walk on

I'm afraid that the answer to your question depends more upon the specific coach involved than it does your son's status as a walk-on. However, this time of year, you can pretty much count upon the coach's attention being focused upon his team and its new season. 

A couple of suggestions:

(1) Your son might consider making an unofficial visit to see one of the college team's games this season. That would give him an opportunity to talk some more with the coach and improve his knowledge of the team and the school.

(2) At the conclusion of the college team's season, it would make sense for him to reach out to either the head coach or the assistant with whom he'd be working most; asking them for preseason workout guidelines.

At the risk of stating the obvious, this needs to be a school that is high on his list for the many non-baseball-related traits that it offers. Even in the best of circumstances, walk-on status is an uphill trek. However, if it's the place he wants to be; why not go for broke and make every effort to play baseball at a school he loves?

Best of luck to him!

My son was a walk-on in 2011. Agree with everything Prepster wrote. 2B got a text or two from the coach during the HS season, then in the summer, Coach put him on his regular texting list so he got all the same updates as everyone else, like housing info, when the first practice was, etc. They communicated about summer teams and workouts. 2B worked his butt off all summer and showed up in the best shape of his life at that time. And then the first practice started and the rest is history.

Yes, walk-on status is an uphill trek, but he can make the most of it. 2B is actually on scholarship in his last semester at his JUCO, which was a nice surprise. And he signed his NLI with a D2 for next fall. So it all has worked out beautifully so far. I hope it does for you, too.

Enjoy his last HS season and good luck!

You might want to read the thread "College coach misleading" recently posted. Being offered a walk on spot is a big gamble. You need to look at all the possible scenearios. What if your son doesn't make the team or gets redshirted? Would he want to stay at that college just for the academics or does he want to play baseball no matter what level or where?

If its a D1 school and he doesn't make the team and transfers some place else to play then there are playing/transfer rules that must be followed. The coach that offered the walk-on spot has nothing to lose and how many players is he extending this offer to???

You and your son have lots of research to do before enrolling in that college. Good luck with your decision. There are many stories posted here through the years about walking on. Use the search button and try to educate yourself as much as possible before making a committment.

My impression from the coaches comments are this - your son has a very slim chance of making the team. He is saying, in a nice way, that he does not think your son will make the team, but will give him the opportunity, and he might surprise him so come out as he has nothing to lose as he has not promised anything.

Something to consider regardinon walking on ...

Your son makes the team. He's in the group of players from 21-35 who rarely get on the field. He comes back the next year to face ten or more new highly regarded recruits to keep his roster spot plus earn playing time.

Without having any data (would be curious to see facts or other's opinions), but I would bet most successful walk ons are late physical bloomer pitchers who gain the coach's attention by lighting up the radar gun. 

A pitcher who knows he throws 90 can try to walk on knowing he's going to get the coach's attention. For position players walking on is much more subjective unless the player runs a 6.5 sixty or drives balls out of sight. 

What type of program is this?  Didn't he have any other opportunities for scholarship at another program?

Wish the OP would come back with more info.

Ours was a case where being a walk-on wasn't such a bad thing. I just assumed that the OP's son had an offer of a preferred walk-on, but perhaps I read too much into the post. There were a couple of things that made my son's case different. In line with what RJM posted, I don't think he'd be playing where he is were he not a 2-way player. He couldn't show off his arm much at 2B, but he could on the mound. He was also young for his grade, a late bloomer (still blooming), and didn't put up the numbers that MIFs are supposed to have until this fall as a college sophomore (sub-7 60, etc). Plus even though he had a great HS career, we had no illusions about his chances of getting a scholarship as a 2B. We were thrilled when he got the offer to walk on at the school right down the road. He had the grades that qualified him for the highest academic scholarship that Florida's Bright Futures program offers. So he had academic money, could live at home, the coach could save the scholarship $$ for the D1 transfers that he always gets to make this team so great, and 2B could earn his spot on a great team. It was a win-win as far as we were concerned. No doubt the grades also played a part in his next D2 opportunity.

So it would be nice to know more about the OP's situation so we could provide accurate feedback.

Other items to consider about Walk Ons

1 - The number of kids coach invites out for fall?  50 or 35?

2 - I beleive the numer of kids under scholarships (max) is 27 for D1.  That means there are at least 8 kids there without scholarship money - ie walk ons.

3 - What are the other tangibles that your son brings to the table?  Pitcher, LH power hitter, etc. 

4 - Who is offering?  RC, HC or HS coach saying he can get you a walk on?

Just things to consider.  If you do go that route MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOL IS WHERE HE WANTS TO BE.  I'm following several kids that have walk ons.  Some are just now getting play time soph year. Some didn't make spring roster and are looking for other ocolleges already and others committed to schools thinking he has a spot but has no idea if coach will invite 35 or 55 out for tryouts when fall starts.

My Logic..

HOPE for the best, PLAN for the worse, and something in the middle should happen!

2013leftydad has some really good points.  A teammate of my son's from high school chose the school that he wanted to go to based on the school itself.  It is where he wanted to be.  As far as baseball, he did everything he could to get in front of the coach before he went there but was not a preferred walk-on.  Once he arrived on campus, he hooked up with the club team who said he had a spot with them if the he didn't manage to walk-on to the school team.  Long story short, he made the Spring roster.  Time will tell regarding playing time, but at this point, I think making the team is just a bonus to attending the school of his choice.