Preferred Walk-on / Admissions

Thanks for all the feedback.  Always interesting to see where these strings go.  You kind of get your questioned answered and then some additional feedback which is useful as well.  

Baseball and high school sports does not have to be just one thing.  It can be a chance to play in college or it can be a chance to give a kid a leg up in getting into the school of their dreams.  Even if that means not being likely to play or even being cut.  This thread was not about making a decision on walk on or not.  It was about learning if walk on was the only option how does that play into any admissions decisions.  

The first choice is of course to play and get a scholarship and take over the starting CF spot in the MLB All Star game...but best to be prepared for an alternative outcome.

Thanks again!

No! Don't Call Bunt wrote in his OP: "...He has probably a 75% chance of getting in on his own academically but..."

OK, so, the question for your son is, "What can or will you do to up this 75% chance to 99.9% or more?" Chart the course for that answer...may or may not include baseball...But, a walk on "chance" at playing baseball likely won't help him get in.

jmo

baseballmom posted:

No! Don't Call Bunt wrote in his OP: "...He has probably a 75% chance of getting in on his own academically but..."

OK, so, the question for your son is, "What can or will you do to up this 75% chance to 99.9% or more?" Chart the course for that answer...may or may not include baseball...But, a walk on "chance" at playing baseball likely won't help him get in.

jmo

Don't really understand the point being made here?

Priorities...Is your priority getting him into the specific school you referred to?...or using baseball to help pay for his education? (which is what hsbbweb IS mostly about)...or using a chance at walk on status to gain admission to the school? 

If he is academically qualified for this school, ya'll ought to look more to academic $$'s...But don't go into a situation hoping for walk-on to gain admission. That's "betting on the come"...

Do some more homework to get a clear picture of your sons' ability & where those abilities "fit" into a college program...

It's true that your question was answered straight away. You asked, "do coaches push walkins through admission?"  CabbageDad replied, "no".  Done deal.

It's also true that the thread has meandered, and in the end you have said today:

Baseball and high school sports does not have to be just one thing.  It can be a chance to play in college or it can be a chance to give a kid a leg up in getting into the school of their dreams.  Even if that means not being likely to play or even being cut.  

Going back to Cabbage's original response, the disconnect there is that  players who are not likely to play will not get a leg up from coaches.  They are on their own. 

If that's the player's choice, fine. But it may be that there are  other dream-worthy schools out there, perhaps at a different level of play, where the player would be perceived as an impact player and would get help through admissions.

baseballmom posted:

Priorities...Is your priority getting him into the specific school you referred to?...or using baseball to help pay for his education? (which is what hsbbweb IS mostly about)...or using a chance at walk on status to gain admission to the school? 

If he is academically qualified for this school, ya'll ought to look more to academic $$'s...But don't go into a situation hoping for walk-on to gain admission. That's "betting on the come"...

Do some more homework to get a clear picture of your sons' ability & where those abilities "fit" into a college program...

Correct me if I am wrong, but to be a "walk-on" doesn't the person FIRST have to be a student at the school, such as already been accepted based on merit and financials?  Or is it time for me to wake up and smell the coffee that "special" walk-on's get academic scholarships and acceptance into the school thanks to Coach XYZ?  D3 is a different story.

Walk on tryouts are typically a couple weeks to a month after school starts.....so yes you have to be enrolled.  You can talk to a coach before the school year starts and tell him you will be attending the tryout....or a coach even suggest that you attend a walk on tryout....but yes, you are on your own to get into the school before then.  You can't show up at a tryout without being a student....have the coach say "ok, we want you"....then enroll...it doesn't work that way.

Buckeye 2015 posted:

Walk on tryouts are typically a couple weeks to a month after school starts.....so yes you have to be enrolled.  You can talk to a coach before the school year starts and tell him you will be attending the tryout....or a coach even suggest that you attend a walk on tryout....but yes, you are on your own to get into the school before then.  You can't show up at a tryout without being a student....have the coach say "ok, we want you"....then enroll...it doesn't work that way.

We are again confusing walk-on with preferred walk-on.  One happens before enrollment and the other happens after.  

