What's Your Transfer Story?

Neither of my kids transferred. But I’m guessing the transfer portal has or will change the experience.

No athlete goes to a 4-yr D1 college intending to transfer (some limited exceptions for 3/2 programs).

Attending multiple institutions isn't the end of the world - I attended (full time) and accumulated credits from three in completing my undergraduate degree. But, changing schools does mean disruption - you lose friends, academic credits, have to adjust to new academics, practice routines, social activities, find new grocery stores, barber shops, banks, find and adjust to new living arrangements, etc.  Just another wrench in the gears of growing up.

Because - as you note - 50% of baseball players transfer, it is clearly doable.

I would hypothesize that playing time (or lack thereof), grades, girl friend issues, finances, coaching change, character issues (e.g., arrest) - in that order - are the overwhelming reasons for transfers. How would you go about predicting these?

Why are you wasting time even thinking about this? Is there some action you would take or not take knowing the transfer rate? Do you have a crystal ball or magic coin to flip to determine which 50% your son is in?

(In many threads, it is noted that there are a few D1 schools with minimal to no transfers; service academies, Ivy, maybe some Patriot league teams. With this info, what changes in your recruiting?)

Baseball skills and academics. That's it.  Take care of that and the rest is derivative (e.g., path of exposure). 

Francis7 posted:

Son has 6 coaches that offer him instruction from time to time. All played college ball. Half of them transferred schools during their college career. 

That's half. And, I've heard references in the past that 50% of baseball players will transfer rather than play all 4 years at one school.

As a player and/or parent of a player, what's your transfer story? Why did you transfer?  When did you do it? How hard was it? Did you initiate it or someone else? Looking back at it, was it worth it? What was the best and worst part of it?  Having done it, what are you recommended do's and don't's?

Francis7,

FYI, quite a few years ago the NCAA started holding D1 institutions  accountable for their very poor APR (Academic Progress Rate) in baseball.  It used  to be like a revolving door and  and players were not graduating on time because they lost credits.  So they made the transfer rules harder.

As far as the statement about you hearing references that 50% of players will transfer, please site your source.

I agree with GOOSEGG, why are you wasting your time with this?  Why would you need to know people's transfer stories, and why would anyone want to share that on a message board, but I guess there are good stories as well as bad.

If a player does what he needs to do, he won't have to transfer.  That includes trying to walk onto a program where your skills don't match the program. The biggest reason IMO is why players transfer.

Thanks all for the feedback. And, please don't confuse a desire to know how things work with worrying. My kid is a HS sophomore. I'm far away from having to "worry" about anything.

 

If a player does what he needs to do, he won't have to transfer.  That includes trying to walk onto a program where your skills don't match the program. The biggest reason IMO is why players transfer.

 

This is a ridiculous statement.  Have you held the same JOB for your entire career?  If not, is it because you didn't do what you needed to do?  Is every failed dating relationship, marriage, career because YOU didn't do what you needed to do?  Of course not.  Coaches suck sometimes; they lie; they leave; kids get hurt; kids get better; people change their minds.  There are dozens of solid reasons to transfer that are not failing to do what you need to do.

TPM posted:

Francis7 posted:

Son has 6 coaches that offer him instruction from time to time. All played college ball. Half of them transferred schools during their college career. 

That's half. And, I've heard references in the past that 50% of baseball players will transfer rather than play all 4 years at one school.

As a player and/or parent of a player, what's your transfer story? Why did you transfer?  When did you do it? How hard was it? Did you initiate it or someone else? Looking back at it, was it worth it? What was the best and worst part of it?  Having done it, what are you recommended do's and don't's?

Francis7,

FYI, quite a few years ago the NCAA started holding D1 institutions  accountable for their very poor APR (Academic Progress Rate) in baseball.  It used  to be like a revolving door and  and players were not graduating on time because they lost credits.  So they made the transfer rules harder.

As far as the statement about you hearing references that 50% of players will transfer, please site your source.

I agree with GOOSEGG, why are you wasting your time with this?  Why would you need to know people's transfer stories, and why would anyone want to share that on a message board, but I guess there are good stories as well as bad.

