Need advice! My young 2023 is most likely looking at playing baseball at a mid to low level JC, NAIA, or D3. Talented kid but just doesn’t look the part or have the size and strength that draws attention. Should he join a summer showcase team or play legion ball and target a few college prospect camps? Mostly A’s and honors classes. Just trying to help my kid live the dream a few more years. Thank you!!
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What position does he play? Height? Weight?
5”10 150lbs. Mostly SS,P
If he's a D3 player, recruiting doesn't really start until next summer, so he shouldn't worry about showcases, and getting lots of reps and spending less money playing Legion is good, along with working on getting bigger-stronger-faster. Prospect camps are fine so long as you realize they are mostly to get comfortable in the process and have some metrics to work with.
Here in CA, Juco players need only reach out to schools and state their interest. The schools will get to HS games and recruit them if interested.
The best advice for a rising junior headed to D3, especially higher academic D3, is to work to make sure his Jr year GPA is as good as possible, and practice and prep for great ACT or SAT results. Those, plus good baseball skills, can get him into any D3 college he wants.
Edit to say: as a parent of a HA D3 player, if I had it to do over again, I would have had him do showcases etc. during his rising Jr year to get him in front of HA D1's like Ivy and Patriot. If you think he's athletically and academically at that level, that may be the right thing to do.
@Fred Flintstone posted:5”10 150lbs. Mostly SS,P
You sure about D3....Bam Bam can swing a mean bat, or is that Barney's kid?
@JCG posted:Edit to say: as a parent of a HA D3 player, if I had it to do over again, I would have had him do showcases etc. during his rising Jr year to get him in front of HA D1's like Ivy and Patriot. If you think he's athletically and academically at that level, that may be the right thing to do.
Do you think the fall is too long to wait to do the HA showcases? We are trying to squeeze one in this summer to get on their radars. There are also Showball and Headfirst events in the fall that would be much easier for us.
My son has been sending video and has received a couple of replies and they have been watching his video multiple times.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Do you think the fall is too long to wait to do the HA showcases? We are trying to squeeze one in this summer to get on their radars. There are also Showball and Headfirst events in the fall that would be much easier for us.
My son has been sending video and has received a couple of replies and they have been watching his video multiple times.
He's a 2023? I think fall is getting a little late HA D1, but it depends on the school. There are others here who would be better informed and will likely answer your question.
at 5'11/150, he sounds kind of skinny. maybe he's D3 now but what if he puts on 20 lbs of muscle? or 30? footspeed throwing velo and batspeed will all increase with the added strength. has he thought about focusing on getting bigger and stronger and de-emphasizing game or showcase reps this summer?
Great comments from seasoned high academic school dads above. I"ll add:
AS an incoming junior year position player with good academics, attending a late summer-early fall Ivy camp is key. If money not an option, go to 2-3 of them. Your son will get tons of reps in front of all that Ivy's coaching staff. If he's liked this really gets the recruiting ball rolling in the junior year. Most Ivy's will have identified their top guys to recruit by late junior year, with a few offers going out, but will continue to recruit through August. There will be multiple other school HC's assisting run the Ivy camp. They are hopeful for players that the Ivy isn't interested in (GTown, Bucknell, HA D3's: Amherst, Middlebury, JH).
As a PO you can go to the Fall junior year HF or ShowBall Camp where tons of schools will get your data and a visual of your skills. For HA D3 send emails & video late junior year and plan to attend a few HF or Showball Camps June-Aug. It will work out.
Right now: get good scores, get stronger, get faster.... Strong consistent bat, speed under 6.9 can get noticed. Quality strength training program with good diet is key area to spend dollars now. Good Luck.
Further questions feel free to PM (son ended at a NESCAC & we missed the beat with Ivy recruiting for position players - he's a happy guy where he landed)
Yes, fall junior year showcases are the right timing for Ivy and D1, but OP asked about JC, NAIA, D3. All those recruit after junior year.
Is Legion good in your area? There are some advantages to playing higher-level baseball in the summers, not so much for getting in front of appropriate college coaches, but for giving you experience with faster pitching, better hitters, etc., so that when you get to college, it doesn't take you a couple of years to catch up. Will playing Legion push your son to get better? Will he have a summer coach who could recommend him to colleges, when the time comes?
I'd concentrate on putting on some size. Can't do anything about his height, but at 150lb, and newbie to weight room, you can see tremendous gains over the year with a quality strength program.
@JCG posted:The best advice for a rising junior headed to D3, especially higher academic D3, is to work to make sure his Jr year GPA is as good as possible, and practice and prep for great ACT or SAT results. Those, plus good baseball skills, can get him into any D3 college he wants.
Bingo. Yahtzee.
