in college, I realize we might actually see some financial aid (other than loan offers). After our daughter graduates though, we likely won't see any aid unless our son's costs are above our EFC. Call us selfish, but my wife and I have no desire to spend $200k for his education, as we just don't feel the need for it (no offense to anyone else who does though). We're targeting retiring in our mid-50s and we believe that not all careers require launching from expensive private schools and that a very comfortable lifestyle can be achieved via public state university education. Maybe if we weren't a double-income family and if finanical aid allowed our children to have their choice of private colleges for costs similar to state schools, we'd feel differently? But we feel like our son can attend URI like our daughter for about $80k; we're not willing to double that (or more) just so he can play baseball too, as we believe the primary goal of college is to find your career. We ARE willing though to spend maybe $10k/yr more than URI ($30k/yr)... IF he gets the opportunity to play baseball somewhere.

So, if we haven't painted ourselves into an impossible situation, we'd like to try to narrow down his focus for which college coaches to start contacting (now?) and which camps/showcases to attend this summer/fall. Keep in mind that this will be his first year on the varsity team. I plan to film many of his games this year in order to put together a demo video (DVD or internet-downloadable?).

QUESTIONS:
- Camps: Are D1 camps a waste of time/money for him because there won't be many/any D2/D3 coaches there? Bryant and Brown both have college prospect camps, but are those more for kids who have the game and grades to actually consider attending there? Franklin Pierce has a camp next week, but he's not in baseball shape yet (still playing HS basketball, though he has been hitting twice per week for a few weeks and began throwing this week in prep for mid-March tryouts). Besides, FP doesn't meet his size requirement, so he would've been going to that camp more to be exposed to other New England college coaches.
- Perfect Games Showcase: We're considering the one in Bristol, CT this summer. Is that a good fit for him? Does it help for college-bound players or is it more for those with pro aspirations?
- How much might scholarships help?: Based on his GPA (seeing he doesn't have SAT scores yet), it looks like at some schools, he might have a shot at anywhere from $5-15k/yr in academic merit aid. Of course, D3s can't offer athletic scholarships, so that would be all the aid we could hope for there. D1s/D2s CAN give athletic scholarships to help further, but again, not if his skill set won't garner attention from them. The ideal combination would seem to be either a D1/D2 that offers him both types of scholarships or a D3 whose academic merit aid is further influenced by the baseball coach. Wink Or are we delusional to hope for any baseball scholarship offers for a player who isn't playing varsity until his Junior year (though if he tears up this Spring... )?
-Contacting coaches: Should he do that now or do they not really want to keep in touch with him before he's played at the varsity level?

I apologize for the length of this post. I've done a fair amount of reading on this site over the years too, including the Recruiting Timeline. But most of what I've read seems to refer to kids who were playing varsity before their Junior year. I know a lot of you have gone through the same process and I look forward to your input. If there are other variables I've omitted that we should consider, please feel free to point those out too.

Thank you very much. I appreciate your help,
Mike
Last edited {1}
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M Momof1B100+ posts
First...go to www.collegeboard.com and set his profile up so you can look at various colleges that meet his academic criteria, then see which of those have baseball teams.
Then, set him up with a www.berecruited.com site, you can load video, schedules etc for free, or pay $60 for unlimited access to more info. This site will get you on some mailing lists for colleges, so you can see about camps and showcases.
Third, a PG showcase is a great exposure event. He can do the underclass in CT, or a Sunshine in NJ...they are all good events.
Tell him to keep up the good work in the classroom, work hard on the field and be positive.
College camps, PG events will help get him a true evaluation of his baseball ability and open some doors for him.
Good Luck.
SandmanSandman500+ posts
Thanks for your input. We already did collegeboard and we have a spreadsheet with info about various schools. So far, schools like Hartford, New Haven seem feasible.

I'll check out berecruited.com too.

Still curious about timing and the fact that this will be his first year of varsity. Do we still contact colleges now?
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
Mike - I loved your post. Unbelievably well thought out and it was a pleasure to read that.

