Whats the point in playing college baseball?

First of all, congratulations to your son on signing his NLI. My son is starting his 3rd year of college baseball and he loves it just like he loved it when he was a little boy playing whiffle ball in the back yard. There is one huge difference now compared to the backyard days........he now gets paid to play baseball. What I mean by that is that his scholarship takes care of his education at a school that he probably would not have been accepted at if it were not for baseball. So, although baseball is still fun, it takes a different twist once someone is paying your way through college as long as you perform on the baseball field.

Love of the game is the very best reason to play college or any other level of baseball.

I can't say that College Baseball will be more fun, for your son, than the other levels. I can say, College baseball is the most fun of all for most who have been involved. Most College players do not end up playing professional baseball.

When Willie Mays first got to the Big Leagues, he told his Manager "He didn't think he was good enough to play up here".

Best of luck to your son

PF, As you know, I know your son, and I think he's playing college ball for the same reasons mine plans on playing for. That is, for the love of the game. I wonder about the motives of people that would ask a question like that. If a player in college gets drafted, then that's a great opportunity and one they can decide to pursue or not at that time. Why should a kid that's passionate about ball, give it up at the college level? None, if he can handle the work load, etc. By the way - I hope you got my PM after we attended a camp at UC. NICE NICE program (coaches and facility). Great choice! I have no doubt yours will enjoy playing college ball and getting an education at the same time. Not all players get this opportunity - it's a blessing.

One of the things that makes baseball fun and rewarding at any level is pitting yourself against the best competition you can and seeing just how well you can do against that competition.

He'll now get to measure himself and grow as as a ballplayer against D1 competition, something very few players ever get the opportunity to do.

Baseball is always fun even if you are playing in a "Twilight League"---when you love the game that is the way it is

Congratulations! Mine is playing for several reasons. He wasn't ready to stop and wanted to give it a try. It gave him an instant group of friends to hang out with at college- no real need for a fraternity- they almost have thier own (without the dues )He is finding that the level talent is so much fun to play with- especially for a pitcher to have such solid catching, in and outfield and talented guys to pitch to to get ready for the real thing. I guess when it stops being fun you may have to reconsider, but for now it beats watching TV or partying in your spare time!

My son would not have been accepted on his educational performance to his college if it were not for his athletic ability. The bonds and experience with his teamates now in his second year are priceless. As for fun maybe they have too much as they are a happy group compared to Frat life or other college groups. There are only 10-15% of the HS players that move on to college ball. Also there are wash outs after each year. Playing ball at any level could be as serious or as fun as you want to make it. Enjoy the journey not the destination.
Bottom line is that they will tell him when it is time to stop playing!!! Until that point enjoy.

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Is college baseball more fun than T-Ball at 6 yrs. old.
Is college baseball more fun than Little League at 12 yrs. old when you were the stud of the league.
Is college baseball more fun than your first selct team at 13 yrs. old,playing with new kids all over town.
Is college baseball more fun than H.S. baseball.
Is college baseball more fun than other college activities available--fraternities etc.

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Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! At least that's the answers my son would give you!

College baseball is more fun because the game is better. The coaches are good, the players are all good, the competition is good, the opportunities to improve and succeed are better than any in the past. Plus the team is a family, the coaches are mentors, his life is structured and the drive for excellence has spilled over to the classroom too!

Whether or not professional baseball is in the future...I would highly recommend college baseball for any player that loves the game!

A former player came by last week. He wanted to talk about not playing this spring. I was shocked. WHY WOULD HE NOT WANT TO PLAY? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIM SINCE HIGH SCHOOL? He was wanting college baseball to be high school continued. Baseball that is fun but with success. He was used to hard work so that didn't bother him. He is used to long hours, little rest and the pains of playing. However, college ball isn't the same. He feels that he doesn't have the passion that he once had. We talked for a long time. If that passion isn't there, then it is time for him to either change where he is going or give up the game. However, if he does, he might lose playing the game for the rest of his life. I'm waiting for his decision.

You play college ball because you can't imagine your life without it. Nothing can detract from that passion. You play it for the scholarship to enable you to continue your education. You play it because your competitive nature needs an outlet. You play it because you believe in a bunch of guys joining together for a common cause. If you are lacking in these, then it is time to stop playing.

