I started following this board 5-6 years ago as my son hit 7th or 8th grade. While I have posted infrequently, I have probably checked this board daily for those 5-6 years. The information on here about the recruiting process, schools, etc is spot on and invaluable.
Those years have gone quickly...as my graying and thinning hair will attest. We have played three HS seasons....traveled to East Cobb, Ft. Myers, Cary, NC.....as well as every major city in the midwest during this time playing ball and talking to coaches.
To me....the most important things learned here are:
1) Get a good understanding of where your son really fits. For us, it became clear that he was a very high D2 / low D1 player. We had several very good D2 options (World Series contending D2 options), a World Series caliber Junior College option.......or continue to chase after some lower/mid D1's. At the end of the day, my son decided he wanted a chance to win big.....and he didn't want to go through the recruiting process a 2nd time.
2) Have your son figure out what environment is the best fit for him (not you). In our case, I favored a smaller school in Tennessee with a great baseball program and nice weather. But...my son favored a much larger school that has come 1 game short of the D2 World Series the last 3 years running. School is upper midwest.....not great baseball weather.....but 8 Senior pitchers graduating.
3) There is no one way to go through recruiting! We have played travel ball since he was 10....with the hard-core, heavy travel starting at 14-15. We have gone to camps, showcase, etc. Yet....at the end of the day, his final 3 schools came by ex-teammate referral, HS coach referral....and a phone call we made directly to a coach. Not to say the big camps and showcases don't work and aren't valuable......they certainly can be and have proven to work for some,,,,but not the only way.
4) One piece of advice on the showcases.......don't spend a lot of your $$ on them until you have something to showcase. If you don't run a sub 7 60......throw in the upper 80's.....have great power......you may not want to spend your $$ there. Again....know where your son sits in comparison to the other players around the country.
5) While we would all like to play in the ACC, SEC. Big 12, Pac 12.....the reality is most of us aren't going to play at that level. While I don't endorse squashing your kids dreams too early.......I do think a reality check need to occur at a certain point. Be realistic.....and have your son excited and happy about the level they can play at coming out of high school.
6) Some kids develop late.....no matter where you go.....if you are good enough pro scouts will find you. Just keep playing.
7) Don't worry about Division.......I have all but begged my son to understand that the Top D2 schools can provide as good or better baseball opportunity than the bottom D1's. That applies to all Divisions. Find where you fit best and go play....don't worry about division.
Sorry to ramble.....it has been a long haul getting to this point. At the end, I am happy and proud to say that my son will be attending St. Cloud State as a Pitcher in 2015. Looking forward to spring trip to Hawaii his Freshman year.
Good luck to all in this process. Try to enjoy the ride!
JB
