Summer has come and gone: what now?

SluggerDad,

Keep your options open. There are a lot of players in CA. The player to spot ratio is not in any one players favor. A lot of in state kids would like to stay in Ca. And a whole lot more would like to go out there to play. I am not saying that there is not a place for him in CA. I would just expand your search beyond CA. Look at some of the D3's in other parts of the country. 

Many of the Midwest, mideast and eastern schools are very interested in young men from California. The schools prioritize diversity. They want kids from all over the country. Sometimes this diversity can even turn into Academic money. 

I know a young man who used to be a recruiting co-ordinator at a local D3. After he left the school he told me that he had really wanted to recruit my son but the school does not target young men from my sons area. they target the East coast and the west coast. The Baseball program was told to target recruits from areas that match the schools academics-geographical profile. So that ruled my son out. Looking at the schools profile their are not many local kids who end up there. But their are quite a few from California and New York. Trying to get a kid to come out from California to Ohio to play baseball can be very tough. 

If I lived in CA and my son was going through this process again I would probably target schools in Texas and the Northwest first and then some Southern and Mideast D3's as backups or safety nets. 

For starters, I think you need to hang in there. Only one 2014 grad on my son's HS team is moving on to play baseball at a 4 year school (though FWIW IMHO another kid could have gotten an offer had he tried).  That kid got some money, have no idea how much, at a Cal State D2.  Pretty sure the offer didn't come until late October at least.

Do they have Scout ball in the NorCal? This is a very active recruiting time in SoCal for many kids who play scout ball. Programs from all over the country come to scout ball games. Just as a FYI my son's program never contacted him until after November of his Sr year.

Start looking at JC options as a back up.

Thanks for  the responses.

He is definitely looking outside of California.  Besides California, he has exchanged e-mails with coaches in Oregon, Washington State, Ohio, and  Pennsylvania. He also got a e-mail from a school in Kentucky -- but when  he looked into it further, found that it was  much too religious in emphasis for his secular taste, so crossed it off the list.   He has WRITTEN e-mails to a fair number of others,in a pretty wide range of places, but coaches from those states mentioned have responded with apparent interest.  He says he's willing to go just about anywhere in the country to play. 

No scout leagues around here - at least none that  I know of.  He is playing fall ball with a good organization.  And, again,  he will be doing the Senior  Fall Classic.  

Definitely keeping the JC possibility open.  Had a very nice visit when we were in So Cal for a tournament with Santa Barbara City College.  Plus a few other JC's close to home.  Likes the SBCC college option cause coach seems  like a great teacher and motivator and has had success getting his guys to the next level after JC. 

The "prestige" thing is getting to him  a bit, though.  So many kids from our school go onto high prestige schools. Turns out he's not immune to the longing for prestige -- which came as  something of a surprise to me, given that continuing to play baseball is one of his two highest priorities  (the other is studying design/art/multimedia). 

There is scout ball in NorCal.  I know a kid who is playing. Don't know who they are and who they play. But this is a 2016 who verballed to a D1 a year ago. I'm sure they found him, not the other way around.

There are four scout teams in Northern California.

The Giants, Red Sox, Marlins and Mariners.

We have placed five of our players from the Goodwill Series events on the Scout teams.

Bob

I assume scout teams come find you. Is that right?  Or  can you somehow find them and request  a tryout?

It was my experience that they don't come find you, you attend their tryouts, many in SoCal have already had their tryouts I believe., They are pretty selective, at least in the program my son played for, in the range of 500-600 kids tried out for their two teams with a total of 70ish players between the two. They had two teams one made up of mostly Sr's and the other made up of mostly Jr's. 

This had to be one of the best things my son did, it is very intense, pitchers come in and pitch an inning or two and leave. The "games" are just extended inning games where each kid gets a few AB's and plays in the field for 3-4 innings. They have tournament weekends at colleges and they are loaded with coaches from all over the country as well as local Ca teams. 

http://www.socalcardinals.com/

BOF;

Same here in Northern California. I attended the Giants tryout Saturday in Stockton.

Over 45 players were invited. We discussed the Goodwill Series/Australia trip with the players and parents.

There were 9 College coaches at this tryout.

Three weeks ago we assisted in the Rays Scout team tryout in San Diego and Orange County.

Bob

I know Bob that you have been involved in Scout ball for quite some time. Sluggerdad is probably too late, but I would PM Bob if I were you and get the team list and schedule and you might be able to get on a team.