The 2023s

Two kids from our old hs committed a few months ago to P5s.

My son’s HS team has 3 top tier ACC commits and will likely be at 5 commits this summer

My son's HS team has two Mid-Major commits from the 2023 class and one from the 2024 class.

P5 and MM pitchers mostly

My son is a 2023 committed to P5. We have about 7 other 2023's committed in our conference. Five to P5's and two to mid majors.  But here in Texas, you can find a ton of 2023's already committed. My son's summer showcase team has 6 P5 commits, and 1 small D1. They will probably end up with 3 or 4 more by the end of the summer. There are teams in our area where 75%-80% of their roster is already committed to D1's.

I've seen 2023s by me committed to D1s. Levels range from P5, to Ivys, to lowe level D1. I *think* there is a a HA D3 commit as well.

It seems very slow at the lower ends of D1. For the Ivies, it's a matter of not knowing what the hell they have given COVID cancellations. Expect things to begin moving quickly in the spring once the big dogs have filled their classes.

I think college coaches have been keeping their powder dry with the 2023's, not knowing how the whole COVID extra year thing is going to ripple down the ranks.  While teams are allowed to carry extra players, many programs are simply not budgeted for that.  2022's have had it very hard, and 2023's are not out of the woods.

We've seen some 2023 commitments, but it's certainly been slow to develop.  I wish I could say it'll all be fine this summer, but I worry that many programs still will have no room at the inn.

Well my '22 son's destination school currently has ZERO seniors on its roster because so many players took gap years. Presents some interesting issues for coaching staffs.

I don't think you can tell what year a player is by what the roster says, anyway.  Some list them by what their year would have been without covid, some list them as a year (or two) behind.  I've seen teams that list 30 freshmen and no sophomores.  There's no way to know who might have taken a gap year, nor who will graduate in three . . . four . . . five.

You can check out comittments on PG, no charge.

@anotherparent posted:

I don't think you can tell what year a player is by what the roster says, anyway.  Some list them by what their year would have been without covid, some list them as a year (or two) behind.  I've seen teams that list 30 freshmen and no sophomores.  There's no way to know who might have taken a gap year, nor who will graduate in three . . . four . . . five.

Not sure about other divisions but D1 rosters are supposed to give accurate info. If in doubt look at the players bio for clarification.

@anotherparent posted:

I don't think you can tell what year a player is by what the roster says, anyway.  Some list them by what their year would have been without covid, some list them as a year (or two) behind.  I've seen teams that list 30 freshmen and no sophomores.  There's no way to know who might have taken a gap year, nor who will graduate in three . . . four . . . five.

No that's absolutely true - I posted because I know there aren't any seniors on that particular team. Unsure whether other teams' sites are accurate or not.

I have enjoyed reading so many posts on this site.  My 2023 went to an NAIA open tryout, and he tried out as a two-way (CIF/COF LHH and RHP).  Six days later he received a text from the recruiting coordinator that he has an offer and to reach out Monday (tomorrow).  This will be his first offer.  I have been able to find out a lot of questions for my son to ask from this and other sites.

I would hope this early that they liked what they saw (I think he showed well), and would be able to give a strong offer.  According to their website, he should also be able to get academic money.  His measurables are quite comparable with those who have played there (hitting and pitching).  Any advice before the big call would be appreciated.

Congratulations!  Tell your son to be himself; remind him the coach is used to speaking to high school baseball players and will probably lead the conversation.

I remember listening to my son's side of his first conversation with a coach - practically all my son said was "uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, thanks."  They stayed interested.

There will be a few nerves, but my son is pretty good at talking to adults.  However, this is a new situation for him.   If they actually do want him as a two-way player, and they are offering early in the 2023 cycle (for NAIA), what type of offer should we be hoping for?

KYDAD2023,

Clearly they are interested, and their recruiting process is probably quicker than most.  My son didn't have experience with NAIA schools but he did have a lot of experience going from interest, to serious interest, to an offer which usually took weeks and sometimes a month.   So, I'd listen closely to what they have to say and try to understand why they have an accelerated recruiting process.  Is your son the exception or the rule?

Have you and your son been to campus?   If not, I suggest you go there if you are entertaining that offer.   Your son is going to be there roughly 4 years.   It needs to be a fit.

What has been the colleges previous experience with two-way players?  Do they run separate practices for pitching and hitting?  If your son becomes a two-way player does he have to go to two separate practices thereby giving him less study or free time?  I can say unequivocally that it would not have been possible for my son to be a two-way player given his study demands.   These are the kinds of questions that your son needs to be asking.   College baseball is great, and it is a lot of work at the same time.  I would also ask about summer college baseball placement, and how that is going to work as a two-way player. 

Those are my initial thoughts.   I can probably come up with 50 more.   Good luck with your call and please let us know how it goes.

We will know today whether they see him as a two-way. The 2022 stats showed two players that had significant ABs and IPs, so they must have a process for two-ways. I will try to have my son ask about that (unless they only want him as hitter or PO).

We only saw some of the campus at the open tryout, and it reminded me of my undergraduate campus (my alma mater is in the same conference). I think six days seemed like a quick outreach, so I am optimistic there is still some scholarship money available for the 2023s. I failed to mention that I heard a coach behind home plate ask him his name after PB and my son said that coach told him he liked his swing, FWIW.

I really enjoy following these recruiting discussions. Best of luck to all.

