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Recruiting Story

B BlueRidgeMember
I wanted to post my son's experience with recruiting this fall and hopefully get some feedback on whether his experience is typical.

On July 1 he received calls from a few schools. Each week in July he got a few more calls and probably ended up with a total of 25 or so, including a few personal letters from colleges. The calls were from a mixture of D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO colleges. After reducing the list to 10 or so he made about 6 or 7 visits, some unofficial, but really hadn't found a school that had the academics and baseball he was looking for. In September a coach from a southern D1 "mid-major" called, they had the academic program he was looking for and a fairly competitive baseball program who went to the NCAA tournament last year. They also had a graduating senior in his position. After a visit, they became his #1 choice. The coach had assured him of a roster spot and a money was discussed, but he did not make an "official" offer. They wanted to wait a little bit to see how much money might be available. Eventually, the week before the signing period the coach called and said they had a last minute D1 transfer so a roster spot was not guaranteed. My son had turned down a few offers but not to schools he was really interested in going to, and he did stop pursuing other opportunities.

Anyway he is back to looking for another good fit. Hopefully there will be some openings this spring. Is that a standard recruiting practice? No offer was officially made, but it seemed about as close to making an offer as you can get without actually doing so.
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B Bee>1,000+ posts
welcome to hhbbweb ...

agree it can be frustrating at times, especially so for the player who feels like he's in a game of musical chairs.

also think that coaches who have been thru it many times could handle the disappointing parts to the player much better, some are good and don't burn bridges, others throw gas on the bridge & run.

on the upside, with the amount of early interest your son got he should be patient as things settle out this spring (I know, easier said than done - but there is ALOT of time for things to happen)

don't be shy about asking more questions
B BlueRidgeMember
The coach there was pretty good about it. We met all the coaches during the visit and and were very impressed with them and their program. I understand with the pressure they are under that they have to go with the players they think can help them the best. While my son was disappointed, he would not hesitate to go there if things change. The coach did mention the JUCO route and to let him know so they can follow his progress.

The question now is whether or not to attend some winter camps or save the $ and wait until the spring.
B Bee>1,000+ posts
if coach suggested JC he should be willing to make a call and get you a 110% JC ride somewhere.
how would that that fit with your academic goals?

a few carefully chosen camps could do wonders - if you do that communicate with those coaches first, as it makes little sense if they don't have needs at son's position ... some could even steer you to a school needing you
Last edited by Bee>
B BobbleheadDoll5,000+ posts
I get several people asking for advice on dealing with coaches. My favourite saying is "time will kill you". Push for an answer in writing and if the coach won't commit move on.
Coaches are always on the prowl and if they won't commit they are still looking. There is nothing wrong with what they do it is just there way of getting the best roster they can. Very important not to stop looking yourself. Very common scenario.
L lafmom5,000+ posts
Blue Ridge, You bring up an excellent point. A player or parent cannot bank on anything until an offer is in writing and handed to you. My son's top choice back in high school called every week beginning on July 1. Told "we're going to put you together the best package we can get" along with other statements that a young man with stars in his eye takes to heart. We began to finally realize there was a problem in late October. Bottomline, my son ignored several other schools because he wanted this offer and program. Things worked out fine with him and interest actually picked up when he didn't sign with anyone in November.

It's just good for folks to remember to not put all their eggs into one basket. A coach isn't.
H Homerun041,000+ posts
BlueRidge - Welcome to HSBBweb! Unfortunately this is fairly normal for some, but actually could have been worst if you commit to the school and did not have a roster slot in the spring. The coaching staff may have done you a big favor of being honest and up front on your son’s chances.

As the process evolves, a player and family need to determine if the school he attends is the best fit and if he will be happy if baseball does not work out. If he will not be happy at a school without baseball, he needs to find a better fit that he can get the academics he wants and the baseball roster position and even more important playing time.

Depending how good your son is, it may be at a lesser baseball program, but with the right academics.
B BlueRidgeMember
Thanks for all your responses. It has been the academic side that has prevented him from taking another offer at a lesser school. He doesn't mind the lesser baseball school option, he doesn't want to commit to a lesser school that doesn't have his major and have to transfer after a few years.

He has a few standing JUCO offers which would probably work out okay acadmically depending on where he transfers to, but would not be as good as a four year school. One top level JUCO says they will let him know soon, but it reminds me of the other situation, they may be waiting for D1 transfers.

He has been in contact with the coach of a school hosting a winter camp. It is difficult to judge their level of interest, but I understand "they need to see him play first".
B BlueRidgeMember
I know what to expect money-wise when you get an offer from a JUCO and a public school, does anyone have any experience with private school offers? I know at the schools that are only funding 6 or 7 baseball scholarships that many players get academic or need based aid, but do athletes tend to get more?

I think the coaches are reluctant to comment on non-athletic scholarship aid packages.
L lafmom5,000+ posts
BlueRidge - An offer from a smaller and private program will be just like the offer from a large state school. It depends on how many scholarships they fund, how supportive the AD/admissions is/are in finding other monies, how badly they want your son, how much they need to fill his position, what his position is.....

My son gave up baseball this fall. He received an offer from a small private college close to home wanting him to also come there and play ball which would have allowed him to handle some changes in his personal life. This school had a few dollars to give out for baseball and they'd already done that. They offered a package that was almost exactly what he'd had the previous year at another school where baseball was the majority of the money. Schools and coaches have many creative ways to fund their program... it varies consistently.
S switchitter100+ posts
quote:
They wanted to wait a little bit to see how much money might be available.


There are several important lessons learned here and I want to spell them out:

First of all, when a coach says, "We want to wait a little bit to see how much money might be available", that's trouble right there. That means he is riding right on the edge of his budget and in all likelihood, he has ZERO funds available. He is just "stacking" at that point. Stacking is when a coach casts a huge blanket over many, many prospects in hopes that money becomes available to snag the top borderline kid to round out his program but of course he's not going to tell YOU that OR YOUR SON. The other possibility is that he probably has money but is not telling you he has it because he is waiting to see if he can get a better prospect (proven) from a transfer situation. NOW, here comes the catch....the NEW RULE this year is that a transfer MUST sit out a year!!!! This is critical! This changes everything.....baseball was one of the few sports where someone could transfer and play immediately. PLEASE MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE TO START WITH WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SON AND HIS COLLEGIATE CAREER!!!!! I can't stress it enough. I hope this helps a little bit in some way.
Last edited by switchitter

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