Service Academies

Not sure if they still do but the Naval Academy used to be a regular attendee of the Stanford All Star camp and recruited pretty heavily from it.

infielddad,

Thanks. We have registered for the Allstar Camp. Sent it back with deposit the day we received the form. But we have not heard anything further.

That is a wonderful development for your son. I understand that Stanford recruited Nolan Gallagher of Red Lodge from that camp. I was born and raised in your great state but that was when the entire state celebrated Dave McNally and Les Rohr from Billings-does that date me? We are only 5 minutes from Stanford and our son attended the camp of few years back and I know a few coaches who generally attend. If there is anything I can assist with feel free to ask.

I am a West Point grad and had some experience when my alma mater was recruiting my son (who eventually signed elsewhere).

The academies do attend the Standford camp, and I know that Navy was at Princeton's camp last year. West Point has been to the WWBA summer championship. So, they do recruit at the higher end camps and showcases.

Have your son give the coaches a call and express his interest. They'll begin a file on him, and if he appears to be able to be accepted, they will make every effort to see him.

In my son's case, they brought in three players at his position this year, so they stopped their efforts, but they were very good to deal with the entire way.

ahsbb's son is a senior at West Point. Hopefully, he'll join in.

infield,

Yes, we watched Nolan pitch Sunday against Kansas. (Saw the game over the internet. Very Cool!)

Stanford is my son's first choice, but we are only starting in the process with him. Fortunately, he takes his academic performance as seriously as his athletic performance. This morning he was honored for 3rd consecutive 4.0 semester, and he has a cumulative 4.0 as well.

He is a big (6', 235 lbs) LHP/1B. We don't really know how his pitching stacks up, but his bat is very strong. He will be a rising Junior this summer, so we are hopeful that he will be accepted to the Stanford camp, and then we'll see where things go from there.

usma82,

Thanks for the helpful suggestions.Based upon your experience, is it too soon for him to make that contact? He is a sophmore now, and my understanding of the process is that the application process begins in the spring of the candidate's Junior year, which is only a year from now.

I realize (thanks to this hsbbw) that the summer between the Jr & Sr year is the most critical with regard to most colleges. But I sense that general framework perhaps does not quite apply the same way when dealing with the Service Academies. Would you consider that to be an accurate statement, or am I jumping the gun a bit?

There was so much I did not know with my '05, I just want to be sure with my '07 that we cover the bases more appropriately.

The service academies recruit just like other baseball college coaches, only their timeline is almost a year ahead in recruiting contacts. Yes, the coaches will be actively involved with the Stanford Camp, but you will also see them at other major tournaments and showcase events. The July PG/WWBA tournaments at East Cobb are one example where we have seen Army, Navy & Air Force in attendance. Just follow the same recruiting suggestions for contacting coaches and setting up unofficial visits. From our own experience, the West Point coaches were great and gave our son the royal treatment as a sophomore/rising junior on an unofficial visit. What an impressive place!

IMO, I would encourage all players to consider the service academics. They will definitely not be the right choice for everyone, but don't count them out before doing the research. A fantastic (and free) education, impressive military career opportunities, and an elite network of alumni to assist you after your service to your country is over. A great choice if the "fit" is right.

We have a numbe rof memember shwo have sons at one of the academies--I am sure they will drop by and give you helpful info

Give them time

quote:

Originally posted by usma82:
Have your son give the coaches a call and express his interest. They'll begin a file on him, and if he appears to be able to be accepted, they will make every effort to see him.

In my son's case, they brought in three players at his position this year, so they stopped their efforts, but they were very good to deal with the entire way.

ahsbb's son is a senior at West Point. Hopefully, he'll join in.

usma82....good to hear from you again, first I need to correct you a little, Jeremy is only a junior...they just finished 500th nite last month and he was honored to say the invocation...what a school, also..how is you son doing? Hope is getting geared up for the long season

montanadad...what a great selection. Any of the service academies will provide your son with a great (and I mean Great) education, top notch school and athletics. The deal is a little different with the academies...the process is much longer. I will give you a good example. Nick Hill from Tennessee wanted to go to Army but also did not want to be left out...so he told East Tennessee State that he would go there if Army did not work out. As it turned out he was accepted to Army and is doing a fantastic job there. But my point is... leave your options open.

Army recruits everywhere...Coach S. noticed my son at Midwest Prospect. But as the case sometimes in anything... kids are missed. The best advice is to let Coach S. know you are interested...fill out their information sheet and see where that takes you. Coach S. is realing pushing hard to make Army the best it can be. Go to Army's baseball site:

http://goarmysports.collegesports.com/sports/m-basebl/army-m-basebl-body.html  

Also, at this stage, an unofficial visit is good. I would go just to see the campus and the buildings..it truly is a very good school.