I have a 2023 as well, I’m not sure exactly what to do. Friend said to email coaches of schools he is interested in with video. How does a 2023 figure out what school he is interested in? We are in pa, I know he would love to go to a school in the south. I assume limited to east coast. Btw, my son is a very young 2023. He made varsity and is doing well, the head coach didn’t even realize he wasn’t 16 (he just turned 16). He has no idea what he wants to do or where to go (other then south).
Grades!Grades! Grades!!!
my 2021 kid’s best measurable that influenced his getting recruited to a D3 was his GPA. Saved him a ton on tuition, too
@Dadof3 posted:I have a 2023 as well, I’m not sure exactly what to do. Friend said to email coaches of schools he is interested in with video. How does a 2023 figure out what school he is interested in? We are in pa, I know he would love to go to a school in the south. I assume limited to east coast. Btw, my son is a very young 2023. He made varsity and is doing well, the head coach didn’t even realize he wasn’t 16 (he just turned 16). He has no idea what he wants to do or where to go (other then south).
Time for a "plan". Start by sitting down with your son and asking him what he is interested in doing with his life? (not baseball he is NOT going to play in the MLB) Don't talk just listen. You can start to then discuss professions, interests, what he would like to do. Get a guidance councilor input. Next start to discuss colleges that might fit his interest. Locations, size, of schools, costs. Forget about baseball at this point, unless of course you are talking about P5's, which are likely not in the cards. Now you have a list that should have midrange, stretch, and safe schools. Get all of the books on college rankings, Princeton, Fiske, US News, etc. Start talking about GRADES. There is 100X more academic money than athletic. Now you can start visiting colleges in your area, check out schools, go to some of their college baseball games. Now you should have a spreadsheet with a nice list that has academic interests as well as where he will fit athletically. Get an HONEST independent review of where someone with baseball skills that has NO interest in any gain from you and your son. Make your vacations around visiting colleges. This will open all kinds of great family discussions. Now it will start to be evident who are the top 20 programs and you and your son can do research and find the head coach and recruiting coaches contacts and he can start to email them of his interest. Develop a player and academic profile as well as videos that can be emiled. With all of this research and feedback you will start to figure out where he fits and the list will start to narrow and get clarity. Yes it is a lot of work but the more work you put in the less risk there is in making a poor decision.
Good Luck!
Right there with you Do3. My 2023 turns 16 in 2 weeks. For my son, he looked at academics first (HA focusing on math and physics) then looked at the baseball coaches and facilities. He created a formula to rank them. He’s got a few schools like Duke, Ga Tech, Stanford, and Vandy in there. Had to have a conversation that it would be great to get into those schools, we need to look at their current commits and players. He may grow into that type of player before he graduates, but right now he is more of a HA Ivy or D3 player
If academics aren’t a deciding factor right now, I’d say try to figure out which pond he should be swimming in. Then start narrowing down those schools. Look at their current rosters and their commits for the next couple of classes.
@BOF posted:Time for a "plan". Start by sitting down with your son and asking him what he is interested in doing with his life? (not baseball he is NOT going to play in the MLB) Don't talk just listen. You can start to then discuss professions, interests, what he would like to do. Get a guidance councilor input. Next start to discuss colleges that might fit his interest. Locations, size, of schools, costs. Forget about baseball at this point, unless of course you are talking about P5's, which are likely not in the cards. Now you have a list that should have midrange, stretch, and safe schools. Get all of the books on college rankings, Princeton, Fiske, US News, etc. Start talking about GRADES. There is 100X more academic money than athletic. Now you can start visiting colleges in your area, check out schools, go to some of their college baseball games. Now you should have a spreadsheet with a nice list that has academic interests as well as where he will fit athletically. Get an HONEST independent review of where someone with baseball skills that has NO interest in any gain from you and your son. Make your vacations around visiting colleges. This will open all kinds of great family discussions. Now it will start to be evident who are the top 20 programs and you and your son can do research and find the head coach and recruiting coaches contacts and he can start to email them of his interest. Develop a player and academic profile as well as videos that can be emiled. With all of this research and feedback you will start to figure out where he fits and the list will start to narrow and get clarity. Yes it is a lot of work but the more work you put in the less risk there is in making a poor decision.
Good Luck!
Really great advice. I'll add that if your son's school has a good college councilor, or you're able to consult with a private councilor, you can get a lot of the grunt work of creating a list done much more quickly. Some councilors have deep knowledge of college athletics programs as well. Side benefit-- kids who ignore their parents' harping about their GPA may actually believe a counselor who gives them a dose of reality.
