UC Davis

I don't know much about their coaching staff, although my son was contacted by them recently.  UCD is a fairly good academic school, college town but about 15 minutes from Sacramento. 

They seem to get alot of local and NorCal players.  The Big West Conference is no joke...competitive but they're usually near the bottom of the conference.  

I can't tell you that much about UCD baseball other than what Jay says.  They are in a strong conference but have not figured out how to get the guys they need to get to the top of it.  The school used to be D2 so that may be part of that.   My son worked with the RC at Stanford Camp and thought he was great.  

Academically,  I like UCD a lot. US News has it at #10 among public schools in the country. Very strong sciences and engineering. It started as an ag school and is still very strong in those areas. For people who want to be in the wine industry, Davis is not Harvard, it's the whole Ivy League.  Recent construction paid for by Robert Mondavi has only enhanced that.

I've been on most of the UC campuses and I like Davis's as much as any. Very pretty, tree-lined, school with bicycles and skateboards everywhere. I know this kind of thing has become common, but on a campus visit there a few years ago I was blown away by the variety and quality of the food.  With pasta, pizza, burgers etc. available I went for the pho bar instead. It was restaurant quality. After that was a choice of about 20 flavors if ice cream and several different coffees.

Davis is kind of a sleepy college town but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  The SFGiants AAA club is in nearby Sacramento, and you can get to SF and Lake Tahoe ski slopes within a couple hours.

If you look at their roster, a lot of players are taking STEM majors. I'd say it is rare for the D1 programs as D1 players are more taking "light" majors so they have time to practice and compete, except ivy league. I certainly hope my son can go to more competitive program, but for us, academics is more than baseball, I think we'll seriously consider this school. 

Davis is a very smart school but also one of the most liberal in the country, so you should know that going in, that classes might be tough if your son does not necessarily agree with that viewpoint. I did talk with Davis briefly, and as an out of state player from the nw, they do not offer scholarships to non California players because their Budget is not big enough. But if you live in California, you will be fine.

Davis is one of the top learning institutions in the Country. In the top 50 power schools / US News .

If your son is being recruited by them. You are lucky. It's a valuable undergrad degree.

The Baseball program plays in one of the toughest conferences in the country . MLB scouts at most games.  Coach Vaughn has been there forever and is a pretty good baseball man.

West coast weather, one of the best universities in the US and MLB scouts.......Whats not to like?

pnw2017 posted:

Davis is a very smart school but also one of the most liberal in the country, so you should know that going in, that classes might be tough if your son does not necessarily agree with that viewpoint. I did talk with Davis briefly, and as an out of state player from the nw, they do not offer scholarships to non California players because their Budget is not big enough. But if you live in California, you will be fine.

A liberal college in California? Say it aint so.....lol

Unfortunately, that is likely to be true at almost every institution of higher learning across the country these days. Although it's been going on for the last century, it's really been accelerated in the last decade or so. You show me a college that's not a liberal bastion for pillow-biting snowflakes seeking safe spaces and I'll show you a Military Academy!

Sad, but true-

I tend to believe that those kids seeking intense competition through athletics (along with an education) will be able to adapt and even flourish, no matter what setting they find themselves in.

-DD

"Davis is a very smart school but also one of the most liberal in the country, so you should know that going in, that classes might be tough if your son does not necessarily agree with that viewpoint."

No offense, but the bolded part is complete and utter BS. The rest of the statement is true.

"You show me a college that's not a liberal bastion for pillow-biting snowflakes seeking safe spaces and I'll show you a Military Academy!"

Lets see: Oral Roberts, Liberty University, Washington and Lee, USD, Alabama, Mississippi, - but why go on to the hundred and hundreds of others.

Can we please keep this board directed to baseball and not have it come apart like my Facebook feed.

Goosegg posted:

"You show me a college that's not a liberal bastion for pillow-biting snowflakes seeking safe spaces and I'll show you a Military Academy!"

Lets see: Oral Roberts, Liberty University, Washington and Lee, USD, Alabama, Mississippi, - but why go on to the hundred and hundreds of others.

Can we please keep this board directed to baseball and not have it come apart like my Facebook feed.

 

At the risk of responding with non-baseball related content.....Washington & Lee? USD? Okay......lol

Liberty was a good example though-

Am I to assume that with 5000+ posts you've never steered slightly away from entirely 'baseball related' content? Again....Okay <I won't count the one above>

I'll be sure pay closer attention to mind my p's & q's and not comment on anyones statements or opinions unless specifically directed to 'baseball' so threads don't 'come apart like your facebook feed'.  

Goosegg posted:

"You show me a college that's not a liberal bastion for pillow-biting snowflakes seeking safe spaces and I'll show you a Military Academy!"

Lets see: Oral Roberts, Liberty University, Washington and Lee, USD, Alabama, Mississippi, - but why go on to the hundred and hundreds of others.

