The Realities of the College game...from all perspectives

www.perfectgame.org

So is it best to go to a regional showcase or try to get on a team to go and be seen by scouts and coaches?

Another reality of college baseball: JH and the Oneonta Red Dragons were to open yesterday in Florida, after working hard in the cold and snow of NY to be ready.
Washed out yesterday.
Double Header today so hopefully they get in the first two.

infielddad- We won both games today...3-2 and 6-4. It rained pretty hard yesterday and they had to cancel the game, but we picked up another game Sunday to fill in for the lost one. Barring any unexpected weather conditions or an extra inning game tomorrow, I'll be starting Sunday afternoon.

I've been reading posts on this site for about a month now and have finally decided to join everyone here. J H everything you said is exactly what hs players need to look at! I recently signed with an NAIA school and some of the things you said are exactly why I'm going where I'm going. Great stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by bwat10:
So is it best to go to a regional showcase or try to get on a team to go and be seen by scouts and coaches?

YES

Not being a wise guy but the answer is yes to both questions unless you know you're Legion program is so strong as to attract coach interest regularly. If it is CONGRATULATIONS, but still ask to be put in a regional tournament or two such as a PG WWBA.

Thanks for the reply! I am just clarifying, so just ask PG and WWBA for an invite or to be considered for a team?

bwat10 you have pm

shortstop--thanks--
You have a PM

Awesome Read... thanks for sharing! Definitely passed on to my son as well. Thanks again! Stuff like this makes this site a great resource!

JH...As a freshman player's parent, you hit the nail on the head! Everything you mentioned is right on.Some were things my son and I were well aware of (ex. rigerous academics and being dedicated baseball is really hard!)and others came later.Like-the coach changing after recruiting was over and Fallball came. His coaching style and personality completely changed the minute they stepped out on the field.

As a parent of a player who graduated in 2009, I have not been active on this website for a while. The comments by J H are right on. I think it is easy for a player or parent going through the recruiting process to think that J H's remarks won't apply to them. They are wrong. My son kept a journal for 4 years while playing D1 ball and turned it into a book which was recently released. It is basically a first hand account of J H's guidelines. If anyone is interested, it may be found at www.goingwiththe pitch.com. The full title is Going With The Pitch, Adjusting to Baseball, School and Life as a Division 1 College Athlete. By Ken Jacobi

What a great post and so true.My son got a great scholarship to a very good baseball school that he will love.The two coaches that recruited him have already taken jobs at other schools.He just got done with summer ball & now has to decide on school or the draft.All the kids he played with say the samething,school & baseball is no picnic.So you hit the nail right on the head.My advise for any kid that isn't sure,play summer ball.It will get you use to college level play & travel that is a lot like minor leguea.

Grinnell College in Iowa...anyone know about the baseball program?

my question to someone with d 3 experience..how do you know when you are being "sucked" into a d3 "baseball factory"

Wogdoggy - look at the roster - how many kids? Ask if they cut players. I can think of two D3 schools within one hour of where we used to live that have 50 kids on the roster. The one school did not cut.

I've been reading through a lot of these boards. There are some really educated people here. There is also a bunch of misinformation. Whether you love researching the recruiting process or maybe you find it overwhelming...I can help. If you have some interest in getting assistance from QUALIFIED professionals, let us know. Check out http://www.studentathleteworld.com/ for more about what we do. Personally, I spent 8 years as a college coach. Looking forward to hearing from you.

See our baseball clients and their successes here, http://www.studentathleteworld.com/clients/baseball/

Tim Ryerson
http://www.studentathleteworld.com/
tim@studentathleteworld.com
919-526-3597

So after reading through the board here what would you say is missinformation?

Tim,

Since I am so interested in your answer, I won't deleted your shameless advertising. My question - what is the misinformation you have found on here from our educated members? I'll be surprised to hear from you.

Tim - you are being called out! What misinformation is being Promoted on this website?

I am curious as well!

Here's What I Think...

http://www.methodist.edu/monarchs/crc/staff.htm

Mr Krakatoa,

You are treading on very dangerous grounds by making fun of me.

