PVI CLASS OF 2008--WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

I believe you are correct, although this is the first I heard of where Bowers was landing and that Murakami was transferring.

I believe Mitchell is at UMBC after a year at Frederick CC.

McMenamin is done after walking on for a year at Va Tech.

Bromley went to Tennessee Wesleyan, then a JC last year and now I'm not sure where he's headed.

Is this normal? Does all this moving around happen often? Is this a case of kids not landing where they belong due to a coach (HS or Summer) overselling? And I'm not talking specifically PVI, but in general.

A lot of kids move around if they want to keep playing or they drop from the baseball program and just stay at the school if they like the school but aren't getting the baseball return for the time required.

It's very rare for any program, even a top notch WCAC school like PVI, to have a single graduating class where they send 7 players to D-1, including SEC, ACC, and other top schools, 1 walk on at ACC D-1, and 1 go to quality D-2.

These 2008 PVI guys all played on high achieving travel and school teams, and I assume they wanted to play at the highest level they could qualify for. They did get offers and the schools that offered must have done their due diligence.

Could some players have gone to lesser programs, including more to D-2 and D-3s, where those players would have had better chance to play right away? Sure. Would that college option have been better than taking their shot at the highest possible level, readjusting via community college, and then trying again? In retrospect, it might, but only the player and their families can decide this, and only in retrospect.

You ask about the coaches role? Recognize that it would probably be a difficult task for any coach to say to a player who is batting 5-9 in his very strong lineup, especially during a championship season, 'well, we have a great team here, and, that big hit you got is only because you are getting great pitches to hit because every time you come up, guys are on base and the top of the order is right behind you -- so, just because school X is here to watch our game, pay no attention to their offer if it comes.'

When some of these kids get to college at any level, they are competing with kids who batted 1-4 and were the ones pitched around because their 5-9 in high school did not even think about playing college baseball. Same applies to successful high school pitchers who had great defenses and offenses behind them. My point is you never really know about how strong a player is unless you see them a lot, in all different types of situations, and even then, projecting the additional physical development that will occur from age 17-18 to 20+ is very, very difficult.

So, should the coach help sell his players to schools, yes. He needs to represent their current ability and projectabilty as best and honestly as he can. I think all coaches do this, otherwise they would lose their credibility instantly. Should he advise the players and parents as to how competitive the college process is, yes. He certainly has college experience and can speak to how well prior players or peer players have succeeded or failed at various collegiate levels, both from baseball and academic perspective. Should the coach make a recommendation about what level (high D-1 vs mid D-1 vs low D-1 vs high D-2 vs mid D-2 vs high D-3 etc) and what school within those levels his players should be considering? Yes, I believe he should provide inputs to his players, but recognize that ultimately, it's not his decision.

I'm not convinced this moving around is even an indication that a problem exists.

Like all young people coming of age, these players will constantly revise their goals and priorities as life experiences come their way. Unlike most young people, these players saw their goals tested early by the ruthless reality check of advanced competition. Each has adapted in his own way, some by growing where they are, some by finding new paths to stay in baseball, and others by pursuing happiness apart from college baseball.

A lot of these moves could be signs of healthy choices by young men whose coaches and parents helped prepare them to make good decisions.

Not saying its a problem, but for those kids who are at their 4th school in 4 years (hs, college 1, junior college, college 2), it demonstrates the risk/reward of the decision process. "Ruthless reality check of advanced competition"...very true.

Contrast the above with the player who goes D-2, has his talent and hard work pay off in extensive playing time on a winning team, gets a fine education, graduates in 4 years, and makes significant college friends beyond the baseball field. This may not be an ideal situation either, but it's a different situation. Another top 2008 from the northern region made this choice, was second team all conference as a freshman and first team all conference this past spring. He led his high level summer team in hitting this summer (outplaying many D-1's) and is now in his junior year.

There is nothing wrong with either of these scenarios. My only concern is with players/parents who are so focused on the D-1 name opportunity that they are biased against or don't look seriously at other quality alternatives. They may chase their dream at the expense of other fine options and end up with little to show for their efforts.

Spartan81--
Agree. It is very difficult to appreciate the costs of a high risk/high reward scenario until it is time to pay.

My guess is there is a tiny percentage of kids, or their parents, who have any comprehension of what college recruiting or playing on a college team means until they are actually involved in it. Most go from being the best, or close to the best, on a high school team to fighting like a demon for a spot on a college team. Countless hours of fall practice, minimal interaction with the coaching staff, and constant competition for playing time is the norm. Those who make it are truly deserving. Those who transfer probably do so for the right reasons.

The subtitle for this thread should be "Chasing Playing Time."

There were some great players on that team; with that said I don't think that this situation is unique. I think that I mentioned on another thread, that I saw quite a number of players from the greater 2008 Northern Virginia baseball "class" playing Junior College baseball in the mid-Atlantic in their sophomore years. Many that I am aware of (and I suspect most of them) have "landed" at another four year school where they are now playing every day.

I would hope that every player that "bided his time" as an underclassman (and did not transfer) is enjoying his experience to the fullest and has no regrets. Likewise, I hope that those that moved around got the most of the new exposure, and arrived with a solid year of playing experience (and a little wiser) at their next stop. Most of all, I hope that all of the players that are now into their third year of college, are getting the lion's share of the PT. If you asked, I am sure that most would say that playing is the thing.

Playing every day at new schools? I hope so, but they are competing for jobs this fall/winter.

Examples, other than PVI guys:

Brett Williams - ??
Mike Stancik - VCU

Who else?

Brett Williams landed at the University of Richmond.

where did Brett start off?

Xavier.