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Just....My son is headed for Princeton in a few days.

He's a position player (infielder) but I know that they've recruited another infielder from Texas; 2 pitchers from Cali; one from Fla; one from Jersey; and, one from Texas. (and I don't know who else will show up as a walk-on or a recruit when they start fall ball.

I'll know more about their velocity as I see them next fall.

You should know that this year, Princeton had 5 draftees including a 2nd and 4th rounder. The 4th rounder, Russ Ohlendorf,from somewhere in Texas, recently signed with the Diamondbacks. He likely cruised in the high '80's and touched into the '90's on occasion. Their top draft choice, BJ Symanski, a switch hitting outfielder from Texas, is in the Cincy organization.

Maybe TRHit can chime in and help you/us. TR where are you?
Last edited by BeenthereIL
Thanks for all the responses, however the reason I ask is because mine is an upcoming senior in hs and was wondering if the ivies were even worth looking at. Has anyone with experience with the ivies seen a lefty at 80-81 being considered if he has good scores (1310), but def. not a candidate by regular admission standards. Thanks for all the great information and help.
Also, I think that there are a few levels of baseball within the Ivies themselves, with Princeton/Dartmouth/Harvard being perhaps a bit tougher on the recruiting side than the others? (please don't anyone get mad at me, I don't have any vested interest in any of the schools, I just got the general impression that their baseball records were better than the other ivies)

Then there's that Harvard pitcher who can pitch with either hand, that the coach was quoted as saying would soon be their Friday (righty) starter and their Sunday (lefty) starter!!
Last edited by Bordeaux
just2slow,
Don't get too hung up on velocity. Yes there is a point where coaches will say he just doesn't throw hard enough for this level, but if you can hrow multiple pitches for strikes and get outs, you have a shot. I've played with and against guys who pitched at Penn and played at Dartmouth. Very good ball players. Pitcher threw hard, but more important he threw three pitches for strikes...consistently. TR has more experience than me in this area, but I agree...let them see you, somehow, and see what happens. You don't have to throw hard to be successful...have also seen guys who threw hard and STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW that got shelled. Good Luck.
My son has received a phone call from Cornell. They seemed very nice on the phone. Asked lots of questions. I'm not sure how they got his name, except the football coach was after him. He has no interest in playing college football. How does someone from Ohio get seen by an IVY? His grades are good (3.79 top 10% of class, 28 ACT, 600 Verbal 650 Math on SAT)and I know for football these are more than enough. Do they work for baseball?
bagsbaseball,
My son was recruited by Cornell last year and he was asked to apply early decision I. At the time he was not sure what he wanted to do and a few weeks later he decided to apply Early Decision II. When we called back to the coach he said that since my son didn't sound very interested (Which was true at the time) he found someone else for the 1 outfield spot they wanted to fill for that year. My son would be welcome to walk on if he could get in on his own. He did not get in with a 30 ACT, 1340 SAT and a 4.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. For any of the Ivies, if you don't commit early there are about 1,000 other kids that want to go there too. My guess is that your son needs to be "Supported" by an athletic team or he probably won't get in on his own.

The football programs have a system called "Bands" which means out of 25 recruits they can take 2 from the lowest band (25 ACT, 1100 SAT I think) 6 players from the second band with slightly higher scores required and so on up to the 5th Band. I'm really not sure how it works for baseball.

I thought the baseball coach was sincere and honest when he talked to my son. Unfortunately my son didn't know how important applying early decision was for the Ivies. Even with the Early decision your son still might not get in. So its a tough call. Good Luck.
bagsbaseball,

Don't give up. My son's scores were close to your son's and he got in although I do believe it was because of the baseball. If Cornell is anything like Dartmouth, the coaches do have some pull. Like Pat'sdad said, early decision is a must. I was told there were over 10,000 applications for 1,000 slots my son's freshman year.

From Dartmouth's website:

Dartmouth offers 34 varsity sports - 16 for men, 16 for women and two coeducational programs in sailing and equestrian. In addition, there are 23 club and 24 intramural sports as three-quarters of Dartmouth undergraduates participate in some form of athletics.

I'm sure it's similar at Cornell.

Good luck.
Last edited by FrankF
Bags,
If you are reaching for the Ivies, you should also consider the strong NESCAC programs like Trinity, Tufts, Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, and Bowdoin. Admissions might be easier if you get a coach who really likes you. An Ivy coach might like a 81 mph lefty, but he probably won't be able to designate one of his "bullets" with admissions to that type of pitcher. However, an 81 mph lefty might get that "bullet"
with a top Div. III acadmic/baseball program.

