Transfer options

Your son is not in the minority, players transfer out of D1 schools all the time.Rule is you have to sit out a year at the new school.Unless there is a family issue like an illness or something the NCAA will allow.But for the most part players sit out a year.

Many for the reasons you have desribed.Unfortunately for the reasons you describe.D1 baseball is a business, people need to enter with eyes wide open.

Best of luck with your decision.3fingers is the professional when it comes to the rules. He will be able to tell you exactly what the rule and rule numbers are.NCAA compliance and rulebook can be found online.Go to NCAA site and look up transfer rules.

I would be interested in knowing how a d1 to d1 transfer is facilitated.

1)Does the player apply for an academic transfer (using regular transfer admissions schedule in February) and then reach out to new coach once accepted

2)Does the player approach original d1 coach after season (seems like kiss of death conversation to have earlier in the season) and get permission to contact?

3) Does player network through previous summer coaches after season and admissions is arranged through new d1 coach contact?

he will need a release from his current school before he can do anything--- then check to see how many academic credits he gets to keep after the transfer

The options for a player vary depending on his acadmeic and athletic eligabilty year. i.e a freshman has more choices then a senior. If the player is a freshman or sophmore they may have the option of a JC (4-2-4).

Most players talk to the target schools coach before enrolling as they will probebly need the coaches help for enrollment and to determine the level of interest. Making that discussion "legal" generally involves telling the current school.....at some point

quote:

Your son is not in the minority, players transfer out of D1 schools all the time.Rule is you have to sit out a year at the new school.Unless there is a family issue like an illness or something the NCAA will allow.But for the most part players sit out a year.

Don't they sit a year AND lose a year of elgibility?

Baseball players who transfers from a 4 year school to a D1 typically have to serve one year in residence before they are eligible to compete. They do not consume one of their 4 seasons of competition during the sitout year. The 5 year clock, which started when the player first enrolled full time in any collegiate institution, continues to run. It is neither paused nor accelerated.

A D1 player's eligibility expires when 5 years have elapsed, or once they have consumed 4 seasons of competition.

Thanks to all for the insight. I didn't want to give too much info in my first post but should probably add our son was a mid round MLB draft pick out of HS (early 30's) as a SS which makes being asked to become a PO tougher for him to accept at this juncture than it might be typically (the inference I made of dealing with "broken promises" in my previous post - "you can absolutely be a two way guy here" is now "we prefer you make a choice"). The thought of having to sit out a full season is simply so daunting, given were he to make the move from a D1 to a D1, that you almost have to be completely certain ahead of time that the option you choose over the option you have presently is clearly going to avail to you the situation you are striving for - yep, the proverbial greener grass scenario - and it's just so hard to attempt to achieve that level of comfort going in, especially given some of the coy and surreptitious ways you are almost forced to attempt to discern (due to needing to get a release to have any dialogue which ends up being an absolute death knell at your present school) the present day level of interest from the programs who loved you two years ago but haven't seen you play for two seasons and wouldn't for another while you sat out your "quarantine penalty" thanks to you transferring. Decisions, decisions, decisions . . . I will definitely admit that my husband and I are fretting way more about this than he is as he is not the type of young man who sweats too many things and offers that "I'm not that guy who up and leaves when he doesn't get what he wants" which we attempt to let him know that sometimes in life, you simply aren't going to be given the chance to show what you can do and it's not about being "that guy" but, rather, being caught in a different situation than you originally thought and maybe something needs to be considered, at least, or done to correct it given the changes in what was originally thought to be the case when you committed to the program. Thanks.

IF I understand you correctly, your situation is more complicated than a "simple" D1 to D1 transfer. You want your son to be able to transfer to another D1 AND be a two way player. Some schools will tell a kid up front that he will not be a two way player. Others will tell him that he will be given the "opportunity" to do so. Some mean that. Others do it just as a subterfuge to get you on campus.

My feeling is that your son is going to have a VERY hard time getting another D1 to promise to allow him to be a two way player. I can't tell for sure, but it SOUNDS like he is a sophomore already. With only two years left to play, I think this makes it even less likely that he will get the assurances he/you wants from another comparable D1. And even if he gets those assurances I would be hesitant to believe them, UNLESS you're dealing with a much smaller D1. If you/he are dead set on this you might be better off looking at a D2. At least then he could play right away.

