Post Graduate Baseball Schools

I know this is a really old post, but your comment is quite recent. We live in Europe and my son is a very young senior. He's really interested in doing a PG year, but almost all of them are in the New England area and only play ball in the spring. Our son needs exposure to college coaches, is that still possible at a PG School or does he need to look for PG programs with a fall program as well (like IMG, but too expensive). Another option would be a Community/junior college, but I would like him to stay on a campus. I hope you can help me. We're not American, but have lived in the US several times. Our son started to play baseball when he was 7 and we lived in Virginia. All he wants is return to the States and play college ball. A few colleges have showed interest, but they where not my son's favorites. 

Thank you!

I'm not aware of any New England preps that run a formal fall baseball program.  I may be incorrect, but I've not seen one.  A lot of the serious players find fall leagues that play mostly on weekends, but that can potentially create a transportation issue depending on your situation.  I'd recommend he attempt to get some college exposure prior to starting his PG year.  At that point, the majority of recruiting is wrapping up, certainly in D1.  There would be some D3 recruiting left, but for many, the kids would have been seen at some point in the summer and it would be last looks in the fall.  Perhaps a Perfect Game showcase or tourney on one of their assembled teams.  Perhaps doing some school specific camps.  There is a timeline here on the site that may be of some use to you.

Thanks you so much for this information.  He got some invitations for prospect camps last fall, but because of his senior year (IB program) and the distance it was just not possible to fly out to the States. After his graduation end May he has all the time in the world. 

Thanks again. Much appreciated. 

I know Bridgton Academy in Maine does fall baseball against jucos as well as IMG. IMG is expensive but Bridgton seems more reasonable.

Thanks. M son has Skype calls with a few school this week. I hope this one is on his list as well, otherwise we can still reach out to them. 

I think I know your son. I won't say his name, but did he go to IMG Summer League this past summer?

NYCTBaseball posted:

IMG is expensive but Bridgton seems more reasonable.

A HS teammate of my son's took a PG at IMG (was the cost of room and board at private colleges). He was really late to the recruiting process (timeline). It worked out for him as he got a D1 offer at a California school.

NYCTBaseball posted:

I think I know your son. I won't say his name, but did he go to IMG Summer League this past summer?

Yes and he loved it. 

NYCTBaseball posted:

I think I know your son. I won't say his name, but did he go to IMG Summer League this past summer?

Any suggestions? ��

Here's the problem I see with doing a PG year. Until he gets his grades up schools won't be interested. By the time he gets his grades up it will be past the time for his recruiting class. 

I would go the JuCo route. If he's NCAA eligible out of high school he can transfer after one year.

Add: I just realize I responded to a nine year old post.  The kid cou,d be married with kids by now.

No problems with his grades.  He's just young. 

Both my 2012 (D1 player) and my 2016 (soon to commit to a D3) were in the full time program at IMG once upon a time.  My 2012 was also very young for his grade (13 year old as a hs freshman) so the PG year was something we pursued purely for age/maturity as he was gifted academically and athletically. 

I highly recommend not doing IMG for a variety of reasons including cost.  I've posted many times on this topic.

We looked at a lot of post grad programs throughout the US.  www.boardingschoolreview.com was a starting point for us.  Visited a number of schools.  The best academic schools adhere to the traditional timing for their sports, i.e., baseball is a Spring sport only and typically doesn't start until March at the earliest due to the weather.  This timeframe is after college baseball recruiting is done for most schools.  That means a PG player will have applied to colleges and be committed to play college ball before he sees the field the Spring of his PG year. 

As I think has been noted above, the Summer between Senior and PG years is the most critical for college baseball recruiting.  If a player has not already committed, getting exposure via showcases and camps is most critical at this time.