If a player does what he needs to do, he won't have to transfer.  That includes trying to walk onto a program where your skills don't match the program. The biggest reason IMO is why players transfer.

 

just delete the bolded from your minds, I am sure / hope it wasn't intended the way it was written. 

I think what she is trying to say is if your kid is a blue chip player, no worries. Only about 3% of recruits are blue chip...

In fall ball there are 35+ players competing for roster spots and playing time in the spring. With the exception of maybe a handful of delusional walk ons everyone is capable of earning playing time. But it’s a numbers game and not everyone can.

There’s also a pecking order of opportunity. I’ve seen some players get more of an opportunity to stick than others. One of my son’s travel teammates was hailed by his college coach as one of his top recruits ever. He was handed his position three straight years and lost it by the beginning of conference play each season.

Players start out doing the best they can. Given not all opportunity is equal they have to stay physically and mentally prepared to take advantage of every opportunity. There are cases of players thinking they’re giving 100% and they’re not. That’s their fault. But there are cases of players who are and the numbers just don’t work out. 

One of the biggest mistakes I saw in college ball selection was players selecting their dream school who noticed them versus other programs that had much greater interest.

Note: I was the one who brought the 50% transfer number to this board and another board about ten years ago. It was in an NCAA article on baseball.

collegebaseballrecruitingguide posted:

I think what she is trying to say is if your kid is a blue chip player, no worries. Only about 3% of recruits are blue chip...

and of those 3% the transfer is not ZERO 

Francis7,

Frankly, I think it is a very fair question and I'm kind of surprised with the responses you've received and the lack of responses from those that have gone through it.  There are a lot of people that have gone through it on this website for some reason they haven't shared their experience.   I absolutely agree with Catching22 that some of this is outside the players control and there is nothing you can do about it.   The best that you can do is research the heck out of a program, coaches, players and their situation.   The best that you can hope for is the HC is fair with playing time and the position coach is going to develop and teach your son skills that he needs to earn that playing time.  Sorry, my son was not among the transfers.  My son's solution was simple, if he didn't like the coaches or baseball became a hassle, he would stop playing college baseball and focus on his major.   He told us this when he was accepted.

Here is the short version of our transfer story (the long version can be seen in the "How much is too much on the Fall Roster" post )

-2019 RHP recruited by mid Major and verbally promised a spot in summer of Junior Year

- on NLI day-all of a sudden son gets Academic Aid only . But since Previous years team had 40-42 on the Fall roster he felt it wouldnt make a difference -so he "commits"

-Son shows up to School in Late August and finds there are 60 on the fall roster with a ton of transfers. 

-Son realizes during fall semester (along with a lot of life issues) that this School isn't a good fit for him academically (too easy/location) and athleticlly (too many kids this year and even more next year)

-After fall practice he gets the "you can redshirt if you want " speech but you will not be able to practice with the team and........you can try again next fall.

-within 1 minute he decides he is out of there. 

-within 3 days he has school put him on transfer portal

-gets a lot of schools that he never heard of contacing him from the portal- from juco, D2 and D3 and some D1 (wanting for the following fall) . 

-son also sends out emails to local Jucos and a few D1's

-He gets home from fall semester(winter break) and we visit some local top jucos immediately . It is there that son finds out that if he goes Juco he must get his associates degree before he can transfer back to a D1 (4-2-4 rule). Being that he doesnt want to spend 2 years in Juco , he drops that idea. 

-the night we get back home from local Juco tour ,within 1 hour, we decide to do a "very Quality" emailing to select D1 coaches that he thinks may be a fit for immediate transfer now mid year. 

-send out email in the middle of the night on a saturday night 

-surprisingly we get a very very good response immediately on the emailing with all kinds of situations wanted and desired. some now , some not sure, some for next summer etc...  It seems that many still need pitching(so all those people who say is it too late for my 2020 or  2021 ? - the answer is NO it is never too late for pitching) . We got some very surprising responses from a few  P5's too so - it just shows you about the need for pitching..

