What would you do?

Not sure what you mean when you say you will be in the "great minority" but overall I say go for it. Give it all you got and if it looks like you aren't going to get a scholarship for the fall then you can take this summer and find another place.

I may have said this in the other thread you started but really education is education unless you are talking about Duke, Stanford or the Ivy Leagues. Find a school that offers what you want to study because I doubt you will go pro. Get into a school that offers what you want AND allows you to play ball.

But once you get there - stay. You could end up taking 1000 classes and spending a lot of money if you move around a bunch.

Thank you. When I say the great minority I mean thhe school is an HBC and they are not interested in offering this scholarship unless I stay next year.

For those who may not be familar with the acronym, HBC is historically black college. Unless you don't want to say, would it happen to be Delaware State?

HBC (Historically Black College)

Got to admit, I have never heard that term.

Sorry mtownfan, I don't have much to offer.

RJM-No it is not Delaware State. It is a school near Baltimore. Thank you for clarifying my acronym.

Never heard that term either Danny.

So motown please correct me if I'm wrong but are you saying that this school had some extra money left over so they are going to give it to you but if they find a black player next year they are going to give it to him instead of you?

I still say go and play. Be easier to find another school with a year of ball no matter where you play at than to sit out a year and then get picked up.

Interesting situation !!!!!


Can you play right away?

mtownfan,

Please call the NCAA and discuss your situation with them to make sure that you really can enter competition this year. Here's why: I think that you can qualify for an exception (14.5.5.2.10.1) to the one-year residence rule for transfers into D1, but as I read the rules, in baseball you must have attended the fall semester at the new school in order to compete.

14.5.1 Residence Requirement—General Principle. ..........In baseball and basketball, a transfer student-athlete who satisfies the applicable transfer requirements or qualifies for an exception as set forth in this section, but initially enrolls as a full-time student after the first term of the academic year shall not be eligible for competition until the ensuing academic year.

Of course, even if you only could practice with the new school, that still would enhance your chances of playing the following year. However, if you are thinking of an additional transfer to a D1 or D2 school, I believe that you will have to sit a year at the third school. Again this is sufficiently complicated that you really need to get advice from the NCAA.

All of that relates to rules, and whether you would be allowed to compete. If you'll permit me to offer some fatherly advice, I'd recommend staying at your present school. There's a lot of downside to transferring, and it's no slam dunk that you'll make the team at a new school. Other than baseball, are there good reasons to leave your present school?

Here is the situation. The school just hired a new coach in October so now they do not have enough players. Their current roster shows about ten players. They are seeking an NCAA waiver to allow players to trasfer and not have to sit out so that they can field a team for this season. The coach does not want players to only come for this semester because he is trying to build a program. The scholarship for next year will be dependent on how well I would do this season. Hope that clears some things up. Thanks.

I guess the question is, do you want to play baseball this year and increase your chances of playing next year? Or do you want to stay where you are and decrease the chances you'll play next year?

Looks like a no brainer to me, but I'm not in your shoes.

Ground floor opportunity, new coach, great chance to play a lot.

I say go for it and let us know how you do.

Do you really think they will grant a waiver ? That I got to see.

The thought that a school only has 10 players on the roster, what happened there?Did the old coach take his players somewhere else?
To me the original poster did not make the team where he is at, let the kid go play somehwere else.
I understand the NCAA not wanting kids jumping all over the place but persoanlly I think they have taken it to far. There are many young boys that will not make team or will be unhappy at schools and they cant leave without sitting out.
This team with ten player, why not let some kids transfer there who cant play where they are now? They are still going to school and getting a chance to play.
Still do not get why there are only ten kids on roster, that would be a big question mark to me.

As a parent, at the point that you are at, I would advise my son to go to the school where he will get the best education, be comfortable on and off the field, with or without baseball, because it is going to end sooner than later.

Hopefully later than sooner

For many adults they say go get an education, for many players they want to play ball. For many players baseball will keep them on track to graduate. I have met many parents tell me their sons dislike school, but baseball keeps them on track. For me whatever keeps them on track to get their degree, go for it.In the end you have a degree but got to play four more years of baseball, if your good enough.
We see it from our grown up eyes, some of these boys still are in lovewith the game and arent ready to give it up.

mtown ....

I know which program you're taking about. Are you sure you really want to play there? The situation has been ongoing for a few seasons. Is it worth it to play D1 if you're going to get pummeled every game? They've won four games in two years. The school's lifetime record is 238-790. I question if there's any commitment by the university to baseball.

The situation is so ugly they've removed most archives from the website. This is not a program that's going to take you places unless there are some drastic changes. The previous coach only lasted two years.

Maybe you should ask posters on this board what they know about the new coach. Other than that I'd run as far as I could from this program unless the school is where you want to get your education.

