Saint Mary's

New field is very nice....stands not done yet but a vast improvement. Assistant coaches are very nice and really spend lots of time scouring the community. Lots of local recruits. Beautiful if somewhat remote campus...now that's by California standards. Not remote by most parts of the country. I think it's a program getting better.

Calisportsfan...Thanks for the info...do you know much about the head coach?

From a high school parents perspective Coach Soto is wonderful. He has spoken to my sons summer program several times. He's a great speaker, very approachable and seems like a genuine good guy. He's the type of coach you root for.

The new facility is a HUGE improvement for this program. Small school in a great location - if that's a fit for your son I would definitely check it out.

Thanks for the info...we plan on checking it out this summer.

Beautiful, but relatively small, campus tucked away in the hills across the Bay from SF. It is a 'destination college' for a certain sector of kids...fantastic for some, but not the 'right place' for all. Personally, I like it.

Jedd Soto is well regarded in Northern CA.

Beautiful setup at SMC! Mrs. Lefty is a grad from there. Private, catholic university = very pricey!!!

I have a son who's gone through the program at St. Mary's. Coach Soto has a wonderful bedside manner with parents; however, as I'm sure with many programs, there are players in the system who feel like they've never gotten a fair shot to compete for roles on the team. Soto is very pitching-centric, and he runs the pitching staff himself rather than having a pitching coach. St. Mary's staff pulled an ugly fast one a few years ago by over-recruiting, and had to cut 10 players by the end of fall ball. Many D-I programs do this, but I guess the message is this: don't let the bedside manner and homey atmostphere convince you that your son will be taken care of -- baseball at St. Mary's is strictly business (understandable since D-I coaches must win to keep their jobs). Also, I would only recommend St. Mary's if your son is being offered a substantial scholarship (25%+) -- that will separate the players who get groomed as freshmen from those who will toil for years in the program; not to mention the $50,000 base cover charge for the school's annual costs...

That's good to know...thanks for the info

This year, they have built a new field with stadium and locker room completion next year. However, the current coaches haven't been able to achieve a winning program over the last 9 years, despite recruiting good talent. Sounds like they might need some new coaching blood.

If you are interested we are having a St. Mary's player staying with us during summer (for the Puget Sound Collegiate League). He just finished his freshman year there as a redshirt.

PM me and I will give you my e-mail address. I can then have him write to you if you are interested.