If I am understanding your position, it is that your son wants to be a position player, primarily as a MIF, and indicated that if they would like he would also pitch. But now the preogram wants him to be a pitcher only and that is not the position that he or you envision him playing when/if he reaches the "next level".

If that is the case I can understand your concerns, it appears to me that you will make the corrcet decision with your son, now that you understand the rules.

My son was recruited as a 2 way and given a scholarship based on that. He is now a position player only, which is good with us, and the program kept his scholarship intact.

The 4-2-4 JUCO, or quality D2 transfer may be the best option if the current program is threatening playing time if he chooses to play a position rather than pitch.

Our son's have a brief moment in time to shine and be offered an opportunity to keep their dream alive. Tough choices are ahead.

Honestly in my sons confernce, there are not any two way players.Maybe a guy who throws an inning or so, but for the most part no.Very difficult for a ss to play ss and pitch.Very wearing on his body.
The demands are high and most cant do it.

Tough decisions.

It seems to me that there are two issues here:
(1) The question of whether the coach actually acted in bad faith while recruiting your son.
(2) The question of how realistic it is for a Division I player to play both ways.

With regard to the first issue: While the coach could have been acting in bad faith when he told your son that he'd play both ways, it's also possible that with the benefit of fall baseball under his belt, the coach has changed his view. Perhaps he saw more relative strength in your son's abilities in one position versus the other. Perhaps since he recruited your son, he's spoken to scouts who have offered the opinion that he's much more likely to be drafted as one as opposed to the other. Perhaps he's seen his roster shake out in such a way that your son is much more needed in one position than he is the other.

If your son is convinced that he simply acted in bad faith, that's one thing; but, if the determination of one-way play has been made as a result of having seen your son and his teammates in fall baseball, that seems to me to be another. Fall baseball is the crucible from which Division I coaches make initial determinations about how they're going to employ their players in the spring. Done well, fall baseball gives the coaching staff many looks; not only in practice, but in scrimmages, as well (The program I know best conducts 25 live scrimmages; not counting their "Fall World Series.").

The other issue is one that has been dealt with here on many occasions. It is rarely the case that Division I baseball players play both ways. We all can think of notable exceptions; but, they're just that..."notable exceptions."

Think of it this way: For a player to receive a material number of innings at both positions, he has to be among the 10 best position players (think batters here, too) and the 7 or 8 best pitchers on the team. Very few players arrive on campus sufficiently skilled to make both of those cuts; much less practice both enough that they maintain their skills both ways.

Two-way play is a scholastic phenomenon; not college. When is the last time you saw a player drafted specifically to play two positions? Hard to remember? The same is generally true for Division I, as well.

Our son got "the rest of the story" in his fall exit review meeting the other day and, very truthfully, it appears to make perfect sense as to why they have been doing what they appeared to be leaning towards having him do. His pitching performance this fall has apparently been solid enough that he has convinced them of his prowess as a closer and they are not convinced that either him, nor the team, is best served to have him, as its closer, be that two-way guy who plays the left side of the INF and and attempts to frantically warm up on the side of the field between innings or with a player who jumps out of the dugout and plays catch with him while there is a mound visit (is that even legal???) or is that guy who runs down to warm up in the bullpen since he is six or seven batters away in the line-up, only to see the team string together a couple quick hits, walks and a HBP and all of a sudden "your up!" gets hollered and he's sprinting in from being down in the pen so he can get to the plate to hit . . . all daunting scenarios and not exactly comforting to the coaching staff nor signalling that he is ready to go and win a game or finish a game off with style. We have no issues with any of that and apparently a little "fill in the blanks" was all it took and away he goes and buy in is achieved. Communication is a wonderful thing and lack therof is problematic as you end up getting your mind all worked up and end up being just fine. Besides, when we want to see the boy swing it, we'll just pop in a DVD of one of his HR's from HS and get our 'jones' satisfied or fullfilled. Just wanted to give an update. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
he will need a release from his current school before he can do anything---

One does not actually need a transfer release from current AD.

"A permission to Speak" letter signed by the current AD is all that is necessary. The AD will probably involve the Compliance Office and the Head Coach.

However, some Head Coaches could and would hold at grudge vs players 'testing the waters'.

Have you looked at going juco for a year? Had some transfer that way and then back into the draft or back to d-1. just a thought. Best of luck to your son either way.

Sounds like your son will be quite a Pitching prospect, especially in the National League!