-after many calls and conversations, son fly's out to visit another mid major D1 school 2k miles away on xmas night with wife. 

-coach meets them and all goes very well. Seems like a great fit. Son and school rush to get transfer docs done/transcripts /admin stuff etc...

-10 days later I drive out with my son to new school and move him in-a fun 2k mile journey which included some crazy weather.

-son moves in and immediately goes to classes and practices .

-Son, The New school and old school prepare a waiver to get son to maybe play this spring without sitting out(a very long shot)

-Old Coaches see waiver letter that son wrote and get a little upset...

-Eventually everyone gets over it and they submit the waiver letters

-3 weeks later(currently)-son is waiting on the NCAA to hear what happens, In a normal world :it appears to be a slam dunk on our side but ...  based on the NCAA  world: it appears like a super long shot

-We are all very happy either way      - school is a great fit. 

A lot of lessons learned and many we are still learning.  

Not my kid, but I know a kid who transferred from a juco after one year to a mid-major D1 and was eventually drafted.  He did not get many looks out of HS because he was a little undersized for his position, so he did a year of juco and then went to a bunch of camps after his first season.  He got several offers on the spot (before he left campus), chose the best one, played well for them, and then had a good couple of years in the minors before he was cut.  Knew another kid who spent a year in juco and transferred to the same mid-major D1, where he was their Friday night pitcher by his senior year.  If you spend much time around a college program, you see a lot of transfers in and out, up and down, and there are plenty of success stories.  

Mine transferred, but a little different from the typical circumstances as his was a graduate transfer. Not much to tell, other than to mention that with a D1 to D1 transfer as a graduate, you are eligible without having to pay a penalty by sitting out a year.

Speaking of successful transfers here’s a blast from the past. I can’t remember his father’s board name. He was a regular. Darin transferred down to D2 Southern Indiana from Winthrop. He was drafted in the 16th round. He spent parts of four years in MLB. I was going to post his Baseball Cube link. But I found this ...

Where are they now? 

https://www.edwardjones.com/fi...3x0gTVHwetcye8xMsxan

OK, I'll bite. The kid transferred between semesters this year.

The kid went as a two way but made it clear to the seven schools that offered him he was a PP first and pitcher second. He found a coach and a school he really liked and they made a really good offer, and I guess in hindsight that should have tipped me off, but more on that later. His freshman year they had a lot of injuries to the pitching staff so they cornered him and are like "PO", to which he reluctantly agreed. Now during the recruiting process the RC/PC has been the nicest man you could ever meet. Not so much once practice started. The kid alluded to it at the time but talking to him recently he said there were a couple of times one more word out of the guy's mouth and I'd have beaten his ass right there in front of everyone. That from a kid who's never been in a fight in his life, that I know of. Also, a few of the parents told us similar stories. And, I'll add, the HC told him I recruited you because you had an almost MLB level CB plus he was most comfortable out of the wind-up. So come spring the PC said you can't throw the CB and pitch out of the stretch only. Then his first college game as a freshman, under those restrictions, they put him on the mound against Oregon St. and the first batter he faced was Nick Madrigal. It was downhill from there. At the end of the year meeting with HC the kid voiced his opinions regarding the PC and that was that, he separated them and no more pitching. His sophomore year in fall ball he tears it up. Against live pitching, in scrimmage and two exhibition games, he hits .427 with power. A week before the season starts he hurts his quad. It's almost a month before he comes back and by that time a local JV recruit has cemented himself in RF and the kid has to DH. He started out well, three HR's in his first couple of games, a bunch of balls caught at the warning track, but anytime he struggled a bit he was sat and someone else was given a chance, all the while there were starters who went through 0 for 30+ stretches and were allowed to work through them. At the end of the year the coach retires. A new coach comes in and again the son has a really good fall. Hit a couple of balls not only over the fence but almost out of the park but sees only limited play. At the close of fall practice, the coach tells him "you haven't played much the last couple of years and we are going in a different direction". Remember what I said about the offer they made him. They took him as a PO even though he made it clear he was a PP first. They thought once there what choice would he have. As to the new coaching staff, other players beneath him on the depth chart weren't run off. The coach wanted his scholarship but it was Big10 so guaranteed. So he got the "you haven't played much, you don't fit our program, we're doing you a favor".  They did ask him to PO and the kid said no. Why anyone would want him to is another thread.

