First of all I would like to Thank everyone here deeply for all the advice and support from this "Mom in learning".
My 2023 RHP has received an offer and has scheduled a visit to an NAIA College. He and I are both quite excited, however I have no idea what important questions we should ask during the visit.
Any insight would be very appreciated...
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Congrats! I can tell you what we did. We scoped out the past roster and tried to figure out how our 2023 would fit in 1-2 years playing time wise. So some questions along that line are important. We tried to figure out whether or not there was high risk for coaching change (that requires some subtlety). He talked to the players to see how happy they seemed. Importantly we observed the coaches carefully to see what kind of men they are. Specific questions? He didn't go in with a list as much as trying to follow those concepts above. We just kinda rolled with it and asked along the tours and meals. I suppose money questions are important, although awkward. We did ask what the typical merit package cut lines were. I'm sure other more qualified posters will be happy to give more detailed suggestions.
Congrats indeed! The question to ask is where does my son fit on your team? If the coach says something like “He’ll have a chance to compete for a starting position....” Well, that is true for every player he recruits. If he says, “After he adds some size and strength in our program, we see him having an impact...”. Something like those two statements indicate they see him as a developmental player with potential down the road. Here is a key coaching code expression... If they say “We see your son as an immediate impact player...”. that means they expect him to get significant playing time as a freshman. You have to listen carefully to what they say and then ask questions based off their response.
A good thing about college baseball is those coaches have a vested interest in seeing that your son does well in school. It’s almost like having a parent watching over them making sure they get their studying done and not goofing off. This is where young athletes have an advantage over the general student population. Ask the coaches if they have team study halls. It will make you sleep well at night if the answer is yes.
Does the coach expect players to play summer ball, and if yes, does he help with placement in summer leagues? or are jobs and/or internships supported? (the way you ask may depend on what your son prefers)
How many players are there in the fall, and does he make cuts? How many travel to away games?
What kind of support is there for athletes: how many trainers, strength coaches, nutritionist, academic support?
Here is an insanely comprehensive list of questions to ask, from HSBBW 2008:
Please be sure to ask about what the academic support is available for your kid. If there is a faculty liason for the team, be sure to meet with them and ask for granular details on academic support, exactly when your kid should start asking for help and whom/who should he speak to given the insane amount of redundancy there is in college advising and sometimes lack poor communication between the different Depts. Sadly the pandemic made things worse imo. This is one area parents should be actively involved early then let up once the kid can demonstrate they can manage the academic side. My kid learned a hard lesson as did mom and I, and it was too late to fix a problem that resulted in a withdrawn class rather than a drop then add. He is still eligible to play and can graduate on time with a more aggressive scheduling in the next 3 years, but the stress from this drama in the fall did greatly affect his overall experience. I just want to make sure parents are aware and prepare for this.
Congratulations!
I suggest reading the whole thread from the link that Anotherparent provided. In addition to that list, you'll find some good debate about what to ask as well as what not to ask. That particular list is, as Anotherparent hints, ridiculously extensive but can serve as somewhat of a menu to choose from and can spark the thought process, depending on which apply to you and your son.
Bottom line - parents need to come away with the information they need to be comfortable with supporting the decision and committing to whatever their contributions might be. The player needs to come away with the information they need to make an informed decision to accept the offer or not (not necessarily right away). What is most important is unique to each person.
To the extent not yet known, consider exploring fit, culture, offer details, housing, academic support, player development, nutrition, medical access, etc.
Cabbage dad and Another parent.
Yes, in 2008, Coach May and TPM provided "great" guidance for the current "2022's Parents"& Players.
https://community.hsbaseballwe...553#2982475076593553
"History repeats itself"
Bob
Good point, Bob! The responses to that list should also be read - they point out that some of the questions are not ideal. But I still think that the list represents things that parents might be thinking, even if they should not all be actually asked.
I'd avoid asking questions that can obviously be found on the website - "what majors do you have", "how many students at the school", "how long have you been head coach", and such.
