Things to think about as you make the commitment to play college baseball...

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I have a lot of other things I found out along the way but just wanted to see if others found this topic interesting.

The topic is beyond interesting for those whose players are showing next-level promise, and it has the potential to exceed the value of discussion #697100843.

I have nothing to offer in return to contributors other than my deepest gratitude.

A few quick thoughts - nothing earth shattering - just a place to start.

Only attend a school that you would be happy to attend if you were not playing baseball. It could happen to any player....

Love the school and team - not just the coach - coaches change.

Visit campus more than once. Talk to everyone - players - coaches - professors - non-athelete students.

Understand the likelyhood of the amount of playing time you may get and at what point during your college tenure you may get it. No guarantees anywhere - but be as realistic as possible.

I think it a good topic and as we are in the middle of it now, would appreciate any "lessons learned".

One of my questions, associated with negotiating is, how much do you disclose about which colleges you are talking to?

In our case we didn't have multiple offers at the time my son committed. He committed at the start of spring of his junior year so our decision was really one of whether the offer was enough to justify taking him off the market, for lack of a better term.

But I did have some discussions at the time with various people who had gone through the process that said that they did not discuss other offers but did feel it useful to ensure that the coaches knew that they "knew the process". They explained that to mean that they didn't ask the coaches too many questions about the process but rather spoke frankly from a position of knowledge. They saved their questions for ones that were about the college itself and the team etc. but nothing like "What is the minimum amount that can be offered?" and things like that.

I also talked with some coaches later on that mentioned that they tend to talk to one another anyway so chances are that they will already have a pretty good idea who the other schools are that they are competing with.

I also did something a little "geeky", as my son put it. I created a chart that listed the top 10 reasons that he wanted to go to a school. These were general questions like "The ball team is awesome." "The stadium is awesome." "The education there is top caliber." "I want teammates I know." "Its close to home." "The girls are cute." Whatever he felt were the 10 things that really outlined why he wanted to attend a school.

I then had him list out the top 10 schools that he was targeting. They went along the top of the spreadsheet and the questions went along the side. I then had him go question by question and assign each of the 10 schools with 1 thru 10 for each question. Couldn't use the same number twice on any one question. Only one school could be #1 etc.

I then had him assign a weighting (multiplier) to certain questions that he felt were "more" important than others.

In the end I simply totaled the columns to see if it matched up with what he "felt" was the listing and amazingly enough the school that was making him the offer was tops. To be honest, there was no way in heck I thought it would end up that way but it just did so it sort of solidified the decision.

The method was kind of an off-shoot of Six Sigma if you are familiar with it. (That's where I got the initial idea from) and I felt it helped to take some of the emotion out of the decision and see if we were missing anything...

You also really need to take the education piece into serious consideration. I know that we all proclaim that education is tops but often times people gloss over it due to the excitement in accepting an offer for college baseball.

Do NOT overlook that piece. Ensure that your son will actually be able to pursue his chosen degree at that school. Don't be fooled into thinking that it won't be an issue. More athletes are forced into adjusting their major to "fit" the team's schedule than you know. It is a MAJOR issue to consider. Many times the Ivies are actually the best choice when it comes to that. As are D-2/3. Don't overlook them simply because their not "D-1"...

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Six Sigma if you are familiar with it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NOVABBall13:
.....More athletes are forced into adjusting their major to "fit" the team's schedule than you know.... QUOTE]

You really hit the nail on the head. There is more pressure on student/atheletes to make concessions on the academics than anyone wants to admit. If you have the grades and board scores for the Ivy League or the Patriot League, those programs are good D1 options for the academic minded athelete.

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Concur re: Six Sigma.

Quality circles, TQM, Six Sigma... Call it what you want. hahaha

I was told one time that if my son was going to a D-1 then he was going there to play baseball and if he got educated then that was great. Obviously there are exceptions but I think that the point being made was to put it in perspective and understand that if class schedules and baseball start to clash then you better understand which one will win out in the end. Make sure you know the answer to that question BEFORE you make your final decision...

Things to think about as you make the commitment to play college baseball...

NOVABBall13,

I have soooooo many thoughts on this topic I could write a book. Some I've listed below are specific to a program and others aren't. In answering the question directly, my first thoughts are:

1) How will I handle limited playng time at this school? I think I can earn a starting position by ________ (fill in date)

2) How will I handle not making the travel team to play a weekend series?

3) Does the coach expect (demand) me to play summer baseball? How will I pay for it?

4) How well did I hit it off with my position coach during recuiting? Do we share the same philosphies? Can I work with him day in and day out for my 4 years here?

5) How am I going to juggle socail time with the team vs time for schoolwork?

6) Do I have an academic safety net if I struggle academically? How will it affect my baseball?

7) Will the amount of travel affect my ability to get my school work done? Do weekend starting pitchers have to travel during mid-week games?

8) Is there enough time in the day for my girlfriend?

The first thing to think about is who you are and what you want.

A lot of the advice given here is suitable only for certain players. Different people want different things from college, from college sports, and from life in general.

Therefore, I offer the following one-question self assessment to clarify your college baseball decision. It's possible that students will answer this question in ways that surprise their parents, but that will also help clarify what sort of personal development journey the parents are willing to invest in. I hypothesize that most parents think or hope their children lean at least a little bit toward category A and that a lot more potential student-athletes are in category B than their parents realize.

1. Which of the following best describes your attitude toward school and college? If different parts of different answers apply, underline or modify appropriate parts of the statements to build an accurate summary of your attitudes today.

A. My primary purpose in going to college is to achieve academic or professional goals. I have a very high GPA, outstanding test scores, and an abundance of honors and AP courses. I want to excel in a selective undergraduate program and gain entrance to an elite graduate program or be hired by a top company in my chosen field. I like baseball a lot, and it would be nice to play in college. However, I will not let baseball interfere with my life goals. When it's time to reduce the role baseball plays in my life, I will accept it and move on to the next phase of my life.


B. I want to have a varied and fulfilling college experience. I don't know exactly what I want to do in life, but I want to get a useful degree, and I want to be a college baseball player. I think I'm good enough to play Division I, but I'd rather be a starter at a less prestigious baseball program than a backup or reliever at a more prestigious program. I'm willing to work hard at baseball, but I believe college is about discovering who you are and what you want. I expect to have a reasonable social life, and I intend to participate in other college activities in addition to baseball.


C. I know the odds are long, but I've brought my game to the point where it is reasonable to say, "Someone has to make to MLB. Why not me?" Reaching my highest baseball potential is the single most important thing in my life right now. I want the best competition, the best coaching, the best conditioning, and the best academic support so I can devote myself totally to my goal. I am also willing to endure multiple changes of schools and be a 4-2-4 player if that's what it takes. I am willing to give up my vacations to attend summer school, play summer ball, and focus on conditioning. At the end of my three or four years of college, I want to go pro or know in my heart that I gave it my best shot. I know education is important. I did what I had to do to become an academic qualifier and gain admission to most schools, and I'll do but I have to do to stay eligible to play in college. If I don't make it in baseball, I am willing to catch up on education later. I have my whole life to earn a living, but I have to chase this dream now. I am going for it. I pity the fool who gets in my way.


Once you know who you are and what you really want, you can make a better decision for yourself.

Best wishes.