For those 2022 who remain undrafted at this late date, this is worth a read. It's not an easy read, but a realistic one. And it this point, if you really, truly want to play, you need to be 100% real about the current landscape and where you fit in. From the terrific scout/recruiter Josh Rudd:
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Tough pill to swallow and I'd hate to be in their shoes. At what point do you start to put your focus on best academic fit or the best potential to walk-on? I bet in four or five years there will be some great stories of kids who didn't get offered and were successful as a walk-on.
@Wechson posted:For those 2022 who remain undrafted at this late date, this is worth a read. It's not an easy read, but a realistic one. And it this point, if you really, truly want to play, you need to be 100% real about the current landscape and where you fit in. From the terrific scout/recruiter Josh Rudd:
Reads just like 4 threads on HSBBW were cut and pasted together. Exact same content has been posted on this board for months.
It’s tough everywhere, for every class. Talent is jam packed everywhere. Cry me a river, 2022’s. A lot of the 2018’s and 2017’s missed out on 2 years of College Baseball, and have to either go back for a 5th or 6th year or get on with their life. The 2017-2020 classes all missed out on 1 year of their college career plus had at least a less than normal season this past spring.
if you are going into this with a “life isn’t fair” attitude, then you aren’t cut out for College Baseball. The kids that don’t work hard enough sit the bench for 4 years anyways, or get cut, in every class. In some ways this just does those type of kids a favor, as it cuts out the daydreamers & let’s them get on with their non-Baseball life, and leaves room only for those smart enough to go where they are loved and tough enough to grind every single day.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Tough pill to swallow and I'd hate to be in their shoes. At what point do you start to put your focus on best academic fit or the best potential to walk-on? I bet in four or five years there will be some great stories of kids who didn't get offered and were successful as a walk-on.
To be totally flippant, recruits should be looking at the best academic fit from the very beginning because most will not become professional baseball players...that is the tough pill to swallow.
In this market, calculated walk-ons are going to be a necessity. Having some inside information about a program is going to be very valuable. Typically the advice here is to avoid walking-on, but the reality is that 2022 will most likely be a walk-on palooza.
JMO.
Best part of this article too many refuse to grasp …
The market will tell a kid where he belongs. That’s one of the best lessons a college coach ever taught me. Recruits, that means you’ll find where you fit athletically if you look everywhere. For example, if we reach out to every team in the country, and the only responses we get are from D3’s in the Midwest, then the market is D3 schools in colder weather. And this is when it becomes decision time.
Realizing where you stand on the market can be a hard reality for a family to accept. You’ll need to decide if 1) you like what the baseball market has to offer or 2) if you just want to go to the college of your choice. Either one is fine as long as you have conviction in your decision.
@adbono posted:Reads just like 4 threads on HSBBW were cut and pasted together. Exact same content has been posted on this board for months.
It sure does. Interesting that Josh tried dipping his toe into the HSBBW pool a while back, but has been AWOL since he wasn't showered with warm fuzzies around every corner. The guy does provide some valuable info for many, but to get to it, you have to first get passed his "dig me" schtick.
I don't believe this is a covid hurricane thing. I really believe this is the case every year - covid or not.
The only guys that should be focused on D1s in September of their senior year are guys with offers who are just deciding on which to choose or waiting to get full financial packages.
Even if D1s are interested past Aug 15th or so, they're only interested because options A,B,C and even further down the alphabet didn't pan out. So why would you walk into a situation where the money (if any) is slim, but also where they never really wanted you in the first place, they just needed somebody. Obviously there are exceptions. Late bloomers, coaching changes, large scholarship offers that offset.
But if there are two D1s interested and 6 D3s...what does that tell you?
But if there are two D1s interested and 6 D3s...what does that tell you?
One of my son’s 17u teammates received one major conference D1 offer and several offers from ranked D2’s. The kid took the major conference offer.
The kid never saw the field. By mid season the coach had decided there wouldn’t be an offer for soph year. I coached the kid through 16u. I thought he was physically maxed out. He was physically maxed out to the point where it was affecting his throwing.
I saw a D2 player all the way. Had the kid stayed local he might have started from the beginning at what became the D2 national champion.
from RJM: For example, if we reach out to every team in the country, and the only responses we get are from D3’s in the Midwest, then the market is D3 schools in colder weather.