My brother went through the Ivy/NESCAC process. Penn, Cornell, and Brown all liked him(he was 83-85 rhp, 6-0, 165 as HS senior), but not enough to "sponsor" him in the admissions process. He knew his grades weren't good enough, so he chose to apply early to Tufts, where the coach was willing to sponsor him with admissions. The coach let him know that the only way he could get in was through early admissions, so he knew exactly how to play his cards...
bagsbaseball,

Don't give up because your son can still get in if he gets Supported. Ask the coach directly "Are you going to Support my son?" and he will tell you if your son is supportable or not. The Ivy coaches just can't spend anytime with kids they know can't get through the admissions process. What I did with my son was to try to get the coach to say he would or would not support him. Most said no and I thanked them and then moved on to the next school. No hard feelings at all. I didn't want to waste their time and it allowed us to concentrate on schools he had a chance to get into.

The NESCAC is a great conference of schools. Once my son "Fell out of the Ivy's" we concentrated on the NESCAC and he was able to get offered "support" to play football from most of them including Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan and even Johns Hopkins (Not in the NESCAC). He would have played both football and baseball had he attended any of those schools. I think the NESCAC schools only allow the baseball team 2 supported spots whereas the football team gets 17 supported spots. I'm sure this is not 100% accurate but this was my experience.

Never say never. Even if he applies Early Decision I and gets turned down he still can apply early Decision II some where else. I would suggest not to wait for whatever is left after Jan. 1st because most of the spots (Almost all the spots) are gone and then it got kind of crazy because that's what my son did. Good luck and remember the Ivy's and NESCAC do count the last semester grades as part of the admissions process.
Since we're talking Ivies, Early Decision, etc. I have a question... My '06 fell madly in love with 1 particular Ivy that was definitely not at the top of his list until he went on an academic visit a few weeks ago. I must admit, it surprised us to find their programs, approach, environment, location, etc., etc. are a near perfect fit for what he wants to do... The only problem is that it is an Ivy, which means tough admittance. He has 1380 SAT, 4.0 and a variety of different activities on his resume. As near as I can tell he has somewhat of a shot at getting in on his own. He'd definitely love to play baseball there, but on paper at least, he's Div III material. We've written the coach but have yet to hear anything. My son probably needs to call soon.

We recognize that the best shot is definitely Early Decision... especially at this school. He has just about made up his mind that if he can get admitted, he is willing to give up baseball... if it has to come to that. This is the only school that he feels this strongly about. (He already has his first draft application essay done for ED). But, my son is holding out hope that he can somehow play baseball there too. Fortunately, he is a catcher, receives and blocks extraordinarly well and has good size. But, his throws need work and while he has a nice quick swing, his BA was barely over 200 this past year. Any advice on how best to position/pursue the baseball program in this situation ? He's going to go for it, but knowing the odds are slim, seasoned tips would be welcome.
Snowball - I would say that 1380 may not do it for early decision for Penn (I work on alumni admissions committee) or early admissions for Yale (son went there) without support of one of the coaches. (I don't know which Ivy you are referring to.) But in general, use your early decision wisely since so many schools are accepting more and more of their class early. This is not to say never - but high probability that SATS are low for the average early decision/admissions candidate. Perhaps your son can retake the SATS.
Last edited by NY MOM
Is...Off-field problems of his own making limited his on-field chances. Wasn't prepared for the "Street" at Princeton.

We'll see this fall and spring.
----

Git...Each of the Ivies has a couple or three players that are just "outstanding".

Since all of the Ivies are "need based"...I believe anyone can walk on.

I think that the Ivy League was rated between 15-20th by Baseball America re the strength of the conference in baseball nationally.

What I've learned through my son, is that the Ivy League/school reputation is more important than I could have ever imagined (TRHit and NYMom were right and I was plain wrong.). Just being accepted and going to school at some of the Ivies is your ticket to a wonderful future..if you work at it.

Happy to talk with you re the experience at 815-469-4520.
GitErDone,

Dartmouth has a pitcher who will be a senior this year who was a walk-on as a freshman that has gotten innings each year.

Last year there was only one walk-on who was actually cut. Some cut themselves after seeing the level of play. Three walk-on's (1 was a preferred walk-on) played last year. One was a bullpen catcher and the other two ended up playing at least 18 games and had good freshmen years getting 50 or so AB's and started around a third of the games.

It is "need blind" and there are no athletic sholly's. Yes, there are recruited players who will get every opportunity to play, but anyone who goes out will get looked at.

Also, like BeenthereIL states, irregardless of sports, the network of alumni is amazing. Alumni from the 50's-60's who never played anything come out of the woodwork to follow the kids. It is a tightknit group.

Like anywhere else, there are no guarantees, but if you work at it, the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Good luck!
Frank
In terms of walking-on in the Ivies, position plays a huge part. In general, catchers and pitchers have the most chance - bullpen catchers are rarely turned away, and I have seen a few successful pitchers at Yale who have walked on. With the number of games played a week, (with 4 a week-end), no coach is going to ignore a possible pitcher who, even if not great, could be used for a few innings here and there.