Look, I think your son can achieve his goals. All those things listed are within reason but obviously, some of those things weigh heavier in his mind than others. Let me give but one example... Heidelberg here in Ohio is a liberal arts school but with a fine reputation for academics yet their enrollement is well below 4,000. They have one of the best young coaches in the nation however and have emerged as a national power at the D3 level. If someone like that ever contacts your son, I hope you/he can at least listen to them and consider what they may have to offer. I am pretty sure you already know that however Smile
Last edited by ClevelandDad
R RedSoxFan21500+ posts
Wow, lots of good info there. Sounds like a fellow parent trying to do the right things. My guy is at La Salle, also a Junior, PM me if you want to talk local stuff.

Depending on what school your son is at, i.e. if its Bishop Hendricken, might determine whether or not his lack of Varsity play is a true determinant of value. My guy swung between JV and Varsity last year and that is based on having some talent in the face of a coach who is very loyal (and I agree with him!) to his upper classmen. i.e. the Sophomore catcher at Hendricken who was named captain in his freshman year would NEVER have seen playing time above the freshman team in his first year, and would have been a swing player his second year.) All this is to say, don't rule out your son's talent based on playing Varsity or not.

OK, having said that, there are lots more posts and lots more intelligent folk on this site than I so keep in mind this is based on what I have gleaned to date:

College Contacts: Remember to register him with the NCAA and get a clearinghouse code. Also, at that site, you will find links to colleges at the D1, 2, and 3 levels which you can sort geographically. My guy wanted to focus on the NorthEast so I converted that info to a spreadsheet and had him circle the top 10 he wanted to explore at this point. During the upcoming Feb vacation, he will visit at least two, most likely in RI to start. This is to start giving him a taste of the tour scene.

Back to that list, we then visited nearly every college web site in our focus area and filled out their Prospect Questionaire. You have to start somewhere getting him on their radar. With the college season starting out they will likely not spend much time looking at him but come July 1 they will be opening their books for the new academic application year.


College Camps: Pick a camp where one of his target schools as a coach attending. Call the coach a few days before the camp and ask if he can to take a look at you while you are there to assess your ability to play college ball. Remember it is one person's opinion so don't stake your playing career on it; more importantly it will help him focus on your son. The camp will also help your son 'break the ice' of playing with more competive kids and see how he matches up.

Don't rule out the Massachusets and Connecticut State Colleges; their prices are lower and many have good baseball and academic programs.

Clinics: Top 96 runs a fairly good entry level clinic which can potentially showcase him against area coaches.

Showcases: PG is one of the best, but they get the best of the best so it could be quite the reality check. And they are not cheap. The NorthEast Sunshine Event early June on Long Island may be the one to target.

As to academic showcases, HeadFirst is said to be among the top ones to check out.

Summer / Fall Play: Get on a travel team and/or Legion Team (your guy should be able to play senior legion. (If your local legion coach says no, have him give you a release to go to the next closest post). And then remember to share your schedule with those college coaches you have identified.

You say he is hitting twice a week through basketball season? That's great. You should consider that Franklin Pierce camp since he will probably be in as good, or better, baseball shape as 95% of the kids there. His basketball will have been good for his breath and agility. And his swinging will have kept him in a good baseball frame of mind.

Other area camps/clinics coming up include:
Johnson & Wales, 2 hour clinic, Feb 12 and/or 13, 12-2, only $25/$40
Franklin Pierce, multiple schools, Feb 13, $125
Holy Cross, Feb 13 and/or 20, 1 hour segments at $40 per hour
U Southern Maine Feb 20 OR Feb 26, low cost
College Basebal Coaches Camp 2/20 in NJ

Keep in mind the URI April Vacation Clinic April 18-20.

Recruiting Sites: IMHO berecruited.com though it has its foibles too, is the best site to use for the price. Pay the one time $60 fee and they provide an excellent tool for electronically alerting coaches of your interest (they don't have all schools, but they have a bunch!). And they can help with letter generation if you want that. Yeah you can use their free service but the next level is worth the price. Again, in this consumer's opinion, stay away from gameface and captain U.