JCG posted:

It's true that your question was answered straight away. You asked, "do coaches push walkins through admission?"  CabbageDad replied, "no".  Done deal.

It's also true that the thread has meandered, and in the end you have said today:

Baseball and high school sports does not have to be just one thing.  It can be a chance to play in college or it can be a chance to give a kid a leg up in getting into the school of their dreams.  Even if that means not being likely to play or even being cut.  

Going back to Cabbage's original response, the disconnect there is that  players who are not likely to play will not get a leg up from coaches.  They are on their own. 

If that's the player's choice, fine. But it may be that there are  other dream-worthy schools out there, perhaps at a different level of play, where the player would be perceived as an impact player and would get help through admissions.

 

Actually their was not consensus.  Some said yes and some said no.  

Some coaches work closely with admissions, but I've never heard that to be the case for perspective walk on. He's working with them for recruited players that are on the margins, and struggling to meet the minimums. 

baseballmom posted:

Priorities...Is your priority getting him into the specific school you referred to?...or using baseball to help pay for his education? (which is what hsbbweb IS mostly about)...or using a chance at walk on status to gain admission to the school? 

If he is academically qualified for this school, ya'll ought to look more to academic $$'s...But don't go into a situation hoping for walk-on to gain admission. That's "betting on the come"...

Do some more homework to get a clear picture of your sons' ability & where those abilities "fit" into a college program...

My priority is to have all the information available to make informed decisions.  At this specific school we have a pre-paid program so we don't need any money.  Athletic or academic (although more money is good).  

Trust In Him posted:

baseballmom posted:

Priorities...Is your priority getting him into the specific school you referred to?...or using baseball to help pay for his education? (which is what hsbbweb IS mostly about)...or using a chance at walk on status to gain admission to the school? 

If he is academically qualified for this school, ya'll ought to look more to academic $$'s...But don't go into a situation hoping for walk-on to gain admission. That's "betting on the come"...

Do some more homework to get a clear picture of your sons' ability & where those abilities "fit" into a college program...

Correct me if I am wrong, but to be a "walk-on" doesn't the person FIRST have to be a student at the school, such as already been accepted based on merit and financials?  Or is it time for me to wake up and smell the coffee that "special" walk-on's get academic scholarships and acceptance into the school thanks to Coach XYZ?  D3 is a different story.

Depends. As has already been mentioned...depending on the program and HC...walk-on can mean different things. Some players may not receive an athletic scholarship but still be offered a roster spot so they are labeled by the program as a commit and included in opening fall roster.  Others may be told to attend walk-on tryout and not considered a commit or listed on fall roster and therefore must be accepted and attending the school. Based on all the feedback on these forums, the latter situation is not a good way to try and make the team. I am sure there are other ways that programs classify their walk-on players but those are the two most common.

Picked Off posted:

Some coaches work closely with admissions, but I've never heard that to be the case for perspective walk on. He's working with them for recruited players that are on the margins, and struggling to meet the minimums. 

Let's take a hypothetical scenario.  One of the top 10 pitchers in the country only wants to go to one school.  That school has already given out all its scholarship dollars.  The kid does not care about the money, he just wants to go only there.   Do you not think the coach makes sure his application goes through so he gets a top 10 kid at no cost to him?

No! Don't Call Bunt! posted:

Picked Off posted:

Some coaches work closely with admissions, but I've never heard that to be the case for perspective walk on. He's working with them for recruited players that are on the margins, and struggling to meet the minimums. 

Let's take a hypothetical scenario.  One of the top 10 pitchers in the country only wants to go to one school.  That school has already given out all its scholarship dollars.  The kid does not care about the money, he just wants to go only there.   Do you not think the coach makes sure his application goes through so he gets a top 10 kid at no cost to him?

Not sure if you are really looking for help here. Your scenario is ridiculous and maybe happens never.

By the way, top ten pitchers in the country are signing six figure deals!

Good luck to your son, I hope he lands at the school of his dreams!

Picked Off posted:

Some coaches work closely with admissions, but I've never heard that to be the case for perspective walk on. He's working with them for recruited players that are on the margins, and struggling to meet the minimums. 

