Scholarship experience

Every coach and every program is different. For every horror story there are plenty of great stories. The athletes time is very owned. There also isn't time for some majors since athletes are expected to be done with classes early in the day. Some of the recruiting nightmares occur when the athlete and the family hear what they want to hear rather than deal in reality. The reality is the coach is recruiting several more just like your son.

I could provide a great horror story about a major program after they were swept one weekend, but I won't. There may have been events leading up to the coach's reaction. My daughter has had a positive college softball experience. You will probably get many positive baseball responses along with some things to look out for from parents of athletes who may not have had the 100% positive experience.

Just a little advice. Take the good with the bad, but in the process treat EVERY single coach with respect. Do not lie, but always respond to a coach even if your son has ZERO interest in the program. Build leverage, begin with "safety" schools and build your way to the top from the ground up! YOu can make it a good experience...you certainly aren't going to fall in love with every coach.

5 ounce,
Welcome to the HSBW. I hope you find the answers you're looking for here. As RJM notes, there is a lot of work involved and college players are asked to make huge sacrifices. But along with those sacrifices come tremendous rewards for those that are truly dedicated. You'll do well to take Coach Brown's advice and treat all that you encounter on the recruitment path with respect. Baseball is a very tight fraternity, and coaches especially are known to share information on players. That said, do your own homework, there's lots of great info right here on this site, and find out as much as you can about each program that shows serious interest in your son. You've come to the right place. Best of luck.

Great advice by all... don't just hear what you want to hear, respect, due your homework, and they own your time...

I'll add one more - coaches leave and programs change. Make sure you like the location, the education, and that the price is right even without baseball.

Good responses. The important thing here is control what you can and that means you have to have the knowledge to understand it all, so do your homework. Even with preparation it still gets confusing.

A good quick read I suggest to all new parents beginning the process is OFFICAL VISIT.

I agree with Brode. The school and its location are most important.
In our case the money was very important and the location was second.
I normally do not talk about my son's program but the coach has resigned after 4 dismal years. He was a new coach who replaced a coach that we loved and who had loved my son. Things change. The coach who just resigned was a nice guy and had just given my son a good lift to his BB money in the spring.
My feeling is that he made positive changes to the BB program but was not a great BB coach. He had recruited some outstanding freshmen and transfers. He had a talent in manegment but not in coaching. It is a shame that he couldn't have stayed on in that capacity.
He had 6 exit interviews and 5 players were leaving. My son was the 6th and the only one who was coming back
My point is that things are not always in your control and can change drastically. I have seen this time and again with other players.The education and location are the most important thing that the majority of college players should focus on.

Do your homework... seems like a popular theme...
Can't agree more. See if you can contact parents of former players... Some coaches are different in front of parents as opposed to just in front of the team.

Don't count on anything until a written offer is given to you. And ask for one (at least an email), if a verbal is offered. It was amazing how an email was able to clarify things at a later date...
My son was told many things that never materialized. What an assistant coaches says doesn't count much unless you hear same from the head coach.

Find a school that "fits"... IE environment, academics, coaches, Scholly amount, remaining costs, conference, playing time, weather, facilities, dorms, whatever else you might be interested in...

Remember, "FULL Ride" is almost non-existant in baseball.... And things can change from year to year, but baseball now has a sit a year rule to transfer.

Some schools want you to wait a while before they offer... (ie they have others ahead of you) others want you to committ immediately... (IE they want you but have others they could sign) Talk with the coach, be honest, ask questions. Don't rush.

Doing your homework is fine but understand that there a only a few things that remain constant or relatively constant. Those are the location and the education.
All the home work in the world will go out the window if the coaches leave etc. One friend who was a closer at a D1 school in thje Sunbelt was approached just prior to his JR year and was told to find 3 new roommates. All 3 were cut just before their JR year. In his 4th year the new P coach tried to get him to throw his way and he refused and was benched the whole year. The pro scout who was talking to him told him to leave the school which he did.
You also never know who the coach will bring in to knock you off your position. I see this every year. Guys who have a good year and a new guy comes in and takes their spot. That is the reality of college ball. You have to understand those realities and be prepared to competelike you never had to before.

As has been mentioned above, one of the biggest changes that can occur is a coaching change during your son's 4 years. With a new coach often comes a new philosophy. Some coaches like size, while other stress speed - you get the idea.

While it is true that anything can happen, one thing you can do is check to see how much stability a a school has had in their athletic programs. It is no guaranty, but if you see a school that has had 4 coaches in 10 years, that may be a red flag.
Some schools tolerate losing a whole lot better than others.

One thing for sure though - at the end of the day, college athletics are about winning and producing. And if those things don't happen, changes are made. All of the recruiting promises and good will are predicated on the athlete producing.

TPM

You own't get an "official visit" when you are just beginning the process---please do not mislead people once again--- the "Offical Visit" comes when you are finalist in the race and in your senior year---not before---coaches cannot officially talk to a player before July 1 after the junior so how can you have an "official visit", which is at the schools expense, before that July 1 date---and the recruiting process usually starting well before that date does it not ?


Lady TPM , please refrain from the continual misinformation and misdirection.