Remember to register him for the May SAT. College coaches look for that number as they recruit.

Financial Aid: Play down your dual income status. From what I've seen, coaches prefer lesser players to have financial aid need as well as academic aid qualifications.

GPA: The NCAA site gives you a worksheet to figure his GPA. Its not all classes that are counted. And its not your college type GPA. In this world its 2 for a 70-79, 3 for an 80-89, 4 for a 90+. The only honors adjustment that means anything is a true AP course. You take the basic courses such as english, science, and math, add up the points, and divide by the number of courses being counted.

Height/Weight: Dustin Pedroia

Varsity Status: Michael Jordan didn't make his high school team.

Again, if you want to kibbitz about local RI baseball, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
It looks like your son is a D3 prospect. Check out the site d3baseball. However most D3 schools have an enrollment under 4,000. Another good site to see how your son fits in academically is collegedata.

Your son doesn't need to attend big time showcases. Make a list of colleges, make contact, express interest and find out where they will be during the summer and fall.

Don't tell college coaches your son has played since he was four and made X number of all-star teams. Tell them where he's at now. Sixty time and throwing velocity are important baseball stats.

Don't worry about the sticker price of private schools. Hardly anyone there is paying full price. Don't rule out a college until you see the financial offer. A friend will be paying 17K a year for his son to attend a 56K college.
Last edited by RJM
SandmanSandman500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by RedSoxFan21:
Wow, lots of good info there. Sounds like a fellow parent trying to do the right things. My guy is at La Salle, also a Junior, PM me if you want to talk local stuff.

Depending on what school your son is at, i.e. if its Bishop Hendricken, might determine whether or not his lack of Varsity play is a true determinant of value. My guy swung between JV and Varsity last year and that is based on having some talent in the face of a coach who is very loyal (and I agree with him!) to his upper classmen. i.e. the Sophomore catcher at Hendricken who was named captain in his freshman year would NEVER have seen playing time above the freshman team in his first year, and would have been a swing player his second year.) All this is to say, don't rule out your son's talent based on playing Varsity or not.

No, he's not at Hendricken, but his varsity coach is also quite loyal to upperclassmen, to the point that even in blowout games last year, the "swing" players didn't get to swing. The only swing players who got any varsity time were those who were needed to fill-in for injured players.

quote:
OK, having said that, there are lots more posts and lots more intelligent folk on this site than I so keep in mind this is based on what I have gleaned to date:

College Contacts: Remember to register him with the NCAA and get a clearinghouse code. Also, at that site, you will find links to colleges at the D1, 2, and 3 levels which you can sort geographically. My guy wanted to focus on the NorthEast so I converted that info to a spreadsheet and had him circle the top 10 he wanted to explore at this point. During the upcoming Feb vacation, he will visit at least two, most likely in RI to start. This is to start giving him a taste of the tour scene.

We registered him w/ NCAA a couple months ago. I've also created a spreadsheet and we did some collegeboard searches, as well as compiled lists of D1/2/3 schools. Then, like you, I've visited their websites to learn about their baseball program a bit and see if they have camps coming up and incorporated that into the spreadsheet too.

quote:
Back to that list, we then visited nearly every college web site in our focus area and filled out their Prospect Questionaire. You have to start somewhere getting him on their radar. With the college season starting out they will likely not spend much time looking at him but come July 1 they will be opening their books for the new academic application year.

That sounds like the next step for us. But again, I just wasn't sure if coaches cared about new varsity players. I guess it can't hurt to get him on their radar, then maybe offer to check back in during/after the season, and to let them know where he'll be playing summer ball and which camps he might be attending?

quote:
College Camps: Pick a camp where one of his target schools has a coach attending. Call the coach a few days before the camp and ask if he can to take a look at you while you are there to assess your ability to play college ball. Remember it is one person's opinion so don't stake your playing career on it; more importantly it will help him focus on your son. The camp will also help your son 'break the ice' of playing with more competive kids and see how he matches up.