Bingo! Coaches put their necks out for studs who might not otherwise be accepted. A walk on isn’t expected to help a coach win games and keep his job. A successful walk on is a bonus.

A late blooming 90+ pitcher might be regarded a little higher. I’ve seen a handful of high school seniors blossom when all the baseball money was gone.

A few years ago a kid from our high school was invited to walk on at a mid major D1 (CAA). The kid and the dad were pumped. Dad told people his kid was going to be playing there. 

When walk on tryouts happened in September the head coach didn’t show. There was an assistant and a few players helping out. After forty-five minutes the players were called off the field and thanked for coming. They were told there weren’t any available roster spots. But, thanks for coming. You’re welcome to try again next year. 

I don’t think the coach intentionally screwed the kid. But he was marginal to make the team. The coach probably found better talent between their conversation and walk on tryouts. 

Be very careful what you’re hearing when the term walk on comes up in conversation. It’s not a generic term. It means different things in different situations. At the least, it’s typically the long, hard road to surviving college baseball. The player must make an immediate impact on the coaching staff just to survive the first year.

Guys his scenario is a legit question.  I pretty much think the answer is it depends on the coach.  I know of a preferred walk-on to a top baseball program at a school with tough admissions.  The player was recruited but they didn't offer a scholarship.  They offered a preferred walk-on spot.  This school is very hard to get academic acceptance.  I don't think the kid would have been accepted to the school without baseball.  

Senior year HS, Academic try out for Arizona Fall Classic, son had a poor outing. Received a text @ 6:20am next morning from the HC of Power 5, Golden Dome U, his dream school.  (They had been following him for 18 months) Text basically said, "at this time we do not have a spot for you, but you are welcome to walk on & try out . You will need to get yourself admitted academically on your own and provide references from two reputable area scouts prior to the try-out. Please reach out to me when you have these completed."  A few take aways here: coach only has so many he can recommend to admissions, it is not as easy as you think, player will know when they are really interested in him, you never know who is really watching player when & where, very narrow is the funnel to one of the 35 on a perennial powerhouse CWS contender,  you have to have an honest conception of where the players' talent lies, and you will know when player is truly loved. Son was patient & made a new game plan that very day. Spread the net wider, reached out a little more,  committed 8 weeks later to another D1 & signed his NLI spring of Senior Year. Currently son is one of 11 Seniors left from the original 22 players from Freshman year, he found his true fit.  You are so wise to gather as much information as possible to assist son in allowing him to make an informed choice.  

I know of numerous situations where preferred walk on's were told "We will help with admissions just like any other player." A preferred walk on is a player that the staff knows, thinks there is a chance they could be a player, is willing to go to admissions for that player, is probably done after one year if they don't prove their worth.

The vast majority of preferred walk on's at D1 programs are players that could get money and more opportunities at many lower level programs. They simply have decided that an opportunity at "This" school is worth the shot. I have coached guys that turned down D1 offers to be preferred walk on's at Major D1's. In some cases it turned out really well. In other cases they simply moved to another program.

I coached a 2nd round pick that walked on to a local D1 instead of taking a number of opportunities at lesser D1 programs. I also coached guys that turned down good offers to walk on who had bad experiences. You will know what your son's options are when the time comes. No one can tell you what the best decision is for you. Hell they don't even know for themselves. You hope you make the best decision and then you make the best of it. You deal with whatever comes your way and you will navigate through it. In the end it all works out. Good luck 

real green posted:

Guys his scenario is a legit question.  I pretty much think the answer is it depends on the coach.  I know of a preferred walk-on to a top baseball program at a school with tough admissions.  The player was recruited but they didn't offer a scholarship.  They offered a preferred walk-on spot.  This school is very hard to get academic acceptance.  I don't think the kid would have been accepted to the school without baseball.  

I don't know if each school has it's own policy but my son was offered a preferred walk on to a very good D1 program.  Coach basically told him no athletic money for a couple of years but they really want him.  IF son was able to get into school by normal admission route, there will be a spot on the roster for him.  Again, doesn't matter what kind of walk on,  must be a student there first thus get in on own.  Coach did not mention, hint, wink or anything of the like that since a preferred walk on the coach can make it easier getting into the school.