I would like to point out that most high school athletes (and their parents)  have no idea how difficult it is just to play college baseball, let alone play as a two way. You have to attend classes, study, lift, eat, practice, and have a life. (girls...multiply by 2)  When you add in two way you are now practicing with the team in the field, taking BP, throwing bull pens, attending pitchers meetings, etc., etc. This is possible for only a handful of super humans and the higher you go in competitive levels the more difficult it gets. Pretty much in every case players end up either selecting a position or the coaching staff does it for them.

Don't get me wrong it does help in recruiting, but in reality it is not likely for a player to do both, regardless what a coach tells you.

Remember the BOF wife recruiting rule number 1. "All of these coaches are just like bunch of used car salesmen, they are telling BOF Jr what he wants to hear"

I appreciate the comments on the time commitment. My son says (today) that he thinks he'd like to be a college baseball coach. Being a two-way seems to be a good thing if that's his goal. He says he is interested in sports management as a major toward that goal (which the school has). He has always been astute on the finer points of the game. Also, I would hope that if they see him as a two-way, the offer would be bigger. But he knows that he could very well end up one way or the other down the road.

As an aside, just this morning he got a contact from a JUCO head coach wanting to know his summer team contacts. He went there in October for a showcase, knowing that JUCOs probably wouldn't reach out until after the junior season. Things are getting real.

@KYDAD2023 posted:

As an aside, just this morning he got a contact from a JUCO head coach wanting to know his summer team contacts. He went there in October for a showcase, knowing that JUCOs probably wouldn't reach out until after the junior season. Things are getting real.

Perhaps this would be a good reason why he should ask how long the offer stands and not necessarily jump at the first offer.

JMO

@TPM posted:

Perhaps this would be a good reason why he should ask how long the offer stands and not necessarily jump at the first offer.

JMO

100% agree with TPM and BOF.   If this getting "real" (your word) why not wait and see what the marketplace comes back with.  More offers provides more leverage for the recruit.  In most cases the HC has all the leverage, so it makes sense to do your due diligence with as many schools as possible then see where it takes you with that leverage.  My son's first college offer took a while, but when it happened it seemed like the offer flood gates opened up.    I'm so glad my son waited because not only did the 1st school  up the ante from 25% to 50%, more schools that were a fit for him came forward.  You're only as good as your options.

Your mileage may vary, but I think if you look through some older HSBBWeb postings, you'll find very similar advice.   Not everybody is at the same talent level, but the college recruiting mindset & process doesn't change all that much.

Again, good luck!

Thanks to all. I did search the site and got some idea of how offers might go, but I really appreciate the specific and concrete advice. It is "real" because everything has been hypothetical so far, and I just want to do right as a father and be as prepared as possible through the process. I like the information about how the college handles two-way players and the timeline of the offer.  Those were very helpful.

Additional information for perspective.

My son was a 2-way and played for a National Championship D3.  Roster depth and injuries played a big part of what he ended up doing in the field during his 4 years there.  This is typical in what happens in college baseball....out of curiosity I went back and looked at his stats.

         Fr      Soph     Jr      Sr

AB    93       23       14       0

IP     13         0        14     40

He came in as a freshmen "wonder boy" and got meaningful innings both pitching and in the field. He was a starting pitcher in a significant regional playoff game.  He was "slotted" for a starting outfield position as a Soph and got beat out by a future All American freshmen, and mostly rode the bench that year. (he had focused his summer on position not pitching leading up to his Soph year) He "earned" a starting OF position as a Jr and broke his hand  in the third game of the season. (LH for a RHP/H)  Since there was no way back to playing in the field that year due to the injury he started throwing again during the season as he could still catch with the broken hand, and worked his way back into the pitching rotation as a back end reliever.  Late in the season he got into high leverage conference and regional games. He decided to focus on pitching for his Sr year and was one of two guys who were "closers/high leverage" guys. He pitched in conference championship, Regionals and CWS games.

His schedule was brutal as a freshmen and to this day I still don't know how he did it. The advantage of being a two way opened doors for him, but there is no way he could have done it his four years.

@TPM posted:

Not sure about other divisions but D1 rosters are supposed to give accurate info. If in doubt look at the players bio for clarification.

@TPM  We've found schools have their own interpretations concerning what to list actual graduation class vs eligibility.

We've distinguished actual Freshman from Covid Freshman or Redshirt Freshman

My son's call was interesting.  The offer seemed in line with their roster composition.  Last year there were 29 listed on the roster, and there were 11 scholarships.  That is about the percent he was offered (38%).  However, the coach who called didn't watch him pitch (understandable he's not the pitching coach), and he didn't seem to be able to articulate what they liked in him or how they saw him contributing. It seemed like they just came up with a number and went with it.  He called us at an arranged time, so he shouldn't have been caught off guard.

Neither of us felt the "love" that we've been reading about.  I felt that they were OK if he came and battled and OK if he didn't.  I think a lot of schools know who they want, and the rest are there to fill out a roster.  I am certain he could compete there, but there is no reason to try if you are at a potential disadvantage of not being someone the coaches are invested in.

It was a good experience, and we got to practice asking a lot of the questions we've come up with.  Had he been in-state, he would have gotten more aid, especially the "lottery" money.  It made my son think about the answers the coach gave to our questions.  If he got that percentage without us feeling that they really wanted him, it is reasonable that a different school will come up with a better offer (like in-state where he would get his lottery scholarship).  Thanks to all who helped us prepare for this call and for the others that should follow.

Almost all of the top 2023's have already committed and the P5 2023 and most MM 2023 classes are complete.  If you are thinking D1 and don't have an offer, you better have plan B.  Most juco's that I know have already completed their 2023 classes and are finishing up their 2024 classes.  Everything is faster and smaller than before.  Do your homework.  Have a plan A-D and  work the plan.