Showball, Headfirst or PG Academic Showcase

Gator297,

Your son has the metrics to get interest and potential serious interest from academically minded colleges.   Let's assume he has the talent to go with the metrics.   He's got the added bonus of being a tall left handed pitcher...it doesn't get much better than that!

Which of these showcases is going to have more of the type of school your son is interested in?   Which showcase is going to have the top end of baseball talent and the top end of academic requirements?   This is fairly easy to figure out by looking at the coach attendee list and cross referencing with the coaches your son has had contact with and doing a quick search in the College Navigator tool (https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/).   Figure out where your son is going to have the most leverage, and where he is going to stand out the most....that is where you want to focus.    For my son, it was HeadFirst based on the schools he was interested in at that time, but things have changed over the years.  Showball and PG Academic seem to have upped their game in the last 10 years as a lot of people here have provided very positive feedback.   Additionally, your son may want to consider re-taking the ACT as that might open a few more doors.   Correction....22 ACT is somewhat low for an HA school, but a possible higher score can give your son more leverage and more options...there is that word again.

As always, JMO.   Good luck!

PS...Fixed my typo.  Agree with others your son may want to take SAT.

Does he have a list of schools in which he is interested (presumably high academic in the south)?  Email those coaches now, with video, and ask them where they will be.  If they want to see him, they'll let you know.

Completely honest feedback, I do think you are seeing the landscape correctly.  As a lefty he's got solid numbers and if he can sit/touch a little higher come July/Aug, he'll be in a very favorable place.   On the negative side, the ACT score is indeed low for HA.  Not to say he can't re-take, but when will that be available?  Hard to say.  But back to the good news, if his GPA is solid there are a lot of schools that are going test neutral this year. 

From my experience HeadFirst is really designed for exposure to High Academics.  Showball has a few different tiers, a High Academic showcase, and a broader Showcase.  Maybe that "Mega" showcase may offer a broader set of opportunities.  

I would suggest that your son takes the SAT as well. They are different tests. My younger son did well on the SAT, took it again and did even higher in both categories (no need to superscore). In between he took the ACT and laid an egg.

When I asked him why he thought the difference- excel on 2nd SAT (1st pretty good on SAT), and poor on ACT- he said that time was a factor on ACT (there is a high number of questions to complete). He didn't feel crunched for time on SAT, though saw an occasional "curve" thrown on some SAT questions.Just a thought, especially given the high GPA. And yes, a tall LHP is a magnet for recruiting.

I agree with Ripken Fan.  My experience with my son was that he did much better on the SAT than the ACT.  He was a 4.3+ GPA and numerous AP classes, but the time constraints on the ACT were not optimal for him...  His SAT score got him academic money out of state in addition to baseball money.

Ok several things. First decide which test you want to take. ACT has more reading/English and SAT has more Math/Science questions. Second I know od players that got a tutoring service on line and went from 22 to 28-30 on ACT. 3rd, ACT is offering at home tests this summer. Last the HA schools wanted 26-28 for a high end player and AP courses for SR year.

Curiously, my science major son did better on the ACT, and my non-science son did very well on the SAT (and so didn't bother with the ACT).  So it's definitely worth taking both.

I'm wondering what OP means by "south" and "closer" to LA (in light of D3 and NAIA)?

I ask that because there are only 4-5 high academic d3 schools where your son's ACT is problematic: Cal Tech, Pomona, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and maybe Occidental plus Whitman (Distance is still an issue for Whitman but I mention it because it has the best weather of any  northern D3 that I know of.  Walla Walla has an early, relatively dry spring plus Whitman begins its games the same time as the SoCal schools do by playing those So Cal schools IN So Cal in February).

A good ACT/SAT tutor costs about the same as a showcase so you might consider that, but so many schools are not using those tests for class of '21 kids that it may not matter especially if your son has taken some Honors and AP courses as he's earned that strong GPA.

SCIAC schools would seem to be a good option (LaVerne, Redlands, Cal Lutheran (recent nat'l champs), Chapman (reigning national champs).  Embry-Riddle has a new program in Prescott AZ that might be interesting.  

my two cents worth.

Oh, I thought he meant Louisiana!

@anotherparent posted:

Oh, I thought he meant Louisiana!

Don't mind me; I'm just the village idiot!

There are lots of cool options closer to sweet home, Mississippi!

All of this traditional advice (ef shifting to SAT from ACT for certain students) makes sense. The challenge/problem for 2021 is that the next SAT test isn't scheduled until Sept. That's late in the game. Maybe the entire recruitment HA calendar is going to be pushed back a month or two, but at this point who knows.  

