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25 replies

Should freshman transfer to JC from D1?

sandlot dadsandlot dad10+ posts
Hi there,

I have been a reader of the site for some time now. And have used much advice given here to plan out my sons strategy for being blessed to play college baseball. He is now at a crossroads of sort and getting ready to make a huge decision. That is, to stay at his D1 school or leave after semester 1 to a JC. I have not seen many posts about this and thought this might make for some interesting opinions and do not mind our situation being out there.

My son is freshman at a D1, not SEC, BIG 12, PAC 10, but other D1. He is the "recruited guy, great scholly, drafted in June, late round". He has been the clean cut kid, done the right things in high school kind of guy.

He got off road a little with his new freedom from home, however has come back to the road and is doing better.

What are pro and cons along with your advice on this?

MORE BACKGROUND

1. He is facing now 2 redshirt players (jr eligible now 4th year at school)both were to be drafted and coach told to us leaving after their jr year.

2. That makes for 4 players for his position.

3. During fall coach suggests for player to look into jc as playtime may be limited. However he would be fair and the best player will play.

4. Due to the other players not leaving he needs my sons scholly monies for other players next year. He will give some scholly but it will be reduced from the large amount he has now. Told in fall meeting.

5. Contact has been made with 2 JC's and they both want him open arms with no deadline on letting them know. Just tell them and they will put him on the team and he will play.

6. Player loves the school, would like to stay and play D1, loves his teammates, but now not sure if its best for him baseball and academic wise.

7. We now have learned that this coach does cut in the fall low scholly kids and sophs that played year before. So even if player stays and plays this spring he still could get cut next fall.

8. I am leaning to him sticking it out because I feel he is good enough to play and more importantly needs to battle for what he wants. But maybe I am naive.

If you all need more info just ask, thanks for your input on this.

perplexed.
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ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
I don't think he'll go wrong with either decision.

Perhaps the way to analyze this is not by how much playing time he'll have in 2011 but how good he'll be in 2014 if he stays the course and battles those older kids while eventually learning how to beat them out. Kids get better by beating out better kids and this is often a painful process at first. He goes the JUCO route and he could be back in a similar situation he was in high school - the big fish in the small pond without much challenge or motivation to drive him. Don't get me wrong, I believe ballplayers need to play ultimately to get better but learning how to compete may serve him better years down the road and ultimately make him a better player.
CollegeParentNoMoreCollegeParentNoMore1,000+ posts
quote:
During fall coach suggests for player to look into jc as playtime may be limited. However he would be fair and the best player will play.


Tough to say w/o really knowing the player or coach, especially after one semester, however the coach has suggested he move on with the JC comment and reduced scholarship. The fact that the coach is apparently willing to risk losing your son at the JC to another 4 year program is a bit bothersome, although he may have your son's best interest in mind.

If not already discussed with the coach, a serious heart to heart between the coach and your son on what he thinks is best for his program and your son is in order.

ANother option you have is to sit the year out as a RS and see what transpires next fall.

btw My son transferred after his RS freshman year to a JC. He had 4 1/2 semesters of experince at the program to evaluate his situation before changing schools, although his coaches didn't suggest he play at a JC.

If you go the the JC route make sure the school in a well scouted league.

Good luck
Last edited by CollegeParentNoMore
ILVBBILVBB1,000+ posts
These stories/questions bother me to no end. Not that they are asked but that kids that make a decision and commit to a school are put in this position.

I am not going to look at it from a baseball prospective but more from a life prospective. In one semester he has just begun to get his feet on the ground. It sounds like he has "tumbled" with personal freedom and bounced back. These are the important life lessons that boys learn at college. In my mind I would be looking at the college experience and the education he will get; both in and out of the classroom.

Kids that can compete will find their place on the field. The question is when and how much. You really need to consider what he will be giving up long term beyond baseball.
Last edited by ILVBB
Coach_MayCoach_May10,000+ posts
You have gotten some great advice so far but let me add a few thoughts for you. You may believe your son is good enough to overcome his competition. Your son may believe he can do it as well. And the fact is he may be good enough to work his way into the starting position. But. The coach has to believe in the player. The coach has to want the player in his program and believe in the player. When a coach suggests to a player that he needs to look into a jc as playing time may be limited what is he really saying? He is telling your son that he believes he needs to move on. Of course he is going to tell him he is going to be fair and play the best player. But if he thought your son was the best player would he suggest to him to look into a jc?

Does he have another guy at this position in his sights already from the next recruiting class? You can bet he does. He is not going to suggest that your son look into a jc if he doesnt already have another guy ready to come in behind him. Who you are competing against right now changes from year to year. The most important thing for a player in a situation like this is to have a coach that believes in the player and really wants the player. You dont suggest to a player that they move on if thats the case.

Talk to your son and ask him how he is going to handle it if he gets limited to no playing time this season. Ask him how he is going to feel if he performs just as well or even better than the other players but gets less playing time. Ask him how he is going to feel if they bring in another player for the same position next year under the circumstances he is now in.

Being good enough sometimes just doesnt matter in situations like this. Sometimes its just not a good fit for the player and he needs to go somewhere where they are waiting with open arms and truly believe in him. Good luck to you and your son and make sure you get him to fully communicate with you and he understands where he really stands. Good luck
Three BaggerThree Bagger1,000+ posts
I've got to lean with Coach May on this one. I feel like there are some bad vibes coming from the coach with regards to your son's future playing time. It may take him two years of sitting to truly realze that it would have been in his best interests to look elsewhere. If he leaves now, he could go to a Juco and hook on with another DI next year or the year after without losing a year that is required if he transfers later in his college career. Things may work out where he's at but I just got those bad vibes from what the coach told him.. Good luck either way!
fanofgamefanofgame5,000+ posts
quote:
When a coach suggests to a player that he needs to look into a jc as playing time may be limited what is he really saying? He is telling your son that he believes he needs to move on. Of course he is going to tell him he is going to be fair and play the best player. But if he thought your son was the best player would he suggest to him to look into a jc?




