Originally Posted by solly:
My son is good D3 type player. Had his heart set on Claremont McKenna even though the team isn't that strong--likes school, coach, location, etc. Was recruited by the coach and told he was on coach's list with admissions. Even though his academic scores and profile were as good or better than school median he was rejected at early admissions this year. (Coach was baffled, says they have new regime in admissions). So now my son is backtracking to other D3 coaches whom he had let slide when he applied early decision to CMC. Their teams appear to be full now for next year. He has reasonable chances of getting into these schools without baseball coach help. He would be a walk-on. Do people have insights or advice about trying to walk onto team? Interested in thoughts during the application/recruiting process and when he gets to school. Thanks.
Solly,
My two cents.....There are still many options available if you are still considering D3. Unfortunately, your soon took his ED shot and it didn't work out. ED is typically used by coaches to help a recruits chances because the applicant pool is smaller, the coach has more influence during ED, and the recruit is willing to go all in. While it didn't work at CMC (extremely competitive school) your son may fair better at other schools where his academics are more normalized, and he could try to walk onto the baseball team. While CMC is private, it is still in CA where competition is pretty strong for roster spots. If I was in your shoes, I would consider looking at similar schools but extend the geography keeping in mind your son's major and desire to play baseball. At just about every program there will be anywhere from a few recruits to many recruits depending on the school (conversely a few walk-ons to many walk-ons). This is where you need to do your homework. I would start with the academic program first then research the baseball program (see link below). What is going to matter most is his academics as he will be applying Regular Decision (RD) and he will be competing for admission against a larger applicant pool. For every school he applies to, I suggest he try to start a dialogue with the Head Baseball Coach to let him know of his interest..
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Athletic recruiting has changed significantly in the last 20+ years, but walk-ons are needed even more now because some academic schools are not willing to budge on their academic requirements. This is an opportunity for your son. He doesn't have to be the best baseball player, but he has to be one of the best baseball players with great academics. I was a tennis walk-on to a D2 school 28 years ago (now D1), and worked my way up to the #2 singles player/#1 doubles for 4 years. It was absolutely one of the best experiences of my life. There is something to be said for young people willing to work for something they really passionate about.
Good luck, and let me know if you have questions.