That might be tough to do because many colleges advertise who HAS BEEN to their camps in the past and not necessarily who is coming NOW. Wink

quote:
Don't rule out the Massachusets and Connecticut State Colleges; their prices are lower and many have good baseball and academic programs.

I noticed that. But I also notice that the CT State schools have some remarkably low graduation rates. Do a lot of students just leave to go elsewhere?

quote:
Clinics: Top 96 runs a fairly good entry level clinic which can potentially showcase him against area coaches.


quote:
Showcases: PG is one of the best, but they get the best of the best so it could be quite the reality check. And they are not cheap. The NorthEast Sunshine Event early June on Long Island may be the one to target.

What about the Bristol, CT event? Would there be more NE and less NY college coaches there?

quote:
As to academic showcases, HeadFirst is said to be among the top ones to check out.


quote:
Summer / Fall Play: Get on a travel team and/or Legion Team (your guy should be able to play senior legion. (If your local legion coach says no, have him give you a release to go to the next closest post). And then remember to share your schedule with those college coaches you have identified.

Wouldn't nearby Legion teams usually have their middle infield sewn up already too?

quote:
You say he is hitting twice a week through basketball season? That's great. You should consider that Franklin Pierce camp since he will probably be in as good, or better, baseball shape as 95% of the kids there. His basketball will have been good for his breath and agility. And his swinging will have kept him in a good baseball frame of mind.

He's only been swinging for a few weeks, not the whole basketball season. But he just began throwing this week, and only once so far. It's pretty difficult to attend ANY camps for another few weeks though, as his basketball team practices or plays every day. And he doesn't want to have to make up a little lie to miss practice, for fear of it getting back to his coach. So unfortunately, I think we'll be waiting til summer/fall for camps/showcases.

quote:
Other area camps/clinics coming up include:
Johnson & Wales, 2 hour clinic, Feb 12 and/or 13, 12-2, only $25/$40
Franklin Pierce, multiple schools, Feb 13, $125
Holy Cross, Feb 13 and/or 20, 1 hour segments at $40 per hour
U Southern Maine Feb 20 OR Feb 26, low cost
College Basebal Coaches Camp 2/20 in NJ

Keep in mind the URI April Vacation Clinic April 18-20.

Recruiting Sites: IMHO berecruited.com though it has its foibles too, is the best site to use for the price. Pay the one time $60 fee and they provide an excellent tool for electronically alerting coaches of your interest (they don't have all schools, but they have a bunch!). And they can help with letter generation if you want that. Yeah you can use their free service but the next level is worth the price. Again, in this consumer's opinion, stay away from gameface and captain U.

Remember to register him for the May SAT. College coaches look for that number as they recruit.


quote:
Financial Aid: Play down your dual income status. From what I've seen, coaches prefer lesser players to have financial aid need as well as academic aid qualifications.

We won't be mentioning it when he contacts coaches, but of course, at some point, they're going to see this.

quote:
GPA: The NCAA site gives you a worksheet to figure his GPA. Its not all classes that are counted. And its not your college type GPA. In this world its 2 for a 70-79, 3 for an 80-89, 4 for a 90+. The only honors adjustment that means anything is a true AP course. You take the basic courses such as english, science, and math, add up the points, and divide by the number of courses being counted.

Height/Weight: Dustin Pedroia

Varsity Status: Michael Jordan didn't make his high school team.

Again, if you want to kibbitz about local RI baseball, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!
Last edited by Sandman
CollegeParentNoMoreCollegeParentNoMore1,000+ posts
quote:
Also, neither he nor my wife are interested in JUCO (again, if his goal is to go to college, play ball and get a degree, and move into a career, he's not looking to add years to the process).


