Sophomore son

Welcome, Runningaway to the HSBBW.
You've come to right place for info.

Don't settle on any level of play, Time will take care of that.
Travel is great, but not the end all be all for recruiting.
Camps are a good way for exposure to Colleges your son is interested in.
Coaches and recruitors like to see the product and that you are showing interest in there program.
Illinois is full of solid colleges that have good baseball programs.
If I lived that close to Iowa, I would contact perfectgame in Cedar Rapids to showcase locally.
Does your lefty pitch?
The 60 time is good, and he will probably become faster, which is good for an OF.
Good Luck in your Son's journey.

EH

Welcome and relax, you have time. Read through the time line and other sections on this site.

Have him make a list of schools he is interested in. Send them an introdution letter. (samples are on this site)

Work hard on his conditioning this fall. Do the best he can this season.

Look for teams that he can play on next summer at the highest level possible in your area. Connie Mack is one idea. Try to get him on a team at the USA Baseball tournament in June in Ariz or Fla. This will give him a good idea on where he stands against the best in his age group.

Once you sort out his summer schedule next year send out a second letter to the schools of interest with his summer schedule.

Make sure you get an invite to the Area Code tryout in your area next summer. Does not cost anything and you will see where he fits.

Find a scout team for next fall.

Next fall get on a team at the WWB tournament in Tucson or Jupiter.

Agree with going to the camps at the schools of his interest.

I would not limit where you think he might end up, it is too soon. His list should include stretch schools, safe schools, and everything inbetween.

Perfect Game is good if you can afford it but if not then the above should get him noticed.

Hello TheEH and BOF,
I appreciated your thoughts in regards to what we can do to help our son realize his baseball dream.I'm looking into some winter holiday camps and also at some possible showcase events. The Cedar Rapids showcase looks very appealing.

I'm going to take him to see the pitch and hit club showcase in Joliet in October. He'll get to see some of the best players in Illinois at that event. I'm sure that will stir his competive drive.

Thank You for making a newbie feel welcome.

Running - I'm more a lurker than a poster but I just wanted to tell you the guys/gals on this site are very knowledgable and best of all, are willing to lend anyone a hand. They've pretty much seen and been thru it all...Welcome and good luck with your showcases.

Stayinside11,

I appreciate your thoughts regarding this site. I'm a lurker too. I finally decided to officially join this past week but I have been reading the threads for about the past eight months.

I've learned so much from just reading about other's situations. I plan on using some of the recruiting tools that are on this site.

Thank you for the good luck wishes. I hope he will get to see his dream come true.

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Welcome lurkers Runningaway and stayinside11!

If either of you need serious advice please don't hesitate to get in touch with me...I'll direct you to someone who can help.




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Gotwood, no big picture to go along with your reply? Not used to seeing that!!

Runningaway, my son is the same as your's - a sophmore, so I am following along with you. He went to his 1st PG showcase this past weekend, so it's a start. Good luck to you and your son, keep us up on what you do and how it goes.

Your son's size, and his speed for his size, will draw notice.

The batting average is a hard thing to project out to predict his future path. I've known guys who hit .400 on frosh or JV squads who never adjusted to varsity level pitching. I've known others who made the quantum leap to keep getting better, and moved on to college or pro ball.

Assuming your son progresses with the stick, he will be pursued. In the absence of summer or fall travel, he may find that he's "discovered" only by in-state schools or other schools that have established recruiting networks in your area. So, it can work out, but on the other hand, your options can get limited and that can hurt him in terms of negotiating leverage and also whether he can match up his baseball opportunities with the right academic school for him.

While summer travel next year would be great, if money is tight, I would suggest he shoot for his area American Legion program in 2010. That will let him face older, more experienced pitchers consistently, allowing him to test himself and forcing him to work to improve.

A year from now, you might want to save up enough money to do one PG showcase in your region. That will help him get "on the map" with your area schools at least. And if he's a big strong slugging lefty with sub-7 speed (or better, if he actually gets faster), you might be surprised what doors start to open for him.

Next fall, start scouting around for summer travel teams for summer 2011 that don't have big financial requirements. For example, the Richmond Braves used to charge no fee at all, not even for uniforms -- but you had to work the concession stand or the gate at a youth tourney they sponsored as a fund raiser. Or what the heck, let him get a job and earn it himself. A big strong teenager certainly has the capability to save a couple thousand dollars if he puts his mind to it over an 18-month period.

The summer after junior/before senior year (2011 for you) is the crunch time. You don't have to play all summer, but there are some high profile events that can really help expand your options and they don't have to cost a fortune. E.g., spend 2 weeks down at East Cobb for the 17u and 18u.

If he couples this with being active in identifying which schools interest him and then contacting them, he can find the right place for him.

Whatever you do, if someone tells you, "If you can play, they will find you," DO NOT LISTEN. It just ain't so. Plenty of kids with talent on par with others who land scholarships get passed over for no reason other than failing to plan ahead and be pro active.

Do remember that your son has a real prospect of getting at least 25% of his college costs paid. Even in-state, that can add up to almost $20,000 over 4 years. So it's worth some level of investment. And while there are teams that charge ridiculous participation fees, there are others that don't. Use the time you have to check out options and get ready for the summer of 2011.

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quote:

Originally posted by bballman:
Gotwood, no big picture to go along with your reply? Not used to seeing that!!

Why no picture bballman?


Take a look.



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When it comes to directing people I'm just a bit modest.




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Milodad's advice is great. I would add one thing IF since son is also an good student I would add to Milodad's advice and suggest he attend a Headfirst showcase.

Mu soph son just attended one this past summer and it has literally opened up the flood gates of interest. ( Milo is right "if you are good you still need to do your part, they will not always find you"

If you use the search function on this site just type in "Headfirst" you should find some additional info on this showcase.

Do not let the price scare you away...it is worth every penny.

I can add that I also think highly of Headfirst, esp. if your goal is Ivy or comparable.

Good one wood. That guy's got it going on!!

Gotwood, Thanks for the warm welcome. I enjoy your pictures...love your humor.

Bballman, I'm glad the answers to my post are helping you and other parents.

Very cool that your son just attended his first PG showcase. I bet he enjoyed it. I have looked at the Perfect Game site extensively and I'm sure it will be very helpful in your son's recruiting process.

Thanks for the wishes of good luck in this process. I wish for you and your son the same good luck.

Midlo dad,

Wow,that was a very insightful post. My husband said print that out.

I won't take for granted if he can play he'll be noticed. If he keeps working hard to improve himself,I'll keep trying to help him go as far as he can.

Thanks for your advice.

Dad43, You said it opened the flood gates of interest. Would that mean all kinds of schools not just the high accademic schools ?

I am going to check out the headfirst showcase events. Thanks for that tip.

gotwood,

I was laughing my butt off at that RI traffic cop! When I was a cop in San Jose there was a day when we had power outages that zapped several signal lights. So I took it upon myself to control control some traffic at a busy intersection. I thought I would get cute by practicing some creative traffic control techniques. Well, my area commander drove by and saw my antics. Soon, my Sgt drove up and called me over to the side of the road where he told me to get back to work and lay off the theatrics...I still laugh when I think of it...