Tread carefully my friend.

Tim

Tim the Enchanter ... Mt. Krakatoa is pretty dangerous ground as well!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

quote:

Originally posted by Krakatoa:
Here's What I Think...

What an eccentric performance.

Sorry, I didn't mean that to be insulting. Actually after browsing around for a while I was quite impressed by the knowledge of the vast majority of the posters. Also, I didn't mean specifically on this thread, but I checked out a few threads relative to recruiting.

What I found the most misleading was comments from parents (I am assuming they are parents) about what to do to get a specific school to recruit you. Not that the info is wrong (contact the coach, go to this showcase, etc.), just the general premise. We try to teach our clients to first understand how competitive baseball recruiting is and that you may not view your child the same way a college coach would (rose colored glasses and all). Furthermore, casting a wide net is imperative. Of course you can target your dream school. But anything past sending them a video or schedule won't do much to help them recruit you. It won't hurt either....that is unless you are spending your time and effort on one school instead of the other 50 you could be targeting.

I also read quite a bit about receiving athletic scholarships at D3 schools. I know, I know, the gray area....I spent 8 years coaching at 3 different D3 schools, so I know all about the grey area of D3 scholarships. Fact is almost every D3 (and I would include small D2's and NAIAs) will give most kids "some" form of scholarship. We call them "discounts" not scholarships. The main point is the gather as many "scholarships" from as many schools as possible and get the compete against one another. A $3,000 scholarship to a $30,000 school doesn't pay for much.

Again, sorry if you were offended by my comment. I did not mean that at all. Lots of GREAT posters here who really know recruiting. I'm just here to help (shameless plug and all). Thanks, Tim

quote:

I also read quite a bit about receiving athletic scholarships at D3 schools. I know, I know, the gray area

Tim,
Thanks for your efforts to clarify.
Could you help the members on this site understand what you mean by athletic scholarships to D3 schools being in the "gray area."

quote:

Originally posted by TimtheEnchanter:
Mr Krakatoa,

You are treading on very dangerous grounds by making fun of me.

Tread carefully my friend.

Tim

Lighten up, Francis!

I think that was intended as a tongue in cheek comment. He already was "lightened up"!

WOW!! Thank You for writing this. This will definitely be something my son will read just so he can get a perspective from a player.

Awesome post...
I'm going give it to my all my clients.

Great post and very true!

Tim, what is your website??? I didnt catch it in your post.

quote:

Originally posted by BK35:
Tim, what is your website??? I didnt catch it in your post.

It is right underneath his name at the bottom.

As a current division 1 college athlete that was a great post. Division 1 sports are a job and with any job there are ups and downs. The difference between high school and college are so different that the transition can be very difficult.

JH......New to the board and certainly glad I came across your post.....I have spoken with many parents that have gone through the process with their kids, but your first hand experience will help my son fully understand the committment and better determine if has it in him to get to the level you have acheived.....
Best of luck with your career...

Don't D III scholarships have to be available to athletes and non-athletes on the same basis? I know that many private D III's have lots of grants and things available to bring the cost down to comparable public school costs, and lots of private D III students, athletes and non-athletes, get such grants.

D III scholarships are NOT athletic scholarships. That can sometimes be a very good thing as some of this one year renewable stuff can get pretty ugly. FYI:I am no expert but had 2 sons play D III baseball and had wonderful experiences.

You are correct that the DIII scholarships should be available equally to athletes and non-athletes alike. My son is on an academic scholarship at a DIII though he was considered a baseball recruit. Glad to hear your two sons had a good DIII experience. I think this is a vastly overlooked area for players, who want to keep playing and need to get a scholarship (academic). DI is not the be-all-end-all in my opinion.

Wanted to bump this OP. It's been 3+ years since I wrote all these thoughts, but I think the majority still apply. Given that it's "that" time of year for 2015 high school graduates, hopefully this can help someone currently navigating the process. The initial responses to the post were very good, and I'm glad it had a (seemingly) positive impact initially.