I hate to sound like a broken record but attending a JC doesn't automatically add years to the process. Kids not taking the right classes at a JC or a D1/D2/D3 adds years to the process. This is especially true for a business degree as most JCs have the same lower division business classes that every 4 year school has.
birdman14birdman141,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by RJM:
The problem in the northeast is people look down their noses at JuCos. It's very hard to transfer in to the better schools from a JuCo. It's old thinking. But it's the way it is. Actually it's northeast elitist academic thinking. But it's the way it is.


RJM - quite honestly this is one of those situations where people have a problem with you. If you would correct your statement and say "some people" it would actually be more accurate. The real truth is "you" have a problem with JUCO's.

JUCO's end up being a great option for those who lack funds and cannot otherwise attend colleges. We have a great program here in NJ called NJ STARS, where if you graduate in the top 15% of your HS class, you can go to the local community college, then to a state university all tuition free. The college diploma will say Rutgers or College of NJ, not the local community college.

JUCO's also work as a baseball option, buying the player time to grow as a player and a student while still offering the ability to end up at a great academic school. Check out the rosters of Duke or Vanderbilt if you need examples.

IMHO, I think you need to get over your "Northeast elitist academic" thinking. It is pretty obnoxious.
Last edited by birdman14
redsox8191redsox8191500+ posts
Not that RJM needs me to stand up for him but he is correct that in New England MANY schools will not accept local JUCO credits, especially if core classes. Here in New England the majority of the JUCO's are small community colleges and right or wrong their reputations are not good. Heck our high school stopped using the local CC for their A/P classes as they were finding out that those credits that high school kids thought they were earning were useless as most schools wouldn't accept them as they were from the local CC.

RJM is being honest in regards to MOST New England JUCO's and the difficulty in transferring their credits to MOST 4 year schools in New England.

I do realize that this isn't the case in other parts of the country but unfortunately it is the case here in the northeast.
MF mood for baseball100+ posts
Don't mean to sound rude here. But Sandman what exactly is your question? You've been a member of this site for 8 years with over 700 posts. You've obviously seen your scenario posted by others with the full array of advice and comments almost all of which say the same thing. Sure as hell looks like you've done all the homework that has been suggested by the experienced folks time and time again. You've narrowed your search, registered with the NCAA and you're exploring summer ball and exposure options.

Seems to me your hung up on this "HS varsity" thing.
Your son is about to play his first varsity HS campaign. I'm no expert, but in my neck of the woods (Midwest) it is quite uncommon for underclassmen to be called up to varsity. If Sandman Jr. has the baseball goods and puts them on display in front of the right people he'll get some offers. Those coaches aren't going to look past his current talents to wonder why he didn't play HS varsity at 14 or 15! I've seen it posted on these boards a hundred times "High School baseball stats mean nothing in the recruiting process"

Sounds like you are placing a large portion of your decision on the academics side for your choices. If that's the case (and it sounds like you've already done this) bookmark the 20-30 colleges within the 2-3 hour radius of your home, research their curriculum and find the best fits for you and send an email to each baseball coach asking what is the best way for your son to be seen by them.

You seem to be light years ahead of most folks posting that "need some recruiting direction help" topic. Good luck to you and your son on finding that fit.
SandmanSandman500+ posts
quote:
Don't mean to sound rude here. But Sandman what exactly is your question? You've been a member of this site for 8 years with over 700 posts. You've obviously seen your scenario posted by others with the full array of advice and comments almost all of which say the same thing. Sure as hell looks like you've done all the homework that has been suggested by the experienced folks time and time again. You've narrowed your search, registered with the NCAA and you're exploring summer ball and exposure options.