I hope this helped a little, pm me if you need any more info.

montanadad...

One of our "oldtimers" and knowledgeable websters, QueenOfTheEvilEmpire, formerly Hotmama, should be able to provide some insight for you. If I remember correctly, her son attends the Naval Academy.

Also on this forum, check pg 2, for two topics of discussion;
1) Army Baseball, West Point, NY by 2005of, on Aug 10
2) Navy, by Hiflier, on Aug 9

and on Page 5...
1) Navy Baseball, by bmx05, on Jan 23
2) West Point, by GapperHit, on Jan 17

Wow! Great responses. Thank you all. If anyone has further insight, please feel free to post. We're soaking up all the information we can.

As far as baseball is concerned, when choosing a service academy your first goal should be that you want to be a military officer. Sports should be secondary. Though baseball can be a major part of your college experience, few players have been drafted from service academies. This is because you must receive a release of your military obligations to join the MLB out of college. A quote from an article on the West Point site:

quote:

... It is difficult for professional teams to take chances on academy players because of their military commitments. In the 39-year history of the Major League Baseball amateur draft, it is believed that only three players have been drafted from the U.S. Military Academy, according to researchers at the Major League Baseball offices and the Army sports information department. None of the players made the major leagues.

Last year, pitcher Matt Foster from the U.S. Naval Academy was drafted in the 13th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. He tried to challenge his two years of required active duty by writing letters to high-ranking Navy officers and offering to work as a recruiter in exchange for an immediate opportunity to pursue pro baseball.

His overtures were denied.

The bottom line is that a major league team has to really want a player from one of the academies.

Full Article

Montanadad, has your son received the acceptance to the Stanford Camp yet? If you registered awhile ago, you should likely have it by now. If not, I'd suggest contacting the staff and determining his status. Before the camp, Stanford sends out a list of all the college coaches that will be working at the camp, along with their email addresses. I'd suggest your son email the coaches at the academies and tell them of his interest and ask to meet them while at Stanford. Air Force and Navy were the first two schools my son heard from last year after the camp concluded.

Ahsbb,

Thanks for the shout out. Son's prep for the season is going great - he's really chomping at the bit to get to college, though. Since Jeremy's a jr, maybe we'll get lucky and have a West Point/Fordham game next season. It seems like a natural.

Montanadad,
It is never too early to start looking at the academies. I think it is best that the coaches are aware of your son ahead of time before you start the admissions process.

motanadad
My son was heavily recruited by West Point this summer after they seen him at the Perfect Game Academic Showcase in Fla. during June. I saw nearly all the service academies at this showcase.

On November 15, 2004 my son signed his letter of appointment with the Naval Academy. He had visited the Academy in late October and met with Coach Whitmyer and Coach Nellum. As soon as he drove up to the Academy, he knew that Annapolis was the place for him.

The application process started before his senior year ever began. We really got serious at the conclusion of his junior year with the application, letters of recommendation, etc. All that takes a while, and no matter how good a player might be he/she has to be accepted on the merit of his academics and character.

My son also participated in the July PG/WWBA games and had a great tournament. This exposure never produced any results for him. He started to get calls when his long-time hitting coach made some phone calls for him. These types of relationships and contacts are just as important as the showcases and tournament.

Anyway, a player cannot be too early to show interest at a service academy. Letters and internet forms should be followed up by personal phone calls from the player to every coach on the staff. Can't be shy.

thp2212,
Congratulations to your son on his appointment to the Naval Academy!

thp2212...

Welcome to the hsbbweb!

Good post and CONGRATULATIONS to your son and family.

thp2212,

Cudos to your son and family, I know you must be proud!

If you don't mind, I'll ask a few specific questions.
1. You son signed 11/15/04. Is is correct to assume then that he is an 05 graduate?
2. Did your son have any contact with the coaches prior to the July PG event, or was the contact initiated by the hitting coach after the July event?
3. Obviously, you son began the application process before talking to the coaches. Has he always had a desire to attend Annapolis, or did it come about as a result oh his baseball efforts?

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

1. Yes, my son will graduate high school this May.
2. No, he had no contact with Navy coaches prior to PG event. His calls came when the hitting coach made his phone calls.
3. My son wanted to attend service academy first and place baseball second. The selection committe actually considered his application while he was there. We received the phone call from our congressman that he had been accepted while our son was still at Annapolis. That was pretty neat.