Can we please keep this board directed to baseball and not have it come apart like my Facebook feed.

 

Goosegg is once again correct.

In my opinion, When the well meaning but inexperienced parents of uncommitted kids start posting about liberal vs conservative campuses / professors and the potential physiological damage or discomfort it may cause to a NCAA baseball player they've completely gone off the rails.

Any parent here who has been thru the recruiting process and has or has had a son play NCAA baseball knows this is basically a non issue.

If anyone isn't sure about this , or believes I'm being too critical , try checking in with the parent of an uncommitted 2017 who's son is a month away from playing their last season of HS ball and despite countless showcases , emails , and dollars spent has NOWHERE to play next year.....and ask them how important the sociopolitical make up of  a college is with regards to their son committing to play baseball there.

FACT : less than 4% of the kids who play High School baseball will play NCAA baseball

I'll try to keep this baseball related...  FWIW... 

Baseball playing son attended and played for colleges in San Diego, San Francisco and West Virginia.  There was a drastic difference even within the liberal state of California between the schools in SD and SF in regards to how certain classes were taught and how political and life style choices were injected directly into the daily classroom dialog, and even the way grades were assigned.  It was certainly a factor with campus activity and social life as well.  It factored into his level of comfort and satisfaction with his education and happiness with school choice.  It is something that cannot be totally ignored.  I will concede that we have a few extremes in the equation

Political views of the professors at the school definetely will affect how your classes go and is not complete bs. My mom noticed in her English classes at UW how the professor would promote their agenda and would give lower grades for an essay with a different viewpoint. All I was saying is davis is one of the most liberal school in the countries, and if that is something that would bother you then it would be worth noting, if you are not going to stand up for your beliefs. Personally, I would share my views even if the professor happens to disagree, as that is the type of person I am. Lastly, for all you parents that can't tell I am writing in first person and speaking about myself and not my son, I am not a parent of an uncommitted 2017. Rather I am a conservative 2017 grad that has been committed to one of the most liberal d1 universities in California for some time now. There will be no psychological damage done to me, but maybe others might not fit in so well. Strainedoblique you don't know everything.

My kids also rationalize lower grades with the same excuse. I did also back in the day (i.e., prof didn't like me).

I am not saying profs dont bring their personal views into classes; so do, some don't. Some will be very provocative and outspoken - it will challenge your intellect and test your preconceived notions and ideas.  That is the ideal professor; the kind that makes you look deep and turns on your passions - and that doesn't mean the prof expects you to agree; the prof expects you to become an independent thinker who can support your positions with facts and logic.

College is the time to muster intellectual arguments supporting your positions; dont agree with the profs thesis, then research and critically and logically lay out your arguments.

College isn't about regurgitation of what was taught (like HS). College is about hearing differing views, understanding the basis for those views, teaching a student the difference between FACTS and BELIEFS (both have very important, but very different roles)  and then applying facts and logic in support of YOUR position. Do that on an exam or paper and (barring the extreme outlier prof) the prof has succeeded in in his/her job and the student will be rewarded. Put another way, identical conclusions will result in different grades if one is well reasoned, backed with facts, and tightly written and the other is full of unsupported conclusions,  deviod of facts and poorly written.

A good college, which all believe UCD is, will teach a student how to do this: think critically, research, challenge unsupported beliefs, logically craft an argument and write clearly. Very different from HS. Since you havent yet experienced that, look forward to learning it.

Congrats on the chance to play at the next level!

P.S. Most colleges will have a plethora of views across the spectrum. Seek out and make friends with someone with diametrically opposed ideas and sharpen your positions - I think you'll enjoy the mental sparring.

I'll try not to get into the politics, but yes most schools in CA are way liberal. And yes it has an effect on the player/student.  You learn to deal with it, builds character.

UCD is a great school academically and is a great campus! It is one of the few college towns left in CA. You will need high grades & test scores just to be considered for the team. I believe they are on the quarter system which can be disastrous if you fall behind. By the way, the food comment was spot on, incredible food produced in all 3 facilities. Each is run like a top notch restaurant. I know first hand.

I know past and current players. My son was recurited by them and had them high on his list. Unfortunately, in our case, they took way to long to pull the trigger, so another school swooped in. 

Academics come first at UCD so no slackers will survive. Tough conference and they mostly are near the bottom. Great field, limited facilities, can be very hot and windy. Vaughan has been there for over 3 decades and new assistant Acosta has been a bay area fixture for a long time. 

My personal opinion, and not that it matters, is that they need to make some changes. Peters seemed to be on that track before moving to UCLA. So Vaughan was elevated from PC to HC. Not much has changed since. JMHO!

A degree from UCD will go along way. They do get guys drafted. If your son gets the opportunity, my vote is take it. Positives outweigh the negatives easily.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.