I apologize if I wasn't clear in my QUESTIONS section above. Our primary questions are "Which camps/showcases might best suit him?" (i.e. don't bother attending D1 camps if all the coaches there are only from other D1s?), as well as trying to learn how common it might be for D3 coaches to influence their admissions office to offer more generous "academic" aid to athletes.

quote:
Seems to me your hung up on this "HS varsity" thing. Your son is about to play his first varsity HS campaign. I'm no expert, but in my neck of the woods (Midwest) it is quite uncommon for underclassmen to be called up to varsity. If Sandman Jr. has the baseball goods and puts them on display in front of the right people he'll get some offers. Those coaches aren't going to look past his current talents to wonder why he didn't play HS varsity at 14 or 15! I've seen it posted on these boards a hundred times "High School baseball stats mean nothing in the recruiting process"

My question regarding him not having played varsity yet was really more about:
"Should such a player still contact college coaches before his first varsity Spring season?" than
"Does such a player have a shot at playing college ball?".

quote:
Sounds like you are placing a large portion of your decision on the academics side for your choices. If that's the case (and it sounds like you've already done this) bookmark the 20-30 colleges within the 2-3 hour radius of your home, research their curriculum and find the best fits for you and send an email to each baseball coach asking what is the best way for your son to be seen by them.

We don't necessarily need him to attend the best academic school he can get into. (Our daughter's at the state U and she ranked 10th in her class last year and we're fine with that approach.) My reason for discussing academics was mainly to point out that we'd probably need some academic merit aid in order for him to attend a private school because we aren't likely going to see much in the way of financial aid (except for the 2 years of overlap while our daughter's still in school).

quote:
You seem to be light years ahead of most folks posting that "need some recruiting direction help" topic. Good luck to you and your son on finding that fit.

Thank you. I appreciate your input.
SandmanSandman500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by RedSoxFan21:
...
Other area camps/clinics coming up include:

Johnson & Wales, 2 hour clinic, Feb 12 and/or 13, 12-2, only $25/$40
Franklin Pierce, multiple schools, Feb 13, $125
Holy Cross, Feb 13 and/or 20, 1 hour segments at $40 per hour
U Southern Maine Feb 20 OR Feb 26, low cost
College Basebal Coaches Camp 2/20 in NJ

Keep in mind the URI April Vacation Clinic April 18-20.
Thanks for this list. We'll likely target summer though to avoid conflicting with the end of basketball season.

FYI, the URI April camp is for youngsters:

4/18 – 4/20 ~ Monday to Wednesday
URI April Vacation Clinic
Location: Beck Field, URI-Kingston Campus | Grades 1-8

It looks like this one might be better:

Be A Ram High School Prospect Clinic 1
Grades 9-12
Location: Bill Beck Field, URI-Kingston Campus
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The College Baseball Coaches Camps look good too. I'll look at those some more too.
Thanks again.
Last edited by Sandman
RJMRJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007
quote:
RJM - quite honestly this is one of those situations where people have a problem with you. If you would correct your statement and say "some people" it would actually be more accurate. The real truth is "you" have a problem with JUCO's.
In the northeast it's the truth. I grew up in New England and have a second home there. I know the turf. There is such an academic elitist attitude in the area many people look down their noses at the state universities (ex: Framingham State, Keane State, etc). It's what happens when there are so many top colleges in a small area. Whether I agree or disagree with the attitude, it's the way it is.
Last edited by RJM
SandmanSandman500+ posts
Quick update:

Son's official visit at a nearby (90 min. commute) D3 went well. He enjoyed his stay and hanging with the team. Likes the campus. We got to see the football team in their conference championship.

My wife and I got a good read and feeling on the head coach. Seems like an honest, upfront genuine guy. Said he was planning to bring in 3 middle infielders, but don't hold it against him if there's a 4th come next fall. When pressed for where our son is on the current list of 3, he was honest and told us "3rd" - which is better than not on the list at all. Wink

Bottom line is that he offered our son a spot on the roster. We politely pushed for clarification and were promised that it wasn't just a fall tryout, or just a fall roster spot; it's a full one-year spot, which obviously includes the Spring team. Their roster is usually in the low-30s, but could swell a few with their recent CWS appearance and repeated conference championships.

But at this point, that's pretty much all we can ask for. We promised coach we'd get son's app in within a few weeks, so that we can all bring this to closure by end of calendar year.