So, that was really long-winded, but for a reason. None of that really matters, at least not to me. My kid loved the school, town, and his teammates and even though things hadn't worked out he was more than willing to stay and compete and was really disappointed. The problem is the NCAA and its mid-year transfer rule. Things didn't work out, and yes, some of that is on my kid, but a lot isn't. He only did everything asked of him up to a point. And for that the NCAA says you sit, no exceptions. I'd be all for the NCAA being disbanded. Short of that they can SMD.

This site is truly amazing for the stories that are here, buried in the decades of old posts. This was the story RJM mentioned; this post was before he was drafted, he had just transferred:

https://community.hsbaseballwe...732#2982475075789732

They were pretty unhappy, but the baseball story continued.  I hope that somebaseballdad's son, and all the others who have posted, have success at their next schools.

RJM posted:

Speaking of successful transfers here’s a blast from the past. I can’t remember his father’s board name. He was a regular. Darin transferred down to D2 Southern Indiana from Winthrop. He was drafted in the 16th round. He spent parts of four years in MLB. I was going to post his Baseball Cube link. But I found this ...

Where are they now? 

https://www.edwardjones.com/fi...3x0gTVHwetcye8xMsxan

Itsinthegame is his dad's name here.

I am pretty sure that Darin transfered from East Carolina.

TPM posted:

RJM posted:

Speaking of successful transfers here’s a blast from the past. I can’t remember his father’s board name. He was a regular. Darin transferred down to D2 Southern Indiana from Winthrop. He was drafted in the 16th round. He spent parts of four years in MLB. I was going to post his Baseball Cube link. But I found this ...

Where are they now? 

https://www.edwardjones.com/fi...3x0gTVHwetcye8xMsxan

Itsinthegame is his dad's name here.

I am pretty sure that Darin transfered from East Carolina.

Anotherparent, didn't realize that you posted that link. Thanks.

Baseball Cube lists Winthrop and stats as his previous college. But it’s not important. The story is more important.

When a player is choosing a school just for their baseball program,  "transferring" may be more of a concern than a player who chooses a school for their academics and baseball.   Fenway mentioned above that most HA schools don't have a turnover on their rosters.  My son's HA D1 had players that realized they made the wrong baseball decision but most did not transfer and finished their degree. If they do transfer it was due to academics.  

IMO, a player should not rush to commit to Big State U just so they can "boast and post". For my son when considering schools he focused on a school that if baseball has ended ( for what ever reason) would he want to stay at the school until graduation.   This makes the "transfer" much less likely.

If the player is one of the few that has been identified as draftable out of high school then their decision process may be a little different.   But most are not!  As I have mentioned before " Players initially can choose the school they DREAMED/WANT to play at but eventually  they probably will end up at the school they SHOULD of gone to.

Again, I get the mentality for some of you that keep harping on choose the academics then the baseball but that is not the case for all of us and I will keep posting it because I don't want a newbie to think that is the only way.  My son's dream was to play in the SEC and his ultimate dream is to play MLB and coach.  So the academics is not a huge qualifier.  It is to compete at the highest level and then coach.  If baseball ended tomorrow due to accident, he would probably stay if they would let him be a part of the process with the pitchers to learn more.  We did our due diligence so I do not think it will end because he can't compete.  I also do not think most understand what that means.  I have people ask how do you know if you can compete before you go?  The answer is if you are facing on a regular basis lineups at PG that are made up of guys that are going to the same places you are going.  Over the past three summers, son has pitched in the summer and fall against, almost every game, lineups of kids committed to SEC teams.  in back to back games two summers ago, he faced the Canes National and Team Elite Prime then East Cobb Astros and Scorpions.  Then in the fall he faced Team Canada.  He knew before he signed NLI that he could compete because he had faced half of the guys committed to SEC schools in the past two summers.  So many talk about top travel teams then when you ask they give you some name that you've never heard of.  If you are a pitcher or hitter and not facing the teams on top 50 by PG you are not facing top teams.  You must find ways to compete against players going to the same level schools you think you want to go to so you can find out if you will be able to compete.  I think you also see who is committed to the school you are going to and if you ever played with them or against them.  Son had played with or against over half of the players coming in with him to his P5.  This solves some of the transfer stuff with not competing. 