I don't mean to give the impression that there is an SAT cut-off, because there isn't at Penn. But, I have seen so many disappointed students in the last few years, that I caution a student to take too much of a chance on an early choice (without a coach's backing).

I am still amazed at the name recognition given some of the high academic schools and their opportunities for networking. That said, there is also something to be said for attending a school where a student can really shine academically and perhaps major in what he wants to major in. My son might have majored in math had he attended a different school whereas he felt he could not do so successfully at Yale. But, then again, the college he attended I think helped him with law school admissions. It's a difficult balance...not sure of the right answer. At the end of the day, my son loved his experience, academically, socially and athletically, so it worked out. But I really do believe a student can get an amazing education at any college where he makes an effort to take advantage of all of the opportunites that exist and professors who are there to help.
Last edited by NY MOM
These are all very helpful insights. In our case, looking at all the numbers we could find, it just so happens that the admission rate for Early Decision and Regular Decision at our "second choice" schools is about the same. One of these schools even has a "flexible" ED deadline policy. Thus, it allows us time to see if the first choice works out. If it doesn't, we can apply "early" to this particular second-choice school. In our case, that school happens to be next in line.
"Just being accepted and going to school at some of the Ivies is your ticket to a wonderful future."

Give me a break here...sounds like your are trying to rationalize the $50,000 a year in tuition and room and board. This quote is right from the mouth of every ivy league coach I spoke to. It's absolute hog wash. No school will provide a ticket to a wonderful life - the individual student has to do that on his own.
HitandRun, you should have completed the quote...

quote:
Just being accepted and going to school at some of the Ivies is your ticket to a wonderful future..if you work at it.


"if you work at it." is an important clause.

We've been looking at "tons" of schools, academically, separate from the baseball side. In the end, some of the Ivies ended up at the top of my son's list... not because of their name-brand image, but because of their programs and opportunities. To be honest, the name-brand thing is more of a detriment in some ways.

As far as $50,000 a year... as near as I can tell, the price tag is more like $40,000 and is quite in line with a lot of private schools. Furthermore, when you factor in Financial Aid, the price tag can drop a great deal.

All that said, some of the best professors in my collegiate experience came from our local community college.

It is what you make of it. But, some of the Ivies do have extraordinary opportunities. Can't deny that.
Lets not kid ourselves here--- the student gets out of college what he puts into it, regardless of where he is going to school--true it is nice to have that IVY Diploma, my nephew just got his from Dartmouth and I am quite proud of him, but ANY COLLEGE DIPLOMA is great because it gets you a few more steps up the ladder as you enter the "REAL WORLD", I am just as proud of my guys who graduated from New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic--they both had jobs waiting when they came out
OK, I'd like to flip this Ivy question to the group... The common question is... "he can play" but can he qualify academically? Coaches support...with or without... will he get in?

So, if a player is a national ranked scholar who can play (good enough to play at a lot of schools, but not top 200) how does that influence the coaches? Do they want him on the list to improve the team AI or do they leave him to apply on his own knowing he stands a good chance of getting in on academics alone? Or can being too qualified actually hurt your chances for baseball? Any opinions??
Last edited by GitErDone
HitandRun...I'm from Chicagoland and I thought the same way as you are thinking. I was wrong and smart enough now to admit it.

Go and graduate from one of the Ivies and doors open to you that are not open to others.

My son is now a sophomore and I can tell you that even summer jobs/job opportunities make a difference if you're an Ivy student.
...BeenThere, it all depends. In Phoenix, an ASU graduate from the Barrett Honors College has an advantage many times over an Ivy grad.

I suspect that the advantage an Ivy Leaguer might have initially comes from an impressive record of accomplishment rather than the mere name of the school.

And I also suspect that any advantage for any of these kids lasts only as long as the performance backs it up.
GitErDone,

My opinion is that if your son can get in on his own they would rather he do it so the coaching staff could use there precious few "Sponsored" spots for someone else. Their hands are tied by the schools own athletic admissions policies (I don't want to sound like an expert but I have sat through a couple of schools' presentations by their admissions offices and that is what they said) Again my son did not get into an Ivy but he was boarderline for the NESCAC and they left him to the very end of the admissions process to see if he could get in on his own. Because it seemed to drag on forever my son chose to take a spot offered by another school because we thought that if the NESCAC said No it was so late that the other spots at interested schools would be gone.

As far as the Ivy diploma, I work at a Chicago financial exchange and the firms mostly hire Ivys, MIT, Northwestern or U of Chicago. It used to be any good school but since the businsess shifted to computerized trading it seems the financial community doesn't look at many Liberal Arts or State University kids as much as they used to. I guess it depends on what you want to do after you graduate. Good Luck.

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