What are you asking of your travel team and when?

A LHP with a reputable organization having a lot of success on the mound won’t need much help from his coaches. They will mainly be a conduit for relaying college interest until August 1st, when your son will be able to communicate directly with the schools.

If your son is unsure what level he should target or is capable of playing at, he can ask his coaches for their opinion.

If he’s interested in specific schools, he could let the coaches know and they can reach out on his behalf.

Having his grades, class list for junior year, and any ACT or SAT scores in a format that’s ready to send will be helpful.

Don’t depend on your travel ball org to get your son recruited. Even if he is with a respectable org. Travel ball really isn’t a model designed to advance players anymore (if it ever was). The best thing you can do is identify on campus prospect camps at schools of interest and attend them. Begin with JuCo and D3 schools as that would be the most likely destination right out of HS. I would go to 2 or 3 camps this summer and see how they go. College coaches aren’t out watching 2026s at the local level. Take control of this yourself and come up with your own plan. Nothing wrong with consulting with your travel ball coach, HS coach, and/or private instructor to help hone in on the right target. However, I have found that this subset of people isn’t always in touch with what is going on in college baseball. The best advice I can offer is to make sure that your son is in the top half of the roster on any team he ever plays for. Don’t aim too high. The shoot for the moon philosophy is ending careers.

Agree with others.  I would add this.  Does your travel org have a list of players and where they went to college?  Have a look at that list for the past few years, and see whether their players are still at those schools.

If yes, then probably the org is doing a good job of placing players.  If no, and especially if they list lots of D1 schools but the players then leave, they are probably over-reaching to be able to advertise how many players "go D1", and not caring (or knowing) about the fit.

Once you've done that, have a conversation with them.  Don't ask "where does my son fit?" as an open-ended question, because that invites them to say "he could be a mid-major D1" to keep you on the pay stream.  Instead, say "where are you willing to recommend my son, and when would be the right time to do that?"

For sure go in with some examples.  That will also give you a sense of where they have actual contacts.  And if he goes to individual school camps, ask the travel coaches to contact those coaches ahead of time.  If they are not willing to do that, it tells you something.

[note:  the above happened to us, as a result, for quite some time I was trying to figure out what "mid-major" meant.  My son ended up at a great D3.  While the travel coaches didn't have particular contacts there, or at most HA D3s, they were very willing to recommend him when we asked].

I agree with adbono, I’d just had the following:

Align with your sons goals, get an evaluation from someone who’s not on the payroll and help him realign if necessary.

Do the camps, but have a process that gets him noticed. Something like an introductory email with some thoughtful reasons why your son is interested in the program, with facts relative to him, the program and or coaches. Introducing himself and thanking the coach before the camp (referencing the email so the coach makes a connection). Towards the end, ask the coach what he needs to work on to get better, what are his biggest holes and what can he do to fill them? Thank the coach for his time and input. If done, sincerely, there’s no way that kid isn’t remembered.

HS and travel ball coaches have varying degrees of contacts and credibility, for something important as which college your son will attend, it’s best if you help drive the process.

I think having a certain league in mind could be helpful.    If you pair up the league with the kind of major your player might be interested in, you'll probably get a list of at least a couple of schools, and then the level of academics your son wants will also come into play.  You might also start making a general college search type of list a bit early (how far away do I want to be, what type of school is best for me [city, suburban, rural], do I want Greek life or not, do I want a mission-oriented or religious school, etc.).

Then, next year when your travel coach starts letting your family know which RCs are asking about your player, he will know right away which types of institutions he might find interesting.  In my son's case, he was able to get right back to schools that were too far or didn't offer the major he was interested in and tell them "no."  Eliminating some up-front took a little pressure off of him that busy summer before senior year, which is only a year away for you.  His travel coach was good about conveying RC interest but staying neutral.  The travel coach also had a lot of experience with players being recruited.  He could honestly say to my son, "look, this is a real offer, so you might consider it" or "no, this is just some general interest because they are looking at a lot of players."

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

@TexasLefty

You do realize that as an incoming HS junior, calls from coaches begin in 6weeks.

Is he prepared if this happens?

Texas has a lot of great baseball  programs so don't count anything out, especially, as a lefty.

TexasLefty:

Has your son pitched against College players? Does his catcher call the signals?

Does he study the "hitters" in BP?  Who is his favorite MLB player?

Does he study the video clips of his favorite players?

Bob

@TPM posted:

@TexasLefty

You do realize that as an incoming HS junior, calls from coaches begin in 6weeks.

Is he prepared if this happens?

Texas has a lot of great baseball  programs so don't count anything out, especially, as a lefty.