Red flags for me reading this post.Coach telling your boy to go to JC, already talks about scholly cuts.I would want my son to leave.
trojan-skippertrojan-skipper1,000+ posts
I will say he does show concern for your kid by talking to him about different scenarios. He could just bury or cut him without a word being said... I realize he also wants to free up money, no guarantee he'll find anybody better or as good, but that's his worry.

There are places with open arms, so I'd be leaning that way unless he's just in love with the school experience there
YoungGunDadYoungGunDadHSBaseballWeb member since 2005
Trying to stick it out is one thing, but not being in a program that is the right, overall "fit" is totally and completely different even if you might want son to learn some values about not quitting.

I agree completely with the majority who have said it might be best to move on to a JUCO where the coaches will bring him in and get him ready to play some good ball next spring.

He only has 4yrs to play ball. Let him enjoy them while he has them. He can't ever go back.
sandlot dadsandlot dad10+ posts
Thanks to all for the replies.

More info, as Coach May said "you can bet he has another coming in " and yes I see on the website that a 2011 player has committed at the position. So it seems now that they are overloaded at the position and are trying to free money up maybe.

I like CD comment about competing against better talent to become a better player. I just am not sure if the coach is being straight about the best guy will play.

Then again can I really trust the JUCO coach that he will walk in an play as well. I do not want to bring this up to my son yet about JUCO because I want him to finish finals and get the best grades he can under no stress with this kind of decision.

Its so tough, hmmm need more time to think on this one. Thanks.

"If you are on time you are late"
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by sandlot dad:
Thanks to all for the replies.

More info, as Coach May said "you can bet he has another coming in " and yes I see on the website that a 2011 player has committed at the position. So it seems now that they are overloaded at the position and are trying to free money up maybe.

I like CD comment about competing against better talent to become a better player. I just am not sure if the coach is being straight about the best guy will play.

Then again can I really trust the JUCO coach that he will walk in an play as well. I do not want to bring this up to my son yet about JUCO because I want him to finish finals and get the best grades he can under no stress with this kind of decision.

Its so tough, hmmm need more time to think on this one. Thanks.

"If you are on time you are late"

sandlot dad - my advice was in error. Somehow, I overlooked the part that the coach had recomended juco. In view of that, my advice is the same as Coach May's.
sandlot dadsandlot dad10+ posts
some more of my "dad" thoughts,

My gut tells me that the coach has to much money invested in the position and that the players involved are fairly close in talent so he needs to balance the books so to speak without losing performance out of that position.

Another gut feel is he was either trying to see how much my son really wanted to stay at the school (a test) or he was trying to force my sons hand by getting him to go JUCO so he could have his scholly money (70%) available to spread around for spring semester.

At the end of the day I wonder that now that he knows he is staying that maybe he will be fair about "playing the player that helps the team win".

The opportunity to do D1 may not be available after 2 years at JUCO although now he will become draft eligible again.

We will be thinking hard about this in the coming days. Finals ends this week.

Stay tuned,,,,,
fillsfanfillsfan1,000+ posts
Telling a player to think about go to a JUCO next year and then telling him he will take part of his scholly away next year are overt messages IMO. No hidden message here.

I think he is all but saying he made a mistake or that he doesn't like your son's baseball or personality. Whether these feeling are warranted or not they are apparently there.

I would look for a JC and make a clean start.

Good Luck!
sandlot dadsandlot dad10+ posts
Update, my son believe it or not worked his way back and started the first few games. He contributed to a couple of wins and then made a couple of trips.

However, once the other Redshirt became eligible (a senior with junior elig.) my son was then given pinch hitter duties.

I think he did prove to himself that he could beat out guys and learned to compete against that kind of talent. The juco route he for sure would have played but I am hoping that what he learned from the experience was more worthwhile in the long run.

Time will tell. He is thinking about a change after the season. Just thought I would share the update as I really appreciated the posts.
fenwaysouthfenwaysouth10,000+ posts
I really like this thread on a lot of levels. This is everyday stuff that players and parents deal with. You asked for feedback from the board, you got feedback, and you updated the story with resolution....or possibly to be continued. This is great stuff!

Your son should be very proud of himself for sticking to it, and competing. I'm willing to bet the coach sees it too. Your son is a winner whether he decides to stay or leave based upon everything he learned about himself in the last year. Kudos.
PD PA Dino500+ posts
When my son was at a similar crossroad it took awhile for him to analyze the situation and access his own priorities. It was a tough call and I had to resist chiming in too often with my own well meaning advice. I sat back and looked for signs that a resolution was imminent.....a call to a coach here, an application for enrollment at a school there, a request to go to a favorite fishing hole with him. If you let him, he will make the decision all on his own, as it should be. There was one bit of advice I insisted he listen to. Once you have made a choice, never look back....never second guess yourself. Never, not in any of life's game decisions.
sandlot dadsandlot dad10+ posts
Thanks again to all,

I will update this thread more as the season winds down. I too, am proud of the way he handled his situation. Although he is not perfect, as neither am I, and still has made some recent choices that I do not get, they are still his choices and he has to deal with the outcomes.

Once he is home we will see where he is and what the next steps will be.

Stay tuned, more to come..........

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