What to expect: Jr yr thru early signing date

Congrats to your son on his good performance thus far and his invitation to the National Showcase! Merely securing an invitation to this showcase is a big accomplishment.

A lot depends on whether he is already on the radar screen of various colleges. I see that you live in Wisconsin, which is not exactly known for baseball. RZ1 is from Wisconsin and his son has been very successful both in college and beyond. You would be wise to send a Private Message to him and ask for guidance.

Also, the position he plays will determine how much attention he receives, as well as how early he receives this attention. If he is a pitcher, you can probably expect a lot of contact from schools -- if not this spring, at least in the summer. If he is a position player, the contact may be lesser and later.

As you know, junior year is a crucial year for recruiting and it is imperative that your son get a lot of exposure to college scouts this summer. Hopefully, he will do well at the National Showcase, which swarms with scouts.

As far as phone calls, which can begin on July 1, it's hard to know when those will begin. If your son is highly-regarded, he may get multiple calls on July 1. But there is no need to panic if he doesn't. My son, a non-blue chip position player, received his first calls in mid-August. Others I know got their first calls in October. All ended up with good deals by the early signing date.

Best wishes!

Thanks. He is a switch-hitting catcher pop times in the 1.85 range. He is set up with a excellent Summer Team out of WI that travels all over the country and has a quality coaching staff so that should go well. We are now just waiting for some warmer weather so we can get the snow off the fields.....

I can't tell you what to expect, because every situation is different. I can tell you that if you wait for something to happen, there is a far greater chance that it won't happen then if you go out and make something happen.

Use this summer not only to play ball, but for your son to contact coaches, visit colleges, define what kind of school he wants to attend. Then start marketing. You have a far greater chance of finding something that makes sense for your son then having a particular school or coach find you.

Be realisitic, find a place where your son will fit in academically, socially and baseball wise. Chances are you can find some great places that you have never heard of if you open your eyes and venture out.

My one advice that I give to almost any parent is if your son wants to play ball in college, he can but it is likely going to be up to you to help him find a place where he can succeed.

Good luck!

Thanks for all of the info. This website is a great source of information for how to approach such an important decision. We took to heart the advice on being proactive and getting in front of the schools that my son was most interested in. He has verballed to Kansas State for 2009. What a great "on the rise" program (made it to the championship game of the Big 12 tourney this year) and a super coaching staff. We are so excited that my son will be a part of their team.

Congratulations !!! Great news!!!

congrats,thats awesome.Im going up to Manhattan in less than 2 weeks for a camp

Hardball 34, congrats to your family! That is wonderful news!

I'm definitely regretting not doing enough to get my name out there.. I was a starter at a top 4A baseball program in Texas for my junior and senior year. Hitting over .400 in high school really isn't enough to just get all sorts of phone calls, like I thought it would. Realistically, to make it big time, you are either going to have to be a great defensive catcher, with a pop time below 2, a pitcher that throws over 90, with a decent second poitch, a 6.7-6.9 type of runner, or last but not least, You'll have to be able to hit home runs very regularly. Junior colleges aren't as big on all of the tools, I've seen where they'll take people who have a couple of those tools, or maybe even one. You are going to have to make a DVD of your skills, and send them to colleges you might even be a little interested in. Things aren't always like you think they are... Some college programs simply don't give full scholarships, unless its a complete STUD! Pretty much what I'm saying is, there's nothing wrong going to a junior college for a couple years to get your basics in school out of the way and to get a couple of seasons in at the collegiate level... If nothing else, you'll prove that you can do it. School is cheaper too... Hope someone finds this helpful.

Very well said Dawg 10, my son is a soon to be senior and has not done any research or outreach to any colleges. He seems happy just to show up to play and then go home to relax or see his girlfriend. He has had D1 programs send flyers/questionnaires and a few "assistant coaches" have called. I have to add to those out there that the last person they want to hear from is mom and dad. When you get a call from the head coach, they are serious. My son did get one call from a head coach, but he was not home, made return call to voice mail, no response.

My son was fortunate enough to be selected to the Area Code team, I've been told this is the premier location to be seen and that the phone will begin to ring. As a parent it gets frustrating to see all this attention but its kind of like fishing, many small nibbles but no hook, line and sinker. And as for these big programs, most have their 2009 kids already sealed so for my son if he truly wishes to go to college, it will be Junior College. For me that is okay, I'll say a ton on expenses.

Pop up hitter Dad - thanks for your post and welcome to the hsbbweb!

Some bells went off when I read your post.

Waiting for the phone to ring is a recipe for not getting an offer. Your son needs to be 100 times more aggressive. For starters, when that head coach called, he needed to ring his cell phone off the hook not just leave a voice mail. Put yourself in the shoes of the coach. Imagine you are an employer. Do you want the guy who shows enthusiasm toward your company or do you want a guy who feels entitled and waiting for you to wine and dine him? Also, assistant coaches are often the most important people to call as tehy are often the RECRUITING COORDINATORS. Hopefully, he found time in his busy schedule to speak to each one of those who called

Secondly, he should have filled out all those questionaires and followed those up with phone calls to find out where he stands with those programs. Coaches will gladly talk to parents as well. What they don't want to hear is hype how you think the kid is the next Babe Ruth. They will engage in honest dialog about their program and what it would take to play there. They also might give you some feedback on your son and what he needs to do.