RJM,

I am glad someone knows what program. Hard to give advice out when you do not know where the player is talking about. Thats why I asked why there were only 10 players on roster.

Thanks to everyone that has replied. Yes the school is Coppin State if that makes a difference.
RJM-Yeah I checked out the website and saw the situation and that is really why I am questioning the move. Any other offer like this I would take, but I really don't know if this one would be best for me.

Well I was the first one to tell you to go but after hearing the whole story I'm not too sure right now. I can see that being a very miserable experience.

Do you have anything definite lined up to be able to play this summer?

If you do and it's a pretty good league then I say don't go. I think you would be best served to not go now and take the spring to contact some coaches to see what they say and play in the summer.

Best of luck.

The roster can’t possibly be complete… Can it?

Only two pitchers?

Don’t know if I’ve ever seen team pitching stats like their team had last year.

W-4, L-52, ERA- 11.72, IP-422.1, H-780, R-710, BB-299, SO-240, HBP- 99, Batting Ave against- .388

I take that all back… Just looked at their 2007 pitching stats.

W-0, L-44, ERA-16.67, IP-264, H-604, R-489, BB-269, SO-83, HBP-64, Batting ave against-.445

They have a new coach. Obviously he has a lot of work to do. Only one way to go.

"Only one way to go."



As others have said above, this might be a difficult situation, and could turn out to be downright miserable. But how badly do you want to play college baseball? How much chance do you have to make it next year as a walk-on at your current DI? Or are you thinking of finishing out this semester there, and then looking at other opportunities for next year (perhaps at another level - DII, DIII, NAIA)?

I'm not saying Yes you should, or No you shouldn't. But don't be afraid to say "I just want to play college baseball. I just want to play." if that is the truth.

Good luck with your decision - I'm guessing you need to make it quickly!

Julie

P.S. Your original question was "What would you do?". I played college fastpitch, not baseball, but given what has been said so far, I think I might jump at the chance to play if I was in that situation.

From the website, about the new coach with 20 years of experience as a college baseball coach: "...is no stranger to turning around programs. As the head coach at (college) he led the program to its first winning season in over 30 years, and while serving as the head coach at (college) his teams broke virtually every pitching record in school history."

The fact that you've all ready attended a class this semester at another school makes your chances of a getting a waiver very, very slim... i could be wrong but you need to find that out to make an informed decision

I agree. If they give him a waiver they have to give everyone a waiver. Not going to happen unless some very extraordinary reason. Can't think of one.

quote:

Originally posted by MN-Mom:

P.S. Your original question was "What would you do?". I played college fastpitch, not baseball, but given what has been said so far, I think I might jump at the chance to play if I was in that situation.

It takes a special person to know they may be humbled by competition right off the bat, but if the dream of that competition is that strong the sacrifice may be worth it. No can make that call but yourself. Weigh the options good and bad, get inside the coaches head and see where he wants to go, look at the Ed issues, and follow your heart.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
The roster can’t possibly be complete… Can it?

Only two pitchers?

Don’t know if I’ve ever seen team pitching stats like their team had last year.

W-4, L-52, ERA- 11.72, IP-422.1, H-780, R-710, BB-299, SO-240, HBP- 99, Batting Ave against- .388

I take that all back… Just looked at their 2007 pitching stats.

W-0, L-44, ERA-16.67, IP-264, H-604, R-489, BB-269, SO-83, HBP-64, Batting ave against-.445

They have a new coach. Obviously he has a lot of work to do. Only one way to go.

They've had a roster and coach problem for four years I know of. The new coach is the second in three years. The softball program is in the same disarray as well as other athletic programs (basketball was good years ago). There doesn't appear to be a commitment to athletics by the university. I'm willing to guess the players they get are not D1 quality. They're getting hammered by teams from a mid to low level D1.

Regarding the stats, they won four games last year. They didn't win a game the year before. I believe they bagged the remainder of the schedule when too many players quit. They only played 44.

I guess a key question would be does anyone know anything about the new head coach Mike Scolinos? He was an assistant at Cal Tech last year. They went 0-27.

I'm guessing their biggest cheer is, "You may be beating us now. But you'll be working for us later."

Thank you all so much for responses. I believe everyone had great points and many different views were expressed. However, after a closer look at the school and the baseball program I just really don't think it is a fit for me. They do not really have my major so I would not be able to stay there all 4 years. If this was just going to be a one season and done deal I think I would have to take the great opportunity, but the coach is trying to build a program and the issue of players leaving has an obvious effect on the current state. I have a few options for where to play this summer and I have been talking to some Division 3 schools about playing next year so you probably haven't heard the last from me. Again, I thank everyone who responded.

quote:

They have a new coach. Obviously he has a lot of work to do. Only one way to go.

Probably the only way out of this mess is recruiting a bunch of JuCo players. I wonder if they fund enough rides to do so.