There is no way to find out if a coach is lying to you in recruiting other than looking at his track record.  If you want to be a two-way, has he had two-way guys in the past and has the pc. 

Pitchingfan,

I totally get what you are saying.  I really don't see a difference between a kid using college baseball as a way to advance himself professionally as an engineer or as a MLB player or coach.   It is the same.  As I see it, the trick is to know what you want to do with your skillset when that life decision presents itself.

I will disagree with you on your examples.   You said your son knew that he could compete in the SEC because he played against the top travel teams.   My son also competed against these top travel teams for two years.  His team won the PG WWBA 16U tourney a few years ago.  My son played travel baseball with future SEC and ACC players and there was no mistaking they had the physical tools to play at that level.   We had studs up and down the lineup.   While I will agree with you that it is absolutely necessary to play against top competition it is by no means a guarantee of future success because these are the most competitive and coveted roster positions in college baseball.  Most of these guys will not start and will not play meaningful innings in college for many reasons.   For this reason, I think the OPs question about transferring is an extremely valid question.  In my experience, these SEC and ACC guys are the most active when it comes to transferring-out and my guess is your son played against a lot of these guys in travel baseball at one time or another.  

As always, JMO.  I wish your son well in his efforts to get to the MLB and eventually coaching. 

collegebaseballrecruitingguide posted:

I think what she is trying to say is if your kid is a blue chip player, no worries. Only about 3% of recruits are blue chip...

What she said is what she meant, but I will make it easier.

If you do not have the skills to compete, let's say at a top 25 program,  and you are walking on with a large fall roster, you have to understand what your chances will or will not be.  If you want to play baseball in college, be realistic. 

Hope that this clears things up.

JMO

RJM posted:

Baseball Cube lists Winthrop and stats as his previous college. But it’s not important. The story is more important.

You are correct, I think that I confused him with someone else.

catching22 posted:

 

If a player does what he needs to do, he won't have to transfer.  That includes trying to walk onto a program where your skills don't match the program. The biggest reason IMO is why players transfer.

 

This is a ridiculous statement.  Have you held the same JOB for your entire career?  If not, is it because you didn't do what you needed to do?  Is every failed dating relationship, marriage, career because YOU didn't do what you needed to do?  Of course not.  Coaches suck sometimes; they lie; they leave; kids get hurt; kids get better; people change their minds.  There are dozens of solid reasons to transfer that are not failing to do what you need to do.

Doing what you have to do would include going to class, showing up on time for workouts, practice, individual instruction, being a good teammate, etc. I have said that here often. 

It doesnt include not liking the coach, being homesick, getting hurt, changing your mind, etc.

There are kids who get cut from P5 programs, transfer to JUCOs, transfer back to D1s and get drafted.  Sometimes the coach has his back against the wall and he doesn't have time to let kids work through a slump, or to help develop them into the player they are capable of being. That is a scary reality.  I agree with Pitching Fan, if baseball is your number one, you probably aren't staying at a school where you can't play unless baseball is over due to injury.  If baseball isn't your ultimate dream, then yes, academics and the school should be more important than baseball, but for some kids, baseball is the main thing and they aren't staying without it, regardless of how much they like the school.

fenwaysouth posted:

Pitchingfan,

I totally get what you are saying.  I really don't see a difference between a kid using college baseball as a way to advance himself professionally as an engineer or as a MLB player or coach.   It is the same.  As I see it, the trick is to know what you want to do with your skillset when that life decision presents itself.