Coach called son this past Sunday evening again, just to see if he'd started the app, how his basketball season prep is going, what he's doing for Thanksgiving. Reminded me of JH's story about getting a phone call every Sunday night and how that made him feel.

Son is on cloud 9! Big Grin

Thanks to all for your help. We'll know soon how much merit aid he'll get and if this is doable financially. As cliche as it might sound, it really IS about finding the perfect fit for YOUR son. We realize that the road ahead will have its bumps too and that playing time will be earned - maybe freshman year, maybe sophomore.

Having been on this site since he was about 9 years old, it's been a long journey learning about the recruiting process. But we couldn't be happier just to see him have the opportunity to play at the next level. Smile
Last edited by Sandman
birdman14birdman141,000+ posts
Sandman, great stuff, congratulations to your son. I would love to hear (and I'm others would as well) some of the details about what you did and how your son did during his first varsity year in HS. No need to go into specifics if you don't want too, about schools and such...

I just feel it could be helpful to others going through a similar situation.

Best of luck to your son and enjoy his senior HS baseball season!
EdgarFanEdgarFan500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by birdman14:

"Sandman, great stuff, congratulations to your son. I would love to hear (and I'm others would as well) some of the details about what you did and how your son did during his first varsity year in HS."


Yes, I'd be interested in this stuff - it's all ahead of me and my son (and BTW, kudos to you Sandman for how you laid this all out - very well thought out and between it and the responses a useful and concise blueprint for those of us following in your footsteps).

Congratulations, and best of luck this coming season and beyond!
MF mood for baseball100+ posts
Well done Sandman Jr. !! And congrats to Mr and Mrs Sandman too !

I'm sorry I came on kind of hard on you after the original post Sandman. I musta had hyper-recruitment anxiety that day.

I know what a huge relief it is for you and your son. Your story is quite similar to mine. Mood Jr is a basketball player too and very much wanted his college baseball future decided before this senior season. He too has decided and committed to a DIII that he fell in love with at first visit.

Good luck with the basketball season and all the best to your boy as he moves on.
SandmanSandman500+ posts
No problem at all, mood. And thank you for the well-wishes.

For those who are interested in our "stuff", I apologize for jumping from the beginning to the end of the story, leaving out the details of the middle. Red Face (Just call me an excited dad. Razz)

I certainly understand that there are many paths to the next level and that ours was just one approach. But for a player who was not a blue chip D1 prospect, the onus was on us to get his name out and to get him in front of college coaches. And given that we opted not to begin his recruiting process until he had earned a starting spot on his varsity team this past Spring as a junior, we knew we had to develop a bit of an accelerated approach this summer. I definitely don't claim any expertise at this; I'm just a dad who has been hanging out here for a long time, soaking in all I can. But if consolidating my son's story in one place can help anyone digest the vast amount of information, I'm glad to try to help out.

So... seeing that there appears to be some interest, I will come back to this thread over the next week or so (likely over multiple posts) and share more details of my son's recruiting journey, in which I'll talk about:
  • The importance (for our family anyway) of performing to the best of his abilities in the classroom, given the fact that we knew when this started that it would take good merit aid to make a private school baseball opportunity happen.
  • The approach we took to identify and document important characteristics of his candidate list of schools (starting broadly with a couple hundred in the Northeast, narrowing down to a couple dozen to contact, and ultimately ongoing, more serious dialogs with just a few).
  • His high school and summer seasons and their impact on his recruiting, as well as the continued life lesson of learning to focus on only what you can control. And how true it is what we've all heard many times about, "Don't endlessly fret over your son's high school team role and/or performance because college coaches often place more emphasis on summer teams, as well as what their own eyes can see at camps". That said, even if your high school role or performance isn't quite what you wish it were, staying focused on work ethic and character can still allow your high school coach to honestly recommend you to college coaches as a potential asset to their program.
  • How we used free alternatives to commercial recruiting websites by creating his student/athlete bio in Word and using Word/Excel mail merge to contact coaches several times from Spring through Summer, while still maintaining a personal touch. [I will also make these available by email to anyone who would like copies (upon PM request).]
  • The role of his YouTube channel.
  • His summer and fall showcases and camps, with reviews.
  • The importance of continued communication and how polite persistence can help clear confusion and reduce ambiguity - sometimes allowing the "squeaky wheel to get the grease", and other times leading to eliminating some schools from your list when it becomes clearer that the interest from a coach isn't as mutual as you might like it to be.
An added benefit of this entire process was helping my son continue to improve his organizational and communication skills - traits that I'm sure will help him well beyond baseball. In the beginning, I was standing over him at the computer quite a bit, helping him brainstorm and craft emails to coaches. But throughout the process, his attention to detail, his confidence and maturity all improved and he completely took over, to the point where he grew to simply inform me now and then that "Coach So-and-so got back to me; I'm going to reply to tell him x and ask him y".

