Should he be actively marketing himself...

What's important to him in a 4-year college, and what does he want to get out of it?

Is it all about baseball? If so, what level of Division I do his JUCO coaches think is appropriate for him?

What's important to him beyond baseball? Does he have specific academic interests? Does he want to play close to home? Are there particular aspects of a college environment that he especially likes or dislikes? What sort of schools fit the family's budget best?

There are a hundred questions like these that, as a junior college sophomore, he ought to have developed some opinions about.

The point here would be for him to try to determine what colleges/baseball programs fit whatever combination of answers he comes with. THEN, the "marketing" should take the form of making sure that the coaches at those schools that are of interest to him know where he is and when they can see him play.

As your original post suggests, DI JUCO coaches tend to have a pretty well developed network of 4-year college coaches that they can access. Once he's put some effort into figuring out what sort of school makes the most sense for him next, he needs to make certain that his current coaches know which schools are on his list. As he tells them both the names of the schools and the characteristics that are important to him, chances are that his coaches will be able to add the names of a few that fit those characteristics, but that hadn't hit his radar yet.

Another potential resource for him would be his baseball-playing friends who are currently at 4-year colleges. They're often a good source of inside information about their own schools and baseball programs. Occasionally, they, also, can assist by putting in a good word with their own coaches if he and they agree that their school might be a good fit.

Figuring out as best he can what he wants and taking advantage of the baseball-related network available to him can be a really powerful combination when some effort is put into it.

Best of luck to him!

quote:

Originally posted by Chin Music:
Son is soph. playing D1 JUCO at 3rd/1st. Half way thru season top of conf. leader board hitting. His coaches say he's D1 prospect at corners. Recruiting univ. coaches come to games and some call his coach. Should he be actively marketing himself beyond this process? If yes how?

Yes, of course.

If you go down to the hsbbweb radio forum, JH and I discussed this very topic on alternative recruiting - meaning players who are already at the collegiate level and need to re-recruit themselves. I would listen to that and contact JH via pm if necessary. He said he sent out flyers to 80 schools and landed himself in a graduate program at Georgetown which if he applies himself, will set himself up for a very bright future. He also sold himself to prospective suitors based on past accomplishments as he is now recovering from injury. Don't wait for the phone to ring, get busy and make this happen. Obviously start by contacting all the coaches who have contacted his JUCO coach.

He should probebely ask his coach that question My son found he just needed to play good to be noticed, although I am sure this varies by location and JC league.

In terms of marketing to a particular D1 school I am not sure that's possible for a position player. Many of the schools looking at the JC players are looking to fill a hole and it can be very difficult to figure out which schools have a need for your son's position. Many times the D1 schools don't really know until May or June which positions they believe they need help with. I would not recomend spending a lot of time pursuing/marketing to a school that hasn't shown interest in your son. My son tried going through his coach for a couple of schools, however those schools didn't seem go out of their way to follow up(their loss!) It seemed like the D1 schools preferred to "discover" the JC players on their own through their own referral sources. Sometimes D1 schools will quietly put out the word they are looking for a certain position.

Referrals are very important in JC recruting and players may never really know who those people are, although your son's coach probebely knows who many of them are. Many times the referral source is a pro scout or an opposing coach. So don't act like a fool if you don't appreciate an action taken by the opposing team, their coach might be a friend of Augie Garrido!

This is what is so great about this board.

A parent asks a serious question about his son's specific situation, and within 90 minutes he has responses from three Board members whose experiences are directly relevant to his son's situation.

And the original poster would probably never know that that these three are among the most respected members of this board whose own sons have been through every conceivable facet of the college baseball experience (and beyond.)

What a great resource!