Top JUCOs to tranafer to D1 on the East coast?

BaseballFan02,

All of those schools have good records of sending players on to four-year schools. My rough sense is that Frederick's grads are a little more likely to end up at D3 rather than D1.

If you intend to take the high school to JUCO to D1 route, you need to understand that the odds are stiff and playing well at JUCO is usually not enough--you need to excel. Even at schools with good records of placing their grads, the odds are long.

I'm pasting in a post I wrote last summer on the general issue of the numbers involved in jumping from JUCO to D1.

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It can be done, but you need to be aware of the numbers.

There are about 400 JUCO baseball programs in the country. Each turns over half of its roster each year, so there are probably around 6,000 JUCO grads looking to play at four-year schools each year.

There are about 300 NCAA D1 baseball programs. On average, each school may bring in two or three JUCO transfers per year. There is a lot of variation in this average. Some schools bring in a lot more. Some bring in none at all. Some bring in more when their programs have specific needs, such as after a new coach has cleaned house and needs some experienced players right away.

If the average is 2.5, that would mean 750 JUCO grads move into D1 ball each year.

Bear in mind, however, that a significant portion of the JUCO players who land at D1 schools are 4-2-4 transfers. These are players who signed with a D1 out of high school, attended D1 for a year, transferred to a JUCO, and now want to return to a D1. These players obviously have a leg up on the competition because they were already recognized as D1 talent the first time they went through the recruiting process.

Let's make two more assumptions (which will put our calculation squarely in SWAG territory). The first assumption is that a third of the JUCO players who make it to D-1 are 4-2-4 players. The second assumption is that only one fourth of the D1 players who transfer to a JUCO hoping to get back to D1 actually succeed.

If these assumptions are in the ball park, it means that of the 6000 JUCO players looking to find a four-year college, 1000 of them will be 4-2-4 candidates and 250 of them will succeed.

That would leave 5000 JUCO grads competing for the remaining 500 D1 opportunities.

To beat those 10:1 odds, a JUCO player must excel, probably in a competitive conference, and must present himself as an immediate "plug and play" game-ready significant contributor to a D1 school.

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Best wishes,

Hello All,

Q. How does a Top Juco player from the north east transfer to a 4 yr school in the south (NC, SC, FL) if there  are Top Juco players in the south waiting to get into the same southern schools.

Enjoy the day!

My son made the move from one of the mentioned Juco's to a D1 and had a very successful career.  He was lucky.  Very few of his team mates followed him.  I think the key is finding a program with a strong history of placing players with D1's.  Look for a coaching staff with lots of contacts, but be aware it's a long shot no matter how you look at it.  Several of my son's team mates drew some interest but didn't do the work in the classroom.  Don't let that happen to you.

Its pretty easy, stand out and the better the JUCO league you play in the better your chances. 

You don't have to be on the best JUCO team, you just need to play great against the best JUCO teams and show coaches you can hit d1  pitching or get d1 level batters out. 

Many D1 coaches have friends/scouts/collegues that alert them to d1 level players in the JUCOs.  Obvioulsy its easier for FSU to go watch a JC kid play in Tampa then NJ, but at the same time the quality of play in the JC is very important.  If none of the pitchers in your JUCO league are throwing 90, it will be harder for the D1 coach to figure out if you can hit D1 pitching.  Sure not every D1 pitcher throws 90, but there's a lot of them.  

At the end of the day its more important to find a 4 year coach that is really interested in you as a player.  Whether the program's in the south or north is far less important then the opportunity to play for coach that see's you in his program's future.

Good luck

I think it's probably more important to be really good than lucky.  Just checked, and our local JC sent 10 players last year to 4 year schools, mostly D2.  But an enormous number of good HS players try out for the team and most of them don't make the roster.  Most of those who make the roster barely see the field.

To reinforce CPNM post, here is a great JUCO story.

California kid playing on a competitive CA JUCO, leads the league in batting and extra base hits. (to do this you have to have talent) He gets recruited by a top 10 SEC team sight unseen. The SEC coach knows the JUCO coach and see's the stats and calls him. JUCO coach says "yes he can really hit and he is the real deal". They offer the kid a spot and he takes it without visiting the school. Coaches and kid never meet. 

Fast forward to the fall the coach meets him for the first time and then calls the JUCO coach and says "are you sure this kid can hit?" Turns out he is not a big kid, and looks a bit "soft" and does not at all look like a "ballplayer" (whatever that is). JUCO coach says "Just wait you will see".

He ends up having a nice career at the SEC school for the following two years. So yes it can happen, but you have to have the talent. 

My son's SoCal JC team finished under 500.  Every starter on the team ended up playing D2 (most), D1 (1) and/or professionally (2).  They played in a good JC league.  My son was recruited by several D1s, two of which who made offers w/o seeing him play, although he did visit the schools. 

I second RJM's advice on playing JUCO ball in the south. Are there other areas in the country will great JUCO programs.....absolutely. But being IN the south with the usually warmer weather and competing great programs each week is unmatched. Pick almost any team in Tenn, SC, Ga, SC, and especially Florida and you won't go wrong. Rest assured.

YGD

My son did it after one year at a junior college and went to a PAC 12 school.

You have to stand out not only on your team but in the conference and state . 

It's rare. 

I will say academics play a huge part in this as well. Good grades are essential because if you can't do it with a junior college schedule that is less games and less traveling it will be a even harder adjustment at next level. 

Work hard keep grades up.

fanofgame - just an FYI - JuCo's schedule at least as many games as D1/2/3 4 year schools.  The JuCo my son went to scheduled no less than 56 games in the spring and usually 15-20 in the fall.  Due to weather concerns they would average 50 games in the regular spring season.

But yeah, otherwise you really have to stand out to get noticed by a D1.  My son did JuCo and during the end of his sophomore year had several D3 coaches talking to him with a few D2's.  He ended up going with a D2 (offered  a very nice scholly).  FWIW - my son was named 2nd team all conference.

Trying to remember, but most of the regular starters on his JuCo all went to NAIA or D2.  There may have been one that went D1, but I can't remember.

That's a lot. My son's Junior college in the Big 8 a top conference has 38 games this Spring compared to d 1 program has 56. I didn't count fall as d 1 mainly scrimmage. 

That's not counting play offs which the junior college makes every year.

I think the rigors at the 4 year school were way more demanding at least in our situation. 

Maybe the 16 units a semester to graduate in 4 years made it harder. 

Either way it's tough if you aren't that guy out of hs. But it can be done.