This isn’t an ask. The coach won’t tell you he’s looking up the ladder. But examine the coach’s track record. How long has he been there? Is he tracking to move on and up? If so, is there a sense of consistency in the kind of coach the AD hires. This is a difficult calculation. But, my son butted heads over academics, internships and summer ball with the replacement coach after the guy he committed to moved on and up.
Bob, I looked at the old post and my answer still remains the same.
Too many questions during a visit may put up a red flag. For parents, one should keep it to academics, academic assistance and expectations, coaching philosophies and his expectations. Have your son come up with a few questions.
Coaches are better at this than we are, they will do their best to make you and your son feel comfortable.
Enjoy!
TPM
Inner Arrogance” is the key,
can I have the key to the batting cage? Where do I hit in the lineup?
Bob
Bob,
Can't ask a coach where he will hit in the lineup before he gets to school.
TPM,
if the Coach has watch the prospect play, he will have an ideal.
It sets the tone for deep discussions.
Bob
If you are at the stage of getting ready for visits I would strongly advise trying to use connections to reach out to current and recent parents. Not always possible, I'm sure, but there is a grapevine out there.
Ultimately the questions you ask are mostly helpful in comparing the answers from various coaching staffs on visits to other schools.
You will get mostly generic answers and once you get on campus it is put up or sit the bench time.
Thank you everyone for all the insightful thoughts. I feel prepared now
When you do your research, make sure you look at the number of transfers on their rosters. NAIA schools are normally loaded with JUCO Players.
Note, overall the roster information on NAIA website(s) is about 75% complete with respect to where player previously played (it depends on the school). We've backfilled the information for a more complete picture.
You can use this link to quickly review previous roster sizes of any NAIA school
https://collegebaseballinsight...nover-insights-free/
If you see more that 40, than normally means they have a JV team.
For 2023 season, of the 201 NAIA programs, 107 have posted Fall Roster, if your target school has published, this will give you an idea of their annual incoming recruiting class
Let me clarify. We asked questions but very rarely if you have done your research. I had a few each time but had drilled son to ask them and I very rarely asked anything unless the coach started the conversation with me. This was the one time that I did not get involved was with the coaching staff. I did almost all of the pre-work and investigation but I did not talk to the coaches. I have heard too many coaches truthful comments that you can call me and talk about anything you want except baseball. I will talk baseball with your son but not you. I will talk grades, girlfriend, living conditions, and so on but never baseball. So I took that in to recruiting. They may answer your questions but know that for most deep down they do not want to answer your question. They will gladly answer the same question from your son but don't want to talk baseball with you. That is still my approach today four years into it. We talk life and family and church but never baseball unless they bring it up. That is how it is with most of my coaching friends. That was my approach in HS baseball also. When I coached and as a parent. If they brought it up I would talk but I never instigated the conversation. I also know for some it hurts their kid's recruiting when the parents ask questions. I've stood in too many groups of coaches and heard them talk about players and parents. It is amazing the things you learn.
CBI;
It is also important to use "non-verbal" communication. What does the student wear? Does he wear his HS cap? What does the coaches wear? Coat, tie & cap?
Is the Ass't coach involved in the meeting? Where is the meeting? Coach's office or on the field?
Bob
Keep in mind that there are different type of questions that you would ask coaches from different divisions.
Also, keep in mind, this is your opportunity as a parent to ask questions. I would concentrate more on business and let your son concentrate on baseball.
More than likely the coach, coaches will answer your questions before you even ask, if routine. It's pretty standard.
@Consultant posted:CBI;
It is also important to use "non-verbal" communication. What does the student wear? Does he wear his HS cap? What does the coaches wear? Coat, tie & cap?
Is the Ass't coach involved in the meeting? Where is the meeting? Coach's office or on the field?
Bob
Bob,
Totally agree.
IMHO, student athletes and parents should use the strategies similar to any major purchase.
Do your research of product /service?
Are there similar product/services with similar benefits and outcomes?
