Villanova

My son played @ Villanova (3-game series) many years ago, and it doesn't sound like it has changed much.  Yes the facilities were not up to par with most college baseball facilities who sink millions of dollars into athletics.  I agree with @old_school.  Who cares?

For many, its an opportunity to play college baseball somewhere and get an excellent education.  For others that want to move into the professional baseball ranks and want the leather sofa, large screen TV, gaming consoles, and an engraved locker name plate in their college clubhouse then you should probably pass on Villanova.  Focus on what is most important to you.  It is not always about material things.  For many aspiring college baseball players and regular college students it is about the total experience, and getting what you want out of those 4 years.   

JMO.

My view is why would anyone want to play at a school with a tradition of losing? I would only do it at an Ivy with the perspective if I get tired of losing I’ll stop playing baseball. Why play at a far off campus, inadequate facility when there are plenty of comparable programs with much better, on or near campus facilities? Baseball is obviously not a priority at Villanova.

@RJM posted:

Baseball is obviously not a priority at Villanova.

Agreed.

I am the parent of a St. Joes alum. Anyone who knows anything about Philly should know the feelings between them. That being said I know many Nova folks and have done business with many in the area. I would have had zero issue with my kid choosing there.

My father grew up walking distance to that field, and my mother 4 miles away.  I was born in Norristown, next door to the field.  Good times.  I spent a lot of time heading down the Germantown Pike to visit my grandparents until they passed 7-8 years ago.   My dad bagged groceries to pay for his entire Villanova education. Imagine trying that today.  Back in the 1980's Fairfield University was viewed as a better academic school than Villanova (my wife went to Fairfield). Fairfield is still a great school but no question Villanova is now higher rated.  Jay Wright made Villanova what it is today, a great destination.  Villanova could have a top-notch baseball team if it were a priority for the school. It's too bad, they have the dough to upgrade the facilities IMO.

@old_school posted:

Villanova is terrible, just read the comments.

If prefer to not a be a part of powerful elite academic school, with a very active affluent alumni network who go out of their way to take care of their own...well by all means dismiss them completely. I listen to so many here preach about the 40 years vs 4 and blah blah and rip a school like Villanova? I am not even a Nova guy but that it is a high quality school that would treat your son very well in life.

He asked about the baseball (and school in parentheses). Just sharing my thoughts on the facilities, which were disgusting.

@RJM posted:

My view is why would anyone want to play at a school with a tradition of losing?

Maybe they LIKE the campus, the students, the opportunities, the vibe - and this is a baseball opportunity that has been offered.

@anotherparent posted:

Maybe they LIKE the campus, the students, the opportunities, the vibe - and this is a baseball opportunity that has been offered.

There are plenty of baseball opportunities for these things in an environment that doesn’t involve losing two of three games all season.

Dish’s son’s situation is not the norm. He’s only there one year. One year of losing is a reasonable trade off for academics. I couldn’t take four years of losing.

@RJM posted:

There are plenty of baseball opportunities for these things in an environment that doesn’t involve losing two of three games all season.

Dish’s son’s situation is not the norm. He’s only there one year. One year of losing is a reasonable trade off for academics. I couldn’t take four years of losing.

We are winning the whole enchilada this year.. well maybe the Big East...one can always dream..  LOL  !
True though.. son's deal isnt typical.
A one year  MBA degree +innings+hopefully no drama-  will compensate for previous mediocre Bach degree and lack of consistent innings (though much was this own doing, of course) ...should over ride the lack of a winning program and respectable facilities(especially when compared to the name recognition and wealth of said campus.)
I will post updates...  with boots on the ground this weekend.

Everybody knows the academic reputation.

Baseball is not good, but it's not at the ugly level of D1 baseball, it is still competent despite the record. That being said it is clear baseball is an afterthought there.

If you take it for what it is - a solid academic opportunity where you also get to continue playing baseball you won't be disappointed. If you are going there looking to win a conference or develop, probably not the place for you. Recruiting seems to be those fringe D1/HA D3 types, good but under recruited, or private school recruits because they know they have the academic chops. I don't know how much they are funded, but it's not full, I don't think its particularly close either.

Culturally it's not considered a very fun school, basketball games are exciting when they're good, but if your kid is looking for the typical college scene, Villanova is not the place for that. I'm sure being on a team helps a bit with that though.

All in all - it's not going to be a traditional D1 baseball experience. If your son is ok with a strong academic school, a more conservative social scene, and just looking to prolong his baseball career (possibly at a discount) then it's a fine choice. It's similar to non service Patriot League schools which would probably be a more fitting conference if not for Basketball.

Does your player want to attend a Catholic university?  There's an emphasis on religion and on service learning at Villanova that's pretty serious.  I think the baseball there is getting better, but it won't be that much better in the next five years.  St. Joe's, which is not that far away from Villanova, offers better baseball (I think) and better Business majors.  St. Joe's is best for those more practical students who want to work in the Philadelphia business community right after graduation, but Villanova is much better if your player is academically advanced, considering graduate school, or interested in nursing, law, or engineering.  Both are Catholic universities with ethics (theology/philosophy/western humanism) requirements that really can't be avoided, so your player should be comfortable spending money to take those types of classes and with learning in a Catholic environment. 

RHP parent;

Have you considered U of Notre Dame, new coach Shawn Stiffler is from Somerset, PA. Years ago, our White Sox Area Code team conducted their AC tryout at Notre Dame, very impressive school.

Bob

@Consultant posted:

RHP parent;

Have you considered U of Notre Dame, new coach Shawn Stiffler is from Somerset, PA. Years ago, our White Sox Area Code team conducted their AC tryout at Notre Dame, very impressive school.

Bob

You know Villanova is not near the same level as ND.

Thank you, @Consultant, but I think I was responding to @baseballdad2024.  My son's college baseball journey is over   but I agree that there's not any overlap in the baseball players recruited by ND and Nova.  Different worlds.

Thank you @RHP_Parent and everyone for the additional information and comments! It's been very helpful because everything is new to us.

While two players we know well play at ND, he is not at that level... Yes, I also heard that the baseball program at Catholic is getting better. Hope he'll find somewhere he fits. We may ask more questions in this or other threads. Appreciate all your help in advance, everyone!   

One quick word on the bathroom situation at the Villanova field…the public park it is in has a bathroom with flush toilets a little beyond the outfield fence. It’s not a bad walk and much better than using the portalets in the parking lot.

I went to Villanova for grad school. Its reputation for being stuck up comes from the rest of the schools in the Philly area. It's as much jealousy from the Temple and St. Joe's crowd as it is snobs at Villanova---let's just say it goes both ways. Villanova is a preppy, reserved school compared to gritty, urban Temple. That's just reality. Villanova has a beautiful campus, great academic school...but mediocre baseball. If you're looking to play baseball for a living, it's not the best choice. If you are looking to get an education there and baseball is a part of it, I would not hesitate to recommend it.

@stranded1 posted:

I went to Villanova for grad school. Its reputation for being stuck up comes from the rest of the schools in the Philly area. It's as much jealousy from the Temple and St. Joe's crowd as it is snobs at Villanova---let's just say it goes both ways. Villanova is a preppy, reserved school compared to gritty, urban Temple. That's just reality. Villanova has a beautiful campus, great academic school...but mediocre baseball. If you're looking to play baseball for a living, it's not the best choice. If you are looking to get an education there and baseball is a part of it, I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Well said, the Temple crowd and the St Joes crowds are very different. St Joes lines up similar to Nova on most things outside of the success of the basketball program. Much more so than Temple.