🤯

I hadn’t counted the weeks so thanks!! Haha, the gears have been in motion but the countdown had already started and I was a bit on autopilot.  

Thank you for all the input.  Always appreciated.  His travel team (specifically the Houston chapter) does seem to place a majority of kids in recent years in JUCO, a modest number in mid majors or D2, and a few of the outliers (studs) in P4/P5.  I’ll need to see how they worked out.  His org director is actually a very straight shooter   I was pleasantly surprised at our first team meeting over a year ago.  After lurking around here for a few years prior, I was almost certain I had just met @adbono!  So I think I’ll get honest advice from him and the organization plus his pitching coach, and start from there.  

I think what has me handcuffed a bit is he is a late developer although he’s catching the pack steadily.  But because of it, I still feel like he’s not going to be on anyone’s radar.  I do like the idea of doing college camps though.  I was trying to find some JUCO camps but I think most conflict with the summer schedule or I just wasn’t sure at the time, or probably I mostly had no idea if they had a solid pitching coach or were known for pitcher development.  I’ll reopen that search.

Always appreciate being able to talk things out.  I welcome any input/questions or a good kick in the head when needed.  

Thanks!

@Consultant posted:

TexasLefty:

Has your son pitched against College players? Does his catcher call the signals?

Does he study the "hitters" in BP?  Who is his favorite MLB player?

Does he study the video clips of his favorite players?

Bob

He hasn’t pitched against an existing college player but his fall org usually does a couple of games against an area JUCO in the fall.  

He calls his own game.  Our assistant (pseudo pitching) coach will make recommendations based on what he’s seeing during the game but it’s up to the catcher and pitcher to call their own game.  

On the study question, I think that’s where he’s lacking.  I just asked him this question in terms of his own hitting  because he’s still a solid two way HS player and watching the pitcher is not something most of the kids do from the dugout to pick up on routine.  So not watching BP.  He personally has a routine as a pitcher when his pitches are hitting the zone or getting swings (sinker, sinker, CB or CU against righties all dependent on the count).  Most kids his age are still happily being social in the dugout, which is fine until now.

His favorite pitcher currently is Shota Imanaga.  He does watch a lot of baseball related stuff. I don’t really get involved with his video viewing.  But I’m always impressed when I think he’s just watching garbage but then asks if I know about the monster cluster galaxy they found in the universe, and slightly fewer baseball finds because I’m not a baseball guy at all.  I didn’t grow up loving baseball, only found it through watching my son.  

@TexasLefty posted:

My 2026 LHP will be a HS junior this fall.  I’m not a helicopter style parent and have really just been enjoying the time watching my son play baseball.  But it has occurred to me that the time has arrived to have more important conversations about his future.   We are in a very reputable organization and my LHP is fortunately still having a lot of success on the mound.  

What are you asking your travel coaches and when regarding the next level?  BTW, we don’t have big eyes for D1, and my question is intentionally more generic.  My LHP will play ‘somewhere’ if he wants to, so that’s the frame of mind I’d like to receive advice from.  

Do I need to have some information together regarding colleges or pathways for success prepared, such as his academic/athletic profile and desires?  Or would you suggest just having an ongoing conversation?  

First time, and possibly only time I’ll be doing this most likely.  Would love to also hear how it went for you or how you initiated it.  

Thanks!

Back when my son was in your son's position, all we asked our travel coach to do was suggest programs, make introductions for where he thought there was mutual interest, and provide positive feedback when asked.  He opened many doors for my son, and we were grateful.  What we discovered was he had tremendous influence on many schools in our area, but these were mostly schools my son was not interested for academic reasons.  So, while the coach was doing his thing, we were taking what we learned from him and applying it to my son's specific requirements.  If we got a "hit" with a school on our list (not his list), we shared that information with his travel coach so he was kept in the loop at all times.  We also kept his high school coach in the loop.

So, this brings me to my next point.  You can continue to be a non-helicopter parent, but you do need to understand when and how college baseball recruiting works especially now.  It is so much more difficult now.  There are significant differences in timelines, decision criteria, turnover, schollies, etc across D1 all the way to D3.  Based on your post, I see a lot of reading and questions in your future.   First thing is to understand his baseball skill set relative to the market.  Second thing to do is to understand where he fits academically.  Third thing to understand is finances.  Once you do these three things you can triangulate what schools may be looking for a recruit like your son, and begin a campaign to get in front of these coaches.  Yes, this is a lot easier said than done especially in today's college baseball world.

As always, JMO.   Good luck, and let us know if you have any specific questions as you dive into this topic.