Listen with a open mind.
etc
@TPM posted:Keep in mind that there are different type of questions that you would ask coaches from different divisions.
Also, keep in mind, this is your opportunity as a parent to ask questions. I would concentrate more on business and let your son concentrate on baseball.
More than likely the coach, coaches will answer your questions before you even ask, if routine. It's pretty standard.
@TPM business and baseball have a way of overlapping. How far do you think a parent should go in poking the bear.
Just remember a coach will tell you what you want to hear when they are recruiting you, some times not the truth or complete truth. Every pitcher can be a two-way player, everyone will start as a freshman, and everyone will graduate. But anyone who has done the research will know that is not the truth in most situations. I would guess the number of players who graduate on time at SEC schools is very low because the coaches are looking for players who will only last 3 year years and get drafted. Some will go back to school later to finish their degrees. Very rarely do they post graduation rates for SEC baseball schools, only gpa's for each semester or year.
A friend of the family just signed to go to a very successful juco. That juco only played 2 freshman last year and one was sparingly. Yet the young man and his parents think he will be the exception and start as a freshman. They also think he will get drafted high this year when he had no P5 offers and struggles with control as a RHP at 92. We hear what we want to hear. The juco in the article about the young man said we normally try to use the freshman year as a year to help our players grow physically and refine their skills. The parent and player heard we think you can help this program, as a freshman. The coach said we think you can help our program, in the future.
The OP is talking about an NAIA school, where the expectations are probably the opposite of the SEC. Also, in this sort of recruiting (D3/NAIA senior year), it's entirely possible that few, if any, questions have been answered before the visit. There may not have been many phone calls or texts. Hopefully the coach will answer many of them before you ask, but should know what you want answered.
I completely agree, let your son lead, his questions matter most (and may surprise you). But don't be scared off from asking your own, too - whether about housing, travel, academic support, or even trainers and facilities.
Information about a JV team is not all that easy to find on the web, although you can google "[schoolname] baseball jv" and it might come up. I would be interested to know how coaches with large (45+) rosters address this at visits - surely it's something that any recruit would want to know. But it's a very delicate thing to actually ask about.
@anotherparent posted:The OP is talking about an NAIA school, where the expectations are probably the opposite of the SEC. Also, in this sort of recruiting (D3/NAIA senior year), it's entirely possible that few, if any, questions have been answered before the visit. There may not have been many phone calls or texts. Hopefully the coach will answer many of them before you ask, but should know what you want answered.
I completely agree, let your son lead, his questions matter most (and may surprise you). But don't be scared off from asking your own, too - whether about housing, travel, academic support, or even trainers and facilities.
Information about a JV team is not all that easy to find on the web, although you can google "[schoolname] baseball jv" and it might come up. I would be interested to know how coaches with large (45+) rosters address this at visits - surely it's something that any recruit would want to know. But it's a very delicate thing to actually ask about.
With respects to JV team, it depends on how the information is reported
1 - School has one main roster listing both varsity and jv
2 - school has 2 rosters
CBI tracks which colleges have JV programs, we just haven't implemented the solution. not a top priority
Note, most of the time you just have to look at the EADA reporting as for the JV players normally practice with varsity, if so, they must be reported
EADA Glossary
Again, if it is scenario 1, this free dashboard can be used
https://collegebaseballinsight...nover-insights-free/
Piggybacking on the most recent comments from PF, TPM and Another...
Absolutely right at how different the recruiting process and, thus, relevant questions might be with the different levels. P5's will likely know quite a bit about the player and will have laid eyes on him in multiple ways. I know of multiple NAIA's who have offered purely based on the input of a player in the program who is a friend of the recruit. Not kidding. Not exaggerating.
I can answer the JV question as every coach with a JV does. Yes mam/sir we have a JV. But different from many others, we use our JV team to prepare players for the varsity. But that is not a problem because we don't see Johnny ever playing with the JV. We believe he has the skills to help our main team win a conference championship.
Press repeat for the next set of parents and player. BTW, I got that from a couple of friends who have teams that have JV's.
