Question For Position Players That Played In College

I would say my son hit his stride in college. In HS his batting average was in the .350-.400 range.  Coach kept the stats on paper (did not use Gamechanger) plus one of the players in dugout was usually keeping the books so who knows how accurate it was. I'm guessing he was actually in the low .300's.

His college freshman year (JuCo) his average was just over .300 with 2 HR's.  His sophomore year he exploded with a .365 average and hit 27 doubles (broke the school record) and as one of the other parents said, he was "an RBI hitting machine.  No HR's though.   His Junior year at a D2 university was pretty much on pace, though his average dipped to .302, but he had 6 HR's and 12 doubles and one triple. 

Probably the biggest difference I noticed was his hits in college were mostly hard hit balls compared to HS.

I think I was a much better hitter in college but it took a year. My freshman year I did not play much and was not very comfortable and confident at the plate. The biggest difference to me was regularly facing guys with 3 good pitches. It seems like I saw a lot of high school pitchers who threw a fastball or a breaking ball and that was it. To see the difference between the two and hit them was relatively easy. The change up may have been the biggest difference. That was in the 1980's. I think good high school players now have a chance to see way more quality pitching before they get to college, and many are ready to be productive contributors from the start of their college careers. After my first year of college I was for sure a way better hitter and had similar or better stats than in high school

"You can see a lot just by observing" -- Yogi Berra

Son was a P and position player in high school.  He was awarded all-district DH as well as P in a very competitive district in central Virginia.  The kid could hit high school pitching because he knew they couldn't throw it by him, so he'd wait for his pitch.  Good hands in the zone, and hard to strike out. College pitching and hitting is a whole different level and ballgame..   College pitchers are using the whole zone, using an assortment of pitches, and have the ability to set you up and throw a pitch by the hitter.  Defenses at the college level are better, greater ranges, and more sophisticated taking away points on hitting averages.  I would have loved for my son to get the chance to hit in college (he wanted to), but honestly I think it was better that he focused on pitching.   

I've seen many high school, travel and college games.  Absolutely, college hitting is significantly harder (at least at the D1 mid-major level) for lots of reasons.  On average, I think it will be .100 - .150 less than most high school hitting averages for those players making it to the college level.  So, a .400 hitting high school player that makes it to the D1 level is going to hit in the neighborhood of .300 to .250.   Remember that college player has a daily hitting instructor, video analysis, and facilities to work on hitting.  A player that works really hard at it can get it to .050 or even to their high school batting avg number.   That is just my quick and dirty analysis (opinion) of what I've seen.   But, I've also seen hitters transform themselves from contact hitters to mashers to bump up their power numbers not so much their batting averages.  It always depends on the player.

No science or facts were used in this analysis only my 20/20 vision.  Also, you have to factor in the differences in scorekeeping at the high school and college level.  High school scorekeeping tends to be a little more "generous".

Again, JMO.

My son and I both played D1. I would say the numbers were bigger in high school. But we were better hitters in college. A big difference was my father didn’t help me at all despite playing college baseball. For me, high school was “see the ball, hit it.” I didn’t learn how to hit until college. I didn’t learn how to make adjustments until college. I didn’t need to make adjustments in high school. Starting 0-16 with 7 whiffs was a wake up call after dominating high school. I was starting to think I should have stuck with pitching.

I taught my son a lot about hitting. By the time he was twelve he could have an intelligent conversation about any part of swing mechanics. He scared away a LL all star coach who tried to change his swing. In high school he could be crushing the ball and feel something about his swing wasn’t right and ask for video.

Neither of us started when college freshman season started. But we were getting in games. I wasn’t a starter until soph year. He was starting by mid freshman year.

A big difference in high school and summer ball was I had adult supervision for coaches. The players carried the coaches. My son had exceptional coaching in high school and travel. In college I had to be taught how to adjust. He knew how to adjust.

From a results standpoint we were both .400+ in high school and low .300+ in college. We hit for power in high school and hit mistakes out in college.

A big difference between my college experience and his was the emphasis on physical development. I was in good shape. He was a ripped, physical specimen. In high school I hated working out. I only did it for football. For him, working out was part of every sport. I didn’t have any special training. He did FASST (fitness, agility, speed, strength training). I was 6’1” 180 in high school and 185 in college. My son was 6’1” 175 in high school and 6’2” 195 in college.

To sum up, the numbers were bigger in high school. But we were better players in college. Due to the way development and coaching has changed my son was far more prepared for college ball.

my '21 hit about the same in college.  H.S. average was about .350.  First college year: .280, second college year, .327. Jr. year after only a few games, .420 with more power than the previous two years.  He did a lot of weights before that season.

Not a huge difference.

High School: mid .300 hitter all through high school. Gap hitter.

College: Year 1... struggled freshman year of college with minimal at bats before Covid hit and ended season. Year 2, much improved with the beautiful appearance of legit power. Big difference between a 17/18 year old and a 20 year old kid. Good luck.

Stats were better in HS.  He became a better player in college.

Like Fenway, his HS conference was very competitive.  Two players that son played with on his high school team were drafted in the first round (pitchers) during college.  Right now, there are six players currently playing in the pros that he played with in high school, the highest number in our state the last I checked.

In college his numbers were very good and he batted first in the lineup as a freshman.  He went to a mid-major D1.  During some college games, I bet it felt like he was playing a good high school team.   Playing against P5 teams, he could hold his own, but some college teammates could not.

In college, some 18 year olds are playing with and against 22-23 year old men.  Right now in AAA, some 23 year olds are facing 32 year old men.

Looking back, it was in summer collegiate ball that I felt like he was playing with and against similar level players in his age group. 

Just remember, there will always be lesser.....and better.....players than your son.  And that high school stats don't mean much. 

Through my sons Frosh year in college he basically had the same batting average as HS.  The  only difference is that he struck out more in college than he ever did in HS.  I would have expected those K's to go down his Soph year but that was cancelled...so we'll see what happens in '22.  

A cool and timely thread as my 2021 position player son heads to college in less than 3 months