If I had to do it over again, and I wish I could, my 2012 would not have done a PG at IMG as academically, he didn't need it.  He would've done a "gap year" that we created with the following:  taken some junior college classes (though not enough to impact collegiate eligibility), SAT/ACT test prep and test again to maximize the number of schools he could be a candidate and maximize merit scholarship opportunities, work to make spending money and savings, volunteer, continue to develop his baseball skills via individual training, work on speed, strength, and agility, etc..  For game action, in many areas of the country there are fall and winter leagues/programs.  Our local college runs a league for high school kids here.  In the Spring, there are places to play in a few areas.  Adult leagues, college camps, etc. all can provide some game action.  My son ultimately played in a SoCal league the Spring of what would've been his PG year after we left IMG.

@ VIRGINIA...you may want to contact Bryant and Stratton College - Virginia Beach.

http://www.bryantstratton.edu/...ginia/virginia-beach  (college website)

http://www.bscbobcats.com/sports/bsb/index  (baseball program site)

The school has staffed itself, arranged for facility usage and launched a JC baseball program this year. The baseball staff is very experienced and is actively recruiting for the coming year. This area is a lucrative area for D1-D3 colleges, not to mention MLB. The program at Bryant and Stratton will fill a need currently not addressed well within Virginia and should do very well. The new head coach is Richard Morris, formerly at Roanoke College; Director of Baseball Operations is Norbie Wilson, a legendary high school coach in Virginia Beach and formerly the head coach at College of the Albemarle, a JC in NC; Recruiting Coordinator is Paul Bottigliero, previously at Old Dominion Univ. in Norfolk.

This has sort of morphed into a current thread again with Virginia's post.

If you are looking for JC options, I would suggest looking at some California JCs. Many of them have dorms on campus. The only drawback is that some are in very small towns.

NotThatGuy posted:

@ VIRGINIA...you may want to contact Bryant and Stratton College - Virginia Beach.

http://www.bryantstratton.edu/...ginia/virginia-beach  (college website)

http://www.bscbobcats.com/sports/bsb/index  (baseball program site)

The school has staffed itself, arranged for facility usage and launched a JC baseball program this year. The baseball staff is very experienced and is actively recruiting for the coming year. This area is a lucrative area for D1-D3 colleges, not to mention MLB. The program at Bryant and Stratton will fill a need currently not addressed well within Virginia and should do very well. The new head coach is Richard Morris, formerly at Roanoke College; Director of Baseball Operations is Norbie Wilson, a legendary high school coach in Virginia Beach and formerly the head coach at College of the Albemarle, a JC in NC; Recruiting Coordinator is Paul Bottigliero, previously at Old Dominion Univ. in Norfolk.

Thank you so much. I'm going to look into this first thing tomorrow. We actually lived in Virginia Beach and our son threw his first ball at Great Neck baseball. He had a great time there. 

Thank you all so much for your input. It really helps and we've a lot to look into and think about. Thanks!!!

Just a short update. We've decided to go for the PG year. We just learned that he has been accepted to all 5 schools he applied to, incl Bridgton who plays in the same fall League as IMG. We now have to make a decision also based on the financial aid that has been offered. Summer showcases and camps are also being looked into. Any suggestions?

i would like to thank you for allthough input you've given in fulfilling a boy's dream. 

Sorry, I meant " I would like to thank you all for your input...."

"If I had to do it over again, and I wish I could, my 2012 would not have done a PG at IMG as academically, he didn't need it.  He would've done a "gap year" that we created with the following:  taken some junior college classes (though not enough to impact collegiate eligibility), SAT/ACT test prep and test again to maximize the number of schools he could be a candidate and maximize merit scholarship opportunities, work to make spending money and savings, volunteer, continue to develop his baseball skills via individual training, work on speed, strength, and agility, etc..  For game action, in many areas of the country there are fall and winter leagues/programs.  Our local college runs a league for high school kids here.  In the Spring, there are places to play in a few areas.  Adult leagues, college camps, etc. all can provide some game action.  My son ultimately played in a SoCal league the Spring of what would've been his PG year after we left IMG."

This idea is something I have thought about for a long time. I think your plan is extremely well-thought out. 

PG year was a great thing for my son when he did it.  Virginia - if the preps you are considering are in the Northeast, feel free to send me a private message if you would prefer to discuss off the board.  I'll try to give some help if I have familiarity with your options.

Thanks! 

I'll send you a private message later today.