Finally, who said 2009 recruting is already a done deal at the big programs? Many top programs recruit all the way up to the early sign period and some will even recruit next spring.

Also, you might want to encourage him to start working on his game this fall and meet with his girlfriend on Sunday evenings for dinner. I can assure you there are hungry kids out their right now developing their arm strength by long tossing, devloping their power by weight lifting, improving their 60 yard dash times by speed training, developing their hitting/pitching by working in the cage, bp, and attending as many games and tournaments they can this fall. In short they are putting their hearts and souls into it. Even if he gets an offer to attend, he might find it difficult to compete against kids like that come fall 2009 - regardless of his current talent level.

ClevelandDad has brought up some very important points to think about while going through the process.
I have known many that have gone to AC games, the phone for them did not ring off the hook, unless they had outstanding or decent performances.
Are you sure that this is something that your son really wants to do (play college baseball) or something that you would like him to do?
You should sit down and have a very serious discussion regarding the situation. This takes a lot of work, not just showing up for one event, and time and money. It's always good to find out if you and he are on the same page about college baseball. It's a HUGE commitment.

If he is good enough to get selected to the AC games, then he is in pretty good shape as far as having the talent to go play somewhere, I didn't even recieve an invite.

Cleveland Dad, you have some very good points, especially the part of returning phone calls to coaches. The one who called him, probably on purpose held back calling him back to see how hungry he is. I asked him to keep calling, he refused just like everything else I ask him about this subject. I have questioned his commitment/desire to play college ball, he called me "retarded". Sitting down and having a one on one with my son is the last thing he wants to do. I would like him to attend college, not to play ball but to further his education. Playing ball and getting a small scholarship would help. I would say he really would rather go straight to baseball after high school, he doesn't like sitting in class. I have tried to talk (email) these coaches, none have ever responded to my inquiries. As my previous post states, I'm a bit frustrated with this whole process. I am not one to talk up his baseball, his abilities speak for themselves, however as you can see by my screen name he needs some work in certain areas.

He is doing more baseball after Area Code, but will have about three weeks off before fall ball. He works out but isn't working on his speed, he is somewhat slow. As for the 2009 signing being done, I heard this from a coach we know. But a good point you made, why are these coaches still coming to games to watch?

HSBBWeb is a very good place for people like me who are uninformed about all this. I passed this on to a friend who has an up and coming shortstop who will be a sophomore this fall. I want him to know more than I did so he doesn't make the same mistakes.

Pop Up Hitter Dad, look for a PM.

quote:

He seems happy just to show up to play and then go home to relax or see his girlfriend.

Pop Up,
I am going to hope this comes across supportive because that comment struck me.
First of all, if your son has been invited to the AC games, he is a player. That is a great "start." It is not the end.
Whether he chooses to attend college or hopes to get drafted and follow that path, showing up to play and then going home to relax is a recipe for "failing" on either path.
On the professional side, he will be taking on a job and the competition is both fierce and more competitive than anything he has ever done before. If he is not mentally ready to be in baseball from about 10am to 10pm, doing extra work, being in the weight room, driving himself to improve, he will make the route very, very hard on himself because nearly every teammate of his will be doing those things.
On the college side, it takes the same commitment and discipline, you just need to put about 15 units into the day also.
Your son is about 10 or so months from facing the real world of baseball where everything he did before, including the AC games, really means very little to the coaches who are seeing him now.

All that infielddad shared is correct. However, there is hope.

Some players do not step it up until required to. The heightened competition and expectations in college can bring out the very best in players who up until then were lacking motivation and self-discipline. Some do the bare minimum until forced to do more.

I've seen lots of dates, Septmeber 1st, July 1st. My son will be a Junior this year, 2008-2009 and will graduate in 2010. What date can you expect to start seeing letters from colleges? Will it be this September 2008 or next July 2009?

Thanks in advance.

Colleges can begin sending letters on Sept. 1 of junior year. Colleges can begin calling on July 1 after junior year.

Infield08,

Thank you for the PM, I will take your advice and get to work.

Popuphitterdad

Infielddad, your post was supportive and your point is exactly what is frustrating me with my son. If he didn't make a buddy on his summer team, he would not be going up with him to the hitting cage today. The world of college and professional baseball is a dog eat world and he needs to understand this. I'm hoping he does what Infield08 stated, the better competition makes him work harder. He has in the past seemed to always rise above the rest, not sure how but he has. He'll see pitching in the 90s down at Long Beach, we'll see if he can hit it. Thanks to all who responded to my post, this site is a gold mine of information.

Pop up hitters dad

Wishing your son the best, and it sounds like he has lots of natural talent but many players have talent. Its the natural drive to be the best that makes good players great.
Eventually baseball will humble the best of players and then the work really begins. Thats when you will see how bad he wants it.
Good luck to your son

quote:

baseball will humble the best of players and then the work really begins. Thats when you will see how bad he wants it.

njbb, what a pointed and poignant summary of what the darn game is all about, and what makes the difference in those who keep getting to that elusive next level, because there is always one.

My son has less than a year to go now, I'll make sure to keep you all informed of his progress. This coming senior year will tell for sure if he truly wants to continue playing ball. Thank you for your sound advice and information about your sons progress through the system.