So how do you get them to focus on something besides baseball...

College baseball requires so much dedication and is such a time committment that it worked in my sons favor....it has kept my son focused in school,(wanted to play) focused on his grades (to keep eligible) and out of trouble (wouldnt violate team rules).....

and he gets his degree this year.....

what could be better than that....??

Why can't he get/do both? Thousands of kids across the country do it. Many even get one to pay for the other. Better to follow your dream now while you can then regret not doing it when it's to late.

If the main focus is on baseball, which it usually is for many, than find a program that will be a good fit both for baseball and getting a good education. Once he's there he will realize that going to college is about so much more than baseball, he even might get a degree.

And tell him to tell mom he wants to go to college AND play baseball, she'll feel better.

I wonder if my son would have made it through his first year without baseball.

Being a part of the baseball program offered the framework and discpline (and not much free time) that probably saved him. If he had been without those things, I wonder if he would have made it.

If you are worried about having a name on a diploma that is very prestigious then he needs to find the school that fits that diploma and hope he can play or at least walk on. But as long as the college is accredited then you will be getting a good education. Yes there are some schools much better than others but the average college anywhere is still going to provide you a very good education.

Unless your degree is from an Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, Northwestern and others of this type an employer really isn't going to pay that much attention to the school.

Playing baseball at any school has a good chance to help your son mature and grow up pretty fast in a safe environment. Like piaa_ump's son baseball allowed him to have much needed boundaries and rules to be able to succeed in college. You will find more students that are non athletes who will struggle because they cannot adjust to the freedom. He will more than likely have a study hall and he obviously will have to keep his grades in check to stay eligible.

Find the schools that he can play baseball at and let him find the one out of those that fit him academically.

I think this is somewhat typical of an 18 year old boy that loves baseball. For many of them they find school a little boring.I think many of us want college to be their first desire but like as posted prior baseball keeps a lot of these boys focused.
They have to keep their grades up in order to play. I couldnt make my son give up baseball if I tried. It is too much in his heart and we went through this same dilemna. He had some schools that were excellent academic schools but it wasnt what he wanted the more I pushed the more he resisted.
My son is at a JC and after all the stressing I did, he is happy there. Hes taking good gen. ed classes and competing for a spot on the team and its really a good fit. My son had very good grades out of HS but also not the looks he wanted in baseball. So he wanted a JC to be able to compete earlier and continue to play.
If someone would of told me he would of ended up at a JC after taking the hard classes in HS and getting good grades I would not have believed them. But we backed off and let him make his decision and as of right now he is very happy with his decision.
They are becoming adults and we can guide but we cant force.At least thats our family, we had to let go and let him make his first real adult decision.

1BDad,

Your wife is right! Us moms are always right, havent' you figured that out yet? Kidding aside, my family had the same issue. I (the mom) stressed grades and getting a good education where ever he went to college. My son was more focused on being able to play baseball in college.

The good news is that there are many, many great colleges across the US that also have bb teams. As everyone says finding the right fit, academically and athletically, is the key. As you may read on this message board, grades do matter so encourage your son to achieve the best grades he can. Many schools have merit money available to supplement the athletic scholarship if your son is a good student.

Along those lines, a friends son that will be starting in a couple of weeks at a well known CA state school, received a letter from the head coach with the upcoming work-out/practice schedule once school starts. The coach listed several players by name that must meet with their academic advisors/tutors immediately. These players were singled out because the coaches were concerned about grade issues. It does pay to work for those grades in high school.

Its a win-win.

Just keep explaining how top grades and test scores open up a much wider range of "immediate" playing opportunities.

Good topic and good points! iheartbb makes a good argument FOR baseball helping academically and I agree. Those students/athletes that are focused on academics will succeed academically whether they play baseball or not. Those students that are focused on baseball (and not academics) are basically "forced" to achieve a certain level academically. My son spent three years playing college baseball and "attended" college classes and left college after his junior year to play pro ball. After 4 years of pro ball he's back in college as a full time STUDENT ONLY --- more focused on academics than when he played baseball. No doubt in my mind that baseball helped him get to where he is today academically.
I compare the academic challenges of obtaining a college degree to taking 4 bitter smart pills. Baseball provided a sugar coating for the first three pills and now all he has to do is take the last one and by the time he figuires out it taste bad he will have his degree.
Fungo

Please read this "heart warming" article about the NFL football player - Larry Allen.

Sonoma State University is near to my Santa Rosa home and I was involved in 1997 as the SSU Baseball Coach. When a pro player receives the numerous awards, few people know the "rest of the story".

This story can be applied to former Goodwill Series alumni who have played pro baseball and graduated from college.

The measurement of a college education is "what an individual does with his education to help others less fortunate".
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080905/NEWS/8090...ill_never_be_retired
Bob Williams

I've been through this scenario with my oldest and college softball. I told her the decision would be 80% education and 20% softball. I also told her I would not pay more than the cost of our Big Ten state university unless it the school is notably better academically. She was told top grades will provide more choices.

She's played two years of college ball at a school that's one of the best in the country in her major. With the money she's received it's less than our state university. My son, starting soph year of high school, just received the same talk.

Softball ends for my daughter this year. She was awarded a spring internship in DC. When she wasn't sure what to do I told her to make her own decision. I provided one question, "Are you in college to pave the way for a career or to play softball?"