This is important. The division level might be simpler to understand than the location of the school. All 3 of my guys are clearly D3 level. None of them got a serious look from warm weather D3s, but all of them got multiple offers from all over the northern half of the country. Our experience may be unique but it seems to indicate that there's more to this recruiting game than simply figuring out what pond to fish in. Some areas of the pond are more equal than others.
@smokeminside posted:This is important. The division level might be simpler to understand than the location of the school. All 3 of my guys are clearly D3 level. None of them got a serious look from warm weather D3s, but all of them got multiple offers from all over the northern half of the country. Our experience may be unique but it seems to indicate that there's more to this recruiting game than simply figuring out what pond to fish in. Some areas of the pond are more equal than others.
Exact same experience for my current D3 freshman kid.
@smokeminside posted:All 3 of my guys are clearly D3 level. None of them got a serious look from warm weather D3s, but all of them got multiple offers from all over the northern half of the country. Our experience may be unique but it seems to indicate that there's more to this recruiting game than simply figuring out what pond to fish in. Some areas of the pond are more equal than others.
Although we live in the southeast, my son didn't focus a lot of energy on those schools, so take this fwiw: Isn't some of the "cold weather schools" phenomenon a function of the fact there just aren't a lot of HA D3s in warmer parts of the country? Yes, there are some great HA schools in the south, but not so many as in New England, the mid-Atlantic, or even the midwest.
Also fwiw, my son found that southern HA D3s just didn't respond to email inquiries. So far as I could tell, if they hadn't already seen you in person, you didn't exist. This was true even for schools within a few hours' drive that were no more academically demanding (and in many cases had lesser baseball reputations) than schools further north. (See, e.g., the recent thread on Washington & Lee.)
I do think there's a large dose of randomness in the process (or at least the influence of factors you can't control or understand). My advice is to cast a wide net among schools you'd be willing to attend, then focus your efforts wherever there is demonstrated interest from a coach. If that's in a place where you need to shovel snow out of the batting cage in April, then just plan on packing warm clothes.
@Chico Escuela posted:Although we live in the southeast, my son didn't focus a lot of energy on those schools, so take this fwiw: Isn't some of the "cold weather schools" phenomenon a function of the fact there just aren't a lot of HA D3s in warmer parts of the country? Yes, there are some great HA schools in the south, but not so many as in New England, the mid-Atlantic, or even the midwest.
Also fwiw, my son found that southern HA D3s just didn't respond to email inquiries. So far as I could tell, if they hadn't already seen you in person, you didn't exist. This was true even for schools within a few hours' drive that were no more academically demanding (and in many cases had lesser baseball reputations) than schools further north. (See, e.g., the recent thread on Washington & Lee.)
I do think there's a large dose of randomness in the process (or at least the influence of factors you can't control or understand). My advice is to cast a wide net among schools you'd be willing to attend, then focus your efforts wherever there is demonstrated interest from a coach. If that's in a place where you need to shovel snow out of the batting cage in April, then just plan on packing warm clothes.
The only HA D3 I could find on any HA list (a couple of top 50 and 75) from the Deep South is Emory. Are there others?
@RJM posted:The only HA D3 I could find on any HA list (a couple of top 50 and 75) from the Deep South is Emory. Are there others?
Wouldn’t call it the “deep” south but the school my son now attends, W&L, should qualify as southern. Culturally certainly as south, if not more, than Emory.
@RJM posted:The only HA D3 I could find on any HA list (a couple of top 50 and 75) from the Deep South is Emory. Are there others?
I’m not sure what the criteria is for that list but in Texas there are some schools that should be in the conversation - depending on the field of study. The University of Texas at Dallas is excellent for business, engineering & technology majors. Trinity University in San Antonio is more of a typical liberal arts college but is also highly respected across the board academically. Both play very good D3 baseball. UTD is public and Trinity is private.
@adbono posted:I’m not sure what the criteria is for that list but in Texas there are some schools that should be in the conversation - depending on the field of study. The University of Texas at Dallas is excellent for business, engineering & technology majors. Trinity University in San Antonio is more of a typical liberal arts college but is also highly respected across the board academically. Both play very good D3 baseball. UTD is public and Trinity is private.
Trinity (TX) is on the list. I’m referring to Tennessee to Florida and across to Louisiana as the Deep South.
A TN school I missed on the list is Rhodes.
Go to D3 baseball you can sort by region
Wait, RJM, you're being kind of snobby here...