I will disagree with you on your examples.   You said your son knew that he could compete in the SEC because he played against the top travel teams.   My son also competed against these top travel teams for two years.  His team won the PG WWBA 16U tourney a few years ago.  My son played travel baseball with future SEC and ACC players and there was no mistaking they had the physical tools to play at that level.   We had studs up and down the lineup.   While I will agree with you that it is absolutely necessary to play against top competition it is by no means a guarantee of future success because these are the most competitive and coveted roster positions in college baseball.   

I agree with both of you. Playing for high level teams against the best definitely puts you in a better position to be successful but does not equate to success. We made the switch from a quality local program with a handful of commits to a top team with close to 30 guys. Did all the big tournaments and have probably run into PitchingFan's team at one point or another. The difference was night and day. Not just in the quality of the baseball, but every game was a competition with your own teammates. You were forced to produce or you were gone because there were 29 other capable kids. When you play against the teams mentioned you get used to seeing 90+, you get used to seeing draft prospects, you get used to pitching against a lineup full of studs. At the more local level (yes I understand there are exceptions and you don't have to play for the Canes) you might face a few quality players and then coast your way thru the rest of the game. At the higher levels of travel you need to be sharp every AB. 

So when 2019's school made cuts some good players went. Most of the guys were not the kids playing against the top competition in HS. Then you get a lineup full of older D1 athletes and you aren't as prepared as you could be. You aren't used to seeing 92 every day, you aren't used to throwing 90 and having balls hit 420 ft. This is why all my advice is play for the best travel team possible. Yes it helps with recruiting, but more importantly it makes you better and you aren't shell shocked when you get to campus in the fall. 

So, denied to play this spring, but released to play this fall. I take back everything I've said about the NCAA (sarcasm).

Looking back we really feel that even though the kid made it clear as a two-way it was PP/hitting first, PO second, the coach took him PO and thought once here what's he gonna do. New coach PO, the kid said no. Coach, you don't fit our plans (we want that 60% scholarship). The kid kept his grades up, was a good teammate, didn't get in any trouble. That all is what it is. Maybe we should have had our eyes opened a little wider, definitely lived and learned. Now the NCAA basically says we are going to step in, pile on, stick it up your azz, and break it off. And then to hear these commercials "we're the NCAA and we are all about the student-athlete".

fishnsail posted:

Here is the short version of our transfer story (the long version can be seen in the "How much is too much on the Fall Roster" post )

-2019 RHP recruited by mid Major and verbally promised a spot in summer of Junior Year

- on NLI day-all of a sudden son gets Academic Aid only . But since Previous years team had 40-42 on the Fall roster he felt it wouldnt make a difference -so he "commits"

-Son shows up to School in Late August and finds there are 60 on the fall roster with a ton of transfers. 

-Son realizes during fall semester (along with a lot of life issues) that this School isn't a good fit for him academically (too easy/location) and athleticlly (too many kids this year and even more next year)

-After fall practice he gets the "you can redshirt if you want " speech but you will not be able to practice with the team and........you can try again next fall.

-within 1 minute he decides he is out of there. 

-within 3 days he has school put him on transfer portal

-gets a lot of schools that he never heard of contacing him from the portal- from juco, D2 and D3 and some D1 (wanting for the following fall) . 

-son also sends out emails to local Jucos and a few D1's

-He gets home from fall semester(winter break) and we visit some local top jucos immediately . It is there that son finds out that if he goes Juco he must get his associates degree before he can transfer back to a D1 (4-2-4 rule). Being that he doesnt want to spend 2 years in Juco , he drops that idea. 

-the night we get back home from local Juco tour ,within 1 hour, we decide to do a "very Quality" emailing to select D1 coaches that he thinks may be a fit for immediate transfer now mid year. 

-send out email in the middle of the night on a saturday night 

-surprisingly we get a very very good response immediately on the emailing with all kinds of situations wanted and desired. some now , some not sure, some for next summer etc...  It seems that many still need pitching(so all those people who say is it too late for my 2020 or  2021 ? - the answer is NO it is never too late for pitching) . We got some very surprising responses from a few  P5's too so - it just shows you about the need for pitching..

-after many calls and conversations, son fly's out to visit another mid major D1 school 2k miles away on xmas night with wife. 