My son’s coaches did all the preselling to college coaches. But my son still emailed every coach before each event to remind them he would be there and provided his schedule.

@TexasLefty posted:

My 2026 LHP will be a HS junior this fall.  I’m not a helicopter style parent and have really just been enjoying the time watching my son play baseball.  But it has occurred to me that the time has arrived to have more important conversations about his future.   We are in a very reputable organization and my LHP is fortunately still having a lot of success on the mound.  

What are you asking your travel coaches and when regarding the next level?  BTW, we don’t have big eyes for D1, and my question is intentionally more generic.  My LHP will play ‘somewhere’ if he wants to, so that’s the frame of mind I’d like to receive advice from.  

Do I need to have some information together regarding colleges or pathways for success prepared, such as his academic/athletic profile and desires?  Or would you suggest just having an ongoing conversation?  

First time, and possibly only time I’ll be doing this most likely.  Would love to also hear how it went for you or how you initiated it.  

Thanks!

Not sure what you are looking for here. We never counted on our TB coaches to do anything for us. It's your job as a parent to have a handle on the kids' skill level and find a team that will use him and provide a platform for him. If he's an A level find a team that plays A level, If B find B. If he is B playing A he is going to struggle, and B teams might look over him. If he is A playing B he might excel, but A programs will overlook him because he is beating B teams. My kid was really good, but we always knew he wasn't going to play for SC, or LSU, or TN, so we didn't concentrate on tournaments where those teams were recruiting players.

@TexasLefty posted:

My 2026 LHP will be a HS junior this fall.  I’m not a helicopter style parent and have really just been enjoying the time watching my son play baseball.  But it has occurred to me that the time has arrived to have more important conversations about his future.   We are in a very reputable organization and my LHP is fortunately still having a lot of success on the mound.  

What are you asking your travel coaches and when regarding the next level?  BTW, we don’t have big eyes for D1, and my question is intentionally more generic.  My LHP will play ‘somewhere’ if he wants to, so that’s the frame of mind I’d like to receive advice from.  

Do I need to have some information together regarding colleges or pathways for success prepared, such as his academic/athletic profile and desires?  Or would you suggest just having an ongoing conversation?  

First time, and possibly only time I’ll be doing this most likely.  Would love to also hear how it went for you or how you initiated it.  

Thanks!

1) know that the only thing that D1 coaches care about is velocity.   

2) With number 1 in mind, have a real understanding of where you son really fits.  College baseball is a cut-throat world with really good players getting screwed over by college baseball coaches all the time.  Don't set you son up to be a victim of the meat grinder.   Have a real understanding of your sons skill level.   If he is LHP and he isn't getting 88 plus consistently then don't waste time trying to get attention from Top level D1 Power five programs.  Start dialing back expectations if this is the case.

3) Don't wait on TB coaches to get your son on the radar of a school.  If you son is a mid 80's lefty then create some film and locate some schools that you think your son has a real shot at getting noticed.   

4) We used NCSA program, but the only value in that is access to their email list.  For whatever reason when my son and I sent emails to coaching staffs they never responded.  When we sent the email through the NCSA website subscription they would always respond. 

My son was a RHP that velocity was 89-90.  We knew he wasn't a Power five or mid-major caliber pitcher because he didn't have velo that those programs were going to require.  He had a NCSA account, and he recorded a lot of film during the summer prior to Jr. year, and collected all of his Perfect Game Stats.  He selected a handful of low D1 programs that he thought he could get attention from.  He sent the film and stats to those programs using the NCSA email, and he started getting phone calls.  He got invited to come pitch at camps in the fall of his Jr. year of high school and was extended some offers.   

@Ster posted:

1) know that the only thing that D1 coaches care about is velocity.   

2) With number 1 in mind, have a real understanding of where you son really fits.  College baseball is a cut-throat world with really good players getting screwed over by college baseball coaches all the time.  Don't set you son up to be a victim of the meat grinder.   Have a real understanding of your sons skill level.   If he is LHP and he isn't getting 88 plus consistently then don't waste time trying to get attention from Top level D1 Power five programs.  Start dialing back expectations if this is the case.

3) Don't wait on TB coaches to get your son on the radar of a school.  If you son is a mid 80's lefty then create some film and locate some schools that you think your son has a real shot at getting noticed.   

Thanks again for all the input.  I’ll update as things progress towards August.  Part of the best of this site is the willingness to share details of what was your own trajectory.  I greatly appreciate all the wisdom in the posts above this one.  Primarily because I’m not a baseball guy. That probably helped my son get to where he is more than anything because I’ve just given him the opportunity to play and for me to watch.

