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Recruitable at top schools for pitching?

M monstor34410+ posts
Hello, I am currently a high school sophomore (just turned 16) attending a very competitive public school. My GPA is currently around a 3.95 unweighted (school does not weight), and I'm taking the most advanced classes offered to me. I have yet to take many standardized tests, but based on my academic strengths, I can say with reasonable certainty that my stats will look similar to this:

SAT1: 800M/730CR/750W
SAT2: 800 Chem (I've actually already taken this one)/800 Math2/800 Physics

As you can see, I have a high passion for the maths and sciences and so I would like to attend a top school, preferably one that specializes in engineering like MIT. I know that these academic stats by itself would look nice, but I do have an understanding that at the very top schools, you need more than grades/scores. Well, I am a LHP who currently throws around 80-81 MPH (which will likely improve through time, or so I hope). I know that I'm not one of the harder throwers, but I still hope to get recruited, if only to give myself a big admissions boost to one of my dream schools.

Is it possible to get recruited by ivies or schools like MIT with my rather mediocre velocity? Someone on another forum I visited say that some colleges will recruit "boosters," or players who might not be great but will significantly raise the average academic index of the team (with the stats I posted, my academic index would be a 231, or 9 out of 9). Is this true of the recruiting process? Will having grades better than most other players provide some compensation for my lack of ability?
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OzoneOzone500+ posts
Don't put yourself down athletically. A lefty throwing mid 80's with CONTROL and a out pitch is wanted everywhere. I see your from NY ...Manhattan College has a great engineering program. Get you name out there to some coaches and you will be surprised what happens.

PM me if you want some specific help.
MN-MomMN-MomHSBaseballWeb Owner
monstor,

Welcome to the HS Baseball Web! And congratulations on doing a great job academically.

I agree with the previous two answers: At the age of 16 you certainly may continue to increase velocity thru HS. Two mph per year would put you in the 84-85 range which is very attractive for a HS senior LHP. You don't have to throw 90 in HS to play some good college baseball. Smile

Keep us updated on how things go for you.

Julie
Last edited by MN-Mom
C CaBB1,000+ posts
Monstor344- welcome to the hsbbweb. You will get lots of help here for any of your questions. Really listen to TRHit as he is from your area and knows tons about the recruiting process. Between this board and college confidential you'll know everything you ever wanted to know about the recruiting process!

Good luck to you and have a great time with school and baseball.
BOFBOF10,000+ posts
Nice Job Monstor!

I would check out the Headfirst baseball camp as one option. I would go to the Virginia camp.

http://www.playheadfirst.com/sports_national.jsp

I would also go to US News and world report college rankings and find target schools.

Out here you can go from Cal Tech that has a team but frankly is not very good...but who cares if you get a degree from Cal Tech. In the same conference you have Harvey Mudd that has a pretty decent NAII baseball team. (CMS) Harvey Mudd is one of the finest engineering schools in the country bar none.

Rose Hulman in Ill is another option, I think they are D2. Cal Poly in mid Ca has a highly regarded engineering school, but they are D1, same with Cal (Berkley) and Stanford.

So there are lots of options, you need to do some research and find the right mix of academics and baseball.

Good Luck!
JMoffJMoff1,000+ posts
Predicting some pretty high scores. Since you got one 800 already I'll give you the benefit of the doubt... I remember walking out of the test thinking I got an 800 in math, even told my mom I'd aced it. Ended up missing one question and got a 780.

If you even come close to these scores, you'll qualify academically at MIT. This board has much better experts than I to determine if your baseball talent matches up, although I'd bet there aren't a lot of LHP's throwing mid 80's (projecting) with those academic qualifications...

Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute is where I went to school. Very strong engineering school with a pretty good baseball team. They're division III but very competitive every year. They're located in Troy, NY. Not MIT, but hardly a slouch.

Cornell has a very good engineering school, but I don't know much about their baseball program. The Ivy's in general are stronger in the sciences than engineering.
Last edited by JMoff
CADadCADad5,000+ posts
My RHP son was contacted by MIT based on the Stanford camp. He only threw mid 80s as a junior at that camp. His academics were nowhere near as good as yours and he didn't follow up because he didn't feel he would be able to work as hard as he would have to in order to keep up there and still play baseball.

I also know of a lefty with similar velocity to yours who signed as a junior at a fairly strong D1. He's projectable with lots of pitchability, but frankly it was a bit of a shock to see him signed by that school. It goes to show you though that for lefties, velocity isn't everything.
M monstor34410+ posts
Thanks for the feedback folks. I do know about the Headfirst Showcase and I might go to the 3rd session actually. But without firm academic qualifications yet (I still have a year before I take the majority of those tests), will I even garner much interest?

CADad, that's great to hear, probably for you as a parent and for me as a bit of a confidence boost :-). Also, just to be clear, I'm not restricting myself to schools that focus purely on engineering right now; I've got a ways to go before I definitively decide on a major.

I am very interested in playing in ivy league schools and other schools of that caliber (aside from Stanford and Rice, which I can safely assume I have no chance at for baseball). Are there any ivies that might be out of my reach? Are ALL of them out of my reach? I know they are D1 schools, albeit relatively weaker ones, but with my qualifications will I have a chance at one of those? One of the schools I am very interested in academically is Princeton. I live pretty close to it and I know a handful of people who attended/are currently attending and I've heard that it's wonderful. I have also heard that it is probably the top baseball school in the ivy league. Would that make it very difficult for me to be recruited by them?

Also please don't be afraid to be realistic or even harsh. I am looking to receive criticism in order to improve and/or to get a good idea of where I truly stand.
Last edited by monstor344
D DXBIBLE10+ posts
monstor,

I have a D1 "nerd" son who is a pitcher.

Get some high quality video of you pitching from the side, front, and rear. No more than 5 minutes. Burn a DVD and send it to your target schools. Give them a cover letter expressing high interest in their school, and a combined 1-page baseball/academic resume.

Go to the "headfirst" camp closest to you.

Go to some of the Ivy summer camps near you.

Last, if you can afford it, go to the Stanford camp. Not only is it fun, and in California, but you will get closer exposure to academic school coaches over the camp's 4 days than you ever could at a showcase.

All of the foregoing worked very well for my son, who was not on the radar when we started the process.
H HaverDad500+ posts
344....

I know nothing about your pitching "upside".

But assuming you remain healthy, as LH pitcher, with your academic credentials, college is your oyster.

My advice is based on the experience of having a son recruited by Ivy, Patriot and academic top-end D3s:

• Open yourself to ANY high end academic/athletic opportunity. (Think national.)
• Start a spread sheet to track and evaluate your college search and recruitment process. (For a math nerd, this will be a no-brainer.)
• Do not rely on "time" alone to improve your velocity. Fully research velocity training. Dedicate yourself to a velocity training program. Expect to add another 3-4mph (minimum), putting you in the mid 80s, and on the radar for schools matching your profile. You are clearly self-disciplined and, given that, you can execute such a program mostly on your own and inside, at home. -Establish baselines, document your process.-
• Finally, learn the pitcher's craft (your "game"). Think Greg Maddux: Refine your command, learn to change speeds and master your powers of observation.
Last edited by HaverDad
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
monstor,

People are always trying to figure these things out. Here is the best advice I can give you.

Whether it is Ivy schools, other DI's or smaller colleges... Ask the people who coach at those schools what you should do aside from attending their camps. Then do whatever they tell you, if possible. They will not suggest anything that they don't follow closely.

Best of luck

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