The way the AP exams are going (many screw ups being reported in panicked emails to parents from administrators at our school) lets hope the College Board uses the summer to iron out the kinks in any plan to move fall SAT tests online.

IMHO, the ACT or SAT score will be more important than ever this year.  I know some colleges are going test neutral.  But, let's be honest... colleges are going to scrutinize a lot more going forward.  Everyone is crunch for money and they will want to make sure they are getting their time and monies worth when making decisions.  Even the coaches will be tighter with any recruiting money and if a kid looks like he can get academic money or an academic scholarship, that coach might be more apt to take a chance on him.  

@CaliDad posted:

IMHO, the ACT or SAT score will be more important than ever this year.  I know some colleges are going test neutral.  But, let's be honest... colleges are going to scrutinize a lot more going forward.  Everyone is crunch for money and they will want to make sure they are getting their time and monies worth when making decisions.  Even the coaches will be tighter with any recruiting money and if a kid looks like he can get academic money or an academic scholarship, that coach might be more apt to take a chance on him.  

Will be interesting to see it unfold.  Certainly a case to be made that those who got the testing in early and did well are a safer bet and should be acknowledged/rewarded for being the kind of student that gets out in front of things.  On the other hand,  perhaps not having the tests as a barrier when there are already enough challenges to recruiting may be helpful to coaches.   

@Wechson posted:

Will be interesting to see it unfold.  Certainly a case to be made that those who got the testing in early and did well are a safer bet and should be acknowledged/rewarded for being the kind of student that gets out in front of things.  On the other hand,  perhaps not having the tests as a barrier when there are already enough challenges to recruiting may be helpful to coaches.   

If the test is offered and a kid decides not to take it because they don't 'test well' that throws up a huge red flag.  Kind of analogous to 'does great in batting practice but struggles in the game'.  

I understand what you're saying Cali, but if a college has a test-optional application and a kid doesn't submit a score, the admissions office can't hold that against the kid.  Admissions has to evaluate what they have in front of them, not what's not there.  At least, that's what they're supposed to do.

This site has some excellent and up to date information on which colleges are currently requiring what tests and the adjustments colleges have had to make concerning next year's admissions cycle re: COVID 19

General site: https://www.compassprep.com

Excellent (and free) resource: https://www.compassprep.com/compass-guide/

I think it's interesting that the colleges that have been the slowest, for lack of a better term, to drop or adjust their testing requirements are among the most elite colleges in the country. They're also the ones, in my opinion, that are the most likely to return to their former testing requirements when the current situation is resolved. 

I've always wondered about the efficacy of the tests. They have been a high stakes component of my sons' admission processes. We were all relieved when the tests were done.

@smokeminside posted:

I understand what you're saying Cali, but if a college has a test-optional application and a kid doesn't submit a score, the admissions office can't hold that against the kid.  Admissions has to evaluate what they have in front of them, not what's not there.  At least, that's what they're supposed to do.

This site has some excellent and up to date information on which colleges are currently requiring what tests and the adjustments colleges have had to make concerning next year's admissions cycle re: COVID 19

General site: https://www.compassprep.com

Excellent (and free) resource: https://www.compassprep.com/compass-guide/

I think it's interesting that the colleges that have been the slowest, for lack of a better term, to drop or adjust their testing requirements are among the most elite colleges in the country. They're also the ones, in my opinion, that are the most likely to return to their former testing requirements when the current situation is resolved. 

I've always wondered about the efficacy of the tests. They have been a high stakes component of my sons' admission processes. We were all relieved when the tests were done.

 

 

Call me cynical but tests are like game day... some people can handle the extra stress and some cannot.  I'm just repeating what I have been told.  If your kid absolutely cannot take a test then by all means... don't take it.  But understand there are probably some intangibles associated with the availability of test scores.  If the kid is wanted by a coach enough and the university is 'test optional' then I can see a coach using the lack of test score to his advantage and help get the kid through admissions.  On the other hand, we're still talking about a limited amount of financial resources available to coaches (maybe even less as we go forward) and I have to wonder if a coach would rather see a good test score to understand if a kid can probably get some academic money so he can stretch his athletic dollars thinner.  Or just wants to see if the kid can succeed in the classroom at a HA school so he can focus on the field... 

I just have to think taking the test shows you're doing everything you can to play and succeed in college.  Just my 2 cents.

But, no-one will know whether a kid didn't take a test because he doesn't test well, or because of the coronavirus.  I think that if you did already take it and did well, then sure, that can help.  But not sending scores won't hurt.  I'm sure admissions offices have already worked out how they will evaluate next year's applicants, as have scholarship committees, and have given instructions to coaches about what their recruits will need.