I’m just looking to help my son play college baseball.  A few years ago I was just trying to help him make the HS team.  I’m fine with whatever happens.  If it wasn’t for a baseball dream and better than average LHP talent, he’d use his ‘projected’ valedictorian status to work the scholastic route.

He’s pitching in one of the biggest tournaments in our region this week, so we will see how he does. He’s probably not going to turn any heads because he won’t throw 88+, but I’m fairly certain he will give up only a few hits and a few walks because he’s a pitcher and not a thrower, and that’s how he rolls.  

But to keep this on track,  I’d like to find the the type of college team/coach that values pitching when/if my LHP takes the next step.  

I'd be interested if anyone else had the same experience with NCSA

@TexasLefty posted:

Thanks again for all the input.  I’ll update as things progress towards August.  Part of the best of this site is the willingness to share details of what was your own trajectory.  I greatly appreciate all the wisdom in the posts above this one.  Primarily because I’m not a baseball guy. That probably helped my son get to where he is more than anything because I’ve just given him the opportunity to play and for me to watch.

I’m just looking to help my son play college baseball.  A few years ago I was just trying to help him make the HS team.  I’m fine with whatever happens.  If it wasn’t for a baseball dream and better than average LHP talent, he’d use his ‘projected’ valedictorian status to work the scholastic route.

He’s pitching in one of the biggest tournaments in our region this week, so we will see how he does. He’s probably not going to turn any heads because he won’t throw 88+, but I’m fairly certain he will give up only a few hits and a few walks because he’s a pitcher and not a thrower, and that’s how he rolls.  

But to keep this on track,  I’d like to find the the type of college team/coach that values pitching when/if my LHP takes the next step.  

@TexasLefty,

We all started somewhere and learned how this works.  I learned from a previous poster that academics is a fantastic lever to get attention and interest from schools my son knew very little about or had access to.

If your son is primarily academic minded, I encourage you to start there then add baseball to the mix.  You can save yourself a lot of time.   With the right academic background, your son can open many baseball doors.  There are programs that value that kind of student/athlete, and they are looking for students like your son.

Good luck!

@Dadof3 posted:

I'd be interested if anyone else had the same experience with NCSA

As I mentioned before, we used NCSA and actually purchased one of the more premium packages.   I found that the only thing of value with NCSA was the email distribution capability.   When my son would email coaches from public email accounts he would get no response.   When he would email via the NCSA account about 75% of the time the coaches would respond with at least acknowledgement that they received his email and that they would look at the film that he sent.   

I guess it all depends on the goal.  We found we didn't need the travel program at all for where he ended up, but it did start the process.  First, college was about college, not playing baseball, that was the bonus.  Second he wasn't looking D1 anyway.  .  He floated as a pitcher between teams in the travel program and 2 of the coaches were assistants with college teams and asked if he would come meet their head coach (one d2 one d3), but the D2 wasn't up to snuff academically and the D3 was probably a reach school for him.   So After narrowing down what colleges he wanted to go to, he contacted the coaches, sent video and got interviews.  He offered current coaches as references, but I'm not even sure they contacted them.  After that he was offered 3 opportunities, 2 as a recruited athlete, with admission help if he applied ED, and one as a "come and play in the fall and if there is a spot we'll get you on the team".    This was much easier to do as a pitcher than I can imagine a position player trying to do.  One of the two offered recruited spots was with his #1 choice of college and that's what we went with.  The pain came with waiting for the acceptance letter.

Moral of the story, as a pitcher, if you have the skill, you can basically recruit yourself.  If you get help from your travel program, make sure they know what they are doing and it is the main focus of their program.  I know of only one in our area that I would trust with actively working to get the kids recruited, and not just for their very top D1 prospects.  Others you can tell don't when you show up at tournaments and the tourney director is still trying to get a list of your recruit-able players before the game starts.

Quality pitchers can always find a team for the weekend. For 17u PG Nationals my son’s team took five extra pitchers.

If there are schools he really likes (for the school and is a possibility) but hasn’t  talked to, going to their camp can be very beneficial. We didn’t play for a high profile team so almost all contact we had stemmed from camps and showcases. Always send an email prior to attending to let them know he is coming, his highlights and maybe a video.

@baseballhs posted:

If there are schools he really likes (for the school and is a possibility) but hasn’t  talked to, going to their camp can be very beneficial. We didn’t play for a high profile team so almost all contact we had stemmed from camps and showcases. Always send an email prior to attending to let them know he is coming, his highlights and maybe a video.

And maybe a thank you note after citing some of the stuff he learned or liked about the school.