@Dadof3 posted:I have a 2023 as well, I’m not sure exactly what to do. Friend said to email coaches of schools he is interested in with video. How does a 2023 figure out what school he is interested in? We are in pa, I know he would love to go to a school in the south. I assume limited to east coast. Btw, my son is a very young 2023. He made varsity and is doing well, the head coach didn’t even realize he wasn’t 16 (he just turned 16). He has no idea what he wants to do or where to go (other then south).
How does a kid figure out where he wants to go to college? He has to have some idea what he wants to do with the next forty years of his life or at least head off in the right direction. It doesn’t mean the focus can’t change. My daughter (almost 33) got a degree in forensic science, went to work as a researcher in a law firm, then went to law school. My son copied my path since it worked for me. It’s worked for him (almost 28) so far.
Everyone willing to leave the area they grew up wants to head for warm weather baseball. Keep in mind here are already a lot of college baseball prospects in the warm weather areas. They’re not going to get homesick and leave because they’re 1,000+ miles from home and can’t go home for a night or weekend. In order to go cold weather to warm weather you have to show you’re the better option (not just equal).
For Dadof3:
I agree with all that JCG and BOF have said about choosing colleges. I'm guessing you were asking about baseball, too 
If he is a 2023 RHP already touching 90, LHP touching 86, or he runs a sub-7.0 60, or has exit velo 90+, or some other outstanding characteristic, then this is the recruiting summer for D1. And of course he needs to be able to play, to hit good pitching, to get good hitters out, to have the 6th tool, etc. In that case, yes, you can send emails with video, and tell schools where his team will be playing this summer. But, it's more useful if his coach makes the contacts for him. Summer coaches who prioritize recruiting will contact colleges that are a baseball (and academic) fit. Summer coaches usually want their players to commit to the highest feasible level; at the same time, they won't risk their reputations to recommend players to schools they don't fit.
Is your son on a summer team that has experience with college recruiting?
1. If yes, ask that coach what schools are feasible for him, baseball-wise. If the coach says he is D1 recruitable this summer, you should have a conversation, come up with a list of schools to give that coach (as above), ask the coach what the plan for him for this summer is. Communicate with that coach, ask him if you should send emails.
2. If no, get him evaluated, at PBR, or another showcase, or by someone local. If that entity/person says he is D1 recruitable this summer, figure out a plan for this summer (via email, perhaps) to get him in front of schools that are feasible, whether that's camps, showcases, tournaments with his team, etc.
Note the coach/evaluator needs to say "D1 recruitable this summer," not "could be D1 if he does xxx." If he is not (yet) a D1 player, play this summer to get better, re-evaluate at the end of the summer; '22 will be his recruiting summer.
I say this as a D3 parent who was completely confused at the stage you are now, stumbled through things, figured out a lot of stuff in hindsight.
2023 son. his coach told him to attend a camp (not p5 D1). this summer. his coach knows the guy there and is a very good judge of talent so i trust him when he says that it's a good baseball fit. that part isn't a worry.
what if it's not an academic fit/cultural fit. we don't know much about this school so maybe it turns into his dream school but maybe it doesn't. here's where our questions come in: is there any value to attending a school camp when you're personally invited by the coach if there's little interest in attending the school?
@mattys posted:2023 son. his coach told him to attend a camp (not p5 D1). this summer. his coach knows the guy there and is a very good judge of talent so i trust him when he says that it's a good baseball fit. that part isn't a worry.
what if it's not an academic fit/cultural fit. we don't know much about this school so maybe it turns into his dream school but maybe it doesn't. here's where our questions come in: is there any value to attending a school camp when you're personally invited by the coach if there's little interest in attending the school?
There is always value in attending a camp where the player has been “prequalified” or received a personal invitation. Even if your player doesn’t want to attend that school there are potential benefits from attending. Maybe a coach from another school sees him. Maybe the coach from the school holding the camp liked him and is willing to recommend him to another school. Baseball is a small community and you never know who is watching and/or who is willing to help.
@mattys posted:2023 son. his coach told him to attend a camp (not p5 D1). this summer. his coach knows the guy there and is a very good judge of talent so i trust him when he says that it's a good baseball fit. that part isn't a worry.
what if it's not an academic fit/cultural fit. we don't know much about this school so maybe it turns into his dream school but maybe it doesn't. here's where our questions come in: is there any value to attending a school camp when you're personally invited by the coach if there's little interest in attending the school?
Depends on cost timing, etc. Only things you can answer. But, sometimes camps will have coaches from multiple schools, and the baseball world is a small world. Coaches talk.
@nycdad posted:Depends on cost timing, etc. Only things you can answer. But, sometimes camps will have coaches from multiple schools, and the baseball world is a small world. Coaches talk.
thanks. cost is ok. some effort to get there but the location is one that i wanted to fish, anyway, so i may justify it that way.