This whole recruiting effort was really another bonding moment for my son and me. And as we sat at dinner last weekend, the day after his most recent overnight visit to his top school, still discussing his wonderful opportunity, the sincerity with which he turned to me and said "Dad, none of this could've happened without YOUR help; THANK YOU SO MUCH!" was absolutely priceless. Smile Of course, I quickly reminded him that I was just the guide, and that HE was the one who has done, and continues to do, all of the work (on the field, in the gym and in the classroom). A real lesson in ambition and perseverence was learned here and I'm proud to have been a part of it. Smile
Last edited by Sandman
F fast10+ posts
Sandman,

Congratulations! Looks like the hard work you and your son put into this has paid off: (a) reaching the goal of finding the right baseball/academic fit, and (b) your son's growth, maturity, and self-confidence. Thank you so much for sharing your insight - I have a 2015 and we're really just now beginning to think about these things. He seems a long way off from being a college student, but I know the next 4 years will fly by and it's time to help him formulate a plan. Your story is certainly a good guide to the process. I look forward to hearing more from you on the details.
V VaRHPmom100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Sandman:

This whole recruiting effort was really another bonding moment for my son and me. And as we sat at dinner last weekend, the day after his most recent overnight visit to his top school, still discussing his wonderful opportunity, the sincerity with which he turned to me and said "Dad, none of this could've happened without YOUR help; THANK YOU SO MUCH!" was absolutely priceless. Smile Of course, I quickly reminded him that I was just the guide, and that HE was the one who has done, and continues to do, all of the work (on the field, in the gym and in the classroom). A real lesson in ambition and perseverence was learned here and I'm proud to have been a part of it. Smile


Okay, I teared up a bit at that part. Congratulations! My son is also narrowing down his choices with one more D3 overnight visit in January. His plan is to decide very soon after that visit and definitely before baseball season.

It has been one wild ride from initial interest from a D1 to finally realizing that the best fit for him is D3 (small school, good academics, good baseball with the opportunity to continue developing).

For anyone who is interested, the colleges became aware of my son through the following:

Summer/Fall showcase team: One D1 contact (included Junior Day invite) that died off over the summer. Did give the D3 coaches that were already interested a chance to see him pitch a bit more.

Camps: Two D3 contacts (have visited and applied to both). One camp was at the college that is interested. Another camp was hosted at a local college with several other college coaches in attendance.

High School Team: One D3 contacted us because the new assistant coach has seen our high school team play many times and is aware of the caliber of the players (we are not in the big population areas of Virginia but are a top team in the Region). Our coaches also have been in contact with one of the D3 colleges that became interested after seen my son at their camp.

NCSA: Only valuable if you are casting a very wide net or just can't get it done yourself. Several D3 schools and an NAIA D1 have contacted my son based on his profile; however, they are not really programs or locations that he is interested in EXCEPT for one D3 school that we will be visiting next month.

In a nutshell, the e-mails he originally sent out with his bio did not really develop into anything (but he felt that he had to take a shot at mid to low D1 first). Camps were the most effective with the showcase team allowing more looks (and playing against great competition to see how you match up doesn't hurt either).

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