-coach meets them and all goes very well. Seems like a great fit. Son and school rush to get transfer docs done/transcripts /admin stuff etc...

-10 days later I drive out with my son to new school and move him in-a fun 2k mile journey which included some crazy weather.

-son moves in and immediately goes to classes and practices .

-Son, The New school and old school prepare a waiver to get son to maybe play this spring without sitting out(a very long shot)

-Old Coaches see waiver letter that son wrote and get a little upset...

-Eventually everyone gets over it and they submit the waiver letters

-3 weeks later(currently)-son is waiting on the NCAA to hear what happens, In a normal world :it appears to be a slam dunk on our side but ...  based on the NCAA  world: it appears like a super long shot

-We are all very happy either way      - school is a great fit. 

A lot of lessons learned and many we are still learning.  

 

 

Just wanted to Update this in regards to the NCAA same year transfer waiver. 

- 2 weeks ago -initial waiver rejected by the NCAA (as expected)

-Today-  the Appeal is rejected by the NCAA (As expected by me-but others(wife and school included) had given my son some false hope so he is a little upset despite me doing my best to tell him that he had no shot for the past month)

so that is it in a nutshell.  He is on the roster and can practice and be at home games but is officially a Redshirt. He seems to be happy at the new school overall.

This NCAA thing- man I hope they change this rule for future kids. I saw a couple of other posts that they were thinking about it. 

My 2018 signed with Cal State-Northridge. He did not like the school. He did not like his teammates or roommates. He did not like the coaching staff. He did not like SoCal. He was unhappy and, as a result, not doing well in school (hard to do well when you rarely attend class). He came home at the semester and we talked to a local JuCo about transferring. The new HC was a cutting edge PC and we liked him a lot. Ultimately, it was decided NOT to transfer at the break. Son felt as though he owed something to the HC at his school because he had given him a hefty scholarship.

It was a big mistake not just biting the bullet and transferring at the break. Things didn't get better. They got worse. He was unhappy and never played an inning due to his own problems. HC was fired, anyway at the end of the season, so he lost his roster spot for summer in the Alaska league, which was ll he had to look forward to at the time. He's now in JuCo and finding his groove again. He'll be a lot more careful in his next choice.

roothog66 posted:

My 2018 signed with Cal State-Northridge. He did not like the school. He did not like his teammates or roommates. He did not like the coaching staff. He did not like SoCal. He was unhappy and, as a result, not doing well in school (hard to do well when you rarely attend class). He came home at the semester and we talked to a local JuCo about transferring. The new HC was a cutting edge PC and we liked him a lot. Ultimately, it was decided NOT to transfer at the break. Son felt as though he owed something to the HC at his school because he had given him a hefty scholarship.

It was a big mistake not just biting the bullet and transferring at the break. Things didn't get better. They got worse. He was unhappy and never played an inning due to his own problems. HC was fired, anyway at the end of the season, so he lost his roster spot for summer in the Alaska league, which was ll he had to look forward to at the time. He's now in JuCo and finding his groove again. He'll be a lot more careful in his next choice.

Forgot to mention, as well, that he gained about 40 pounds and lost about 10mph off his fastball during this period. Lost some of the weight and the velo is back into the 90's.

Hoping this year is better Root.

Brutal.  I really feel for some of you having to go through this.  You're right SOMEBASEBALLDAD, the NCAA is about as helpful as a hemorrhoid for student/athletes.  I really hope something replaces the NCAA in my lifetime...I will dance a jig.  

Follow the money...the NCAA is about media, power conferences, ADs and college presidents.  Education is not in their lexicon.  

As always, JMO.

My kid actually got the waiver, it was the midseason transfer that we couldn't get around. I'm just not sure what his options were. Stay for the spring semester, and do what? Show up for practice for a team where the coach wants your scholarship money and you denied it. Yeah, that'd be fun. And then what, if the wavier were denied you're sitting out the next year and really screwed. I just don't get the "no exceptions" BS. How hard is it to look at a situation, realize a kid was put in a difficult position, and rule accordingly.