My question to you is...why not?!? Baseball is fun and better than a fraternity.

The frat boys would trade places in a nanosecond, if they only could.

The greater the challenge...the greater the reward! (If you succeed)
Fungo

My son watched 3 MLB games, every pitch, back to back to back, on ESPN opening day (day off from practice and no classes that day). So why does he play?

The absolute love of the game. 4 more years of cracking mitts, smelling the grass, trading barbs in the dugout and on the field, bullpens, joy of team wins, agony of team losses, pre-game meals, bus trips, motel rooms, mano-on-mano with batters, signals stolen and not so stolen, nothing so beautiful as a manicured field, conference tournament on AAA fields..

Why in the world wouldn't you play?

I think that most covered the answer to your question. The majority of college players do not end up in professional ball.
You need not have to answer to anyone why your son would want to play ball in college if he desires not to play pro later on (and one never knows).
Playing baseball in college is a continuation of years of hard work and dedication to the sport that he loves, plus a college education, partially or fully paid for his talents. He may at some point decide that it doesn't fit into his longtime goals, but in the meantime, tell him to enjoy the ride!
Congratualtions!

My son plays baseball in college because he loves the game. Simple as that.

Beenthere,

As you well know there are only two reasons to keep playing baseball... Fun or money.

And playing for money is not always a lot of fun!

Best of luck to Ryan.

Because they can...

There are so many that started with them in T-Ball that can't anymore...

College baseball for some is like having fun playing LL Majors All-Stars at their 12's, just everything goes faster.

My son left for Australia tonight and he still has that LL enthusiasm, it's called for the "love-of-the-game".

If you don't play for the love of the game, no amount of money will be enough...there will always be something missing.

Simple I think - talk to players who work hard and are decent players who don't get the opportunity.

Second - My FROSH year I majored in Keg parties - I was a big time Frat guy - took me 4 years of effort and $$$ to bring my GPA back up.

Our boys have had structure all thier lives - and thrived in the environment.....

The same question could apply for all of the following

Why play HS ball if you aren't going to play in college, and then the pros

Why play travel ball if you don't plan to play in HS, don't play in college, and won't go pro

Why play LL if you aren't going to play travel ball, HS, college, or pro ball.

Who really cares what the future will end up - you play at ALL levels because you have fun playing. Sure the money might come into play at some point, but why rush it.

Jerry,

Thanks for the good wishes for Ryan.

Went to school a skinny 185 pounder, came home for break a muscular 200 pounder. Stretched out another inch, too. Almost didn't recognize him. Wants to go back in January at 205.

jp

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Three separate people ask me why my son would want to play college baseball if he doesn't think he will ever be good enough pro baseball.

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If they have to ask, they will never know.

Why play in college if you don't think you'll make the pros? Interesting question....

I was recently talking to friends that I met while working at a summer camp in Maine. My brother had gone there untill he was 15 and then stopped to concentrate on baseball. He put forth alot of effort, hoping to get to the "big time". Instead, he ended up at Tufts.

So, one of his friends said "Ben put all that work into baseball and now he's at Tufts. I don't think it was worth it...."

My response- Without baseball, Ben wouldn't even waste the $$$ applying to Tufts.

Baseball might not get you to the pros, but it can be a huge help in setting your future. Through a Tufts baseball connection, Ben will be interning at Saturday Night Live this winter break. Without baseball, he would've never gotten that opportunity.

Now I'll move on to 2 Dominican kids I coached at the Legion level. Both are dirt poor. Neither has had a family member graduate from high school. Both did ok in school and were **** good ballplayers. One is now at Rhode Island College. The other is at Johnson & Wales. Neither will play pro ball. Both will have a college degree in 4 years. And it's almost all because of baseball.

Even if it doesn't get you to the pros, baseball can open doors to just about anyone who puts in the effort.

Congrats to Pantherfans son on his recent signing.

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Three separate people ask me why my son would want to play college baseball if he doesn't think he will ever be good enough pro baseball.

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This is an armchair quarterback statement from someone who is not riding on the same track. Besides playing because he loves the game there are other reasons behind playing college baseball, and they are all parts of what makes your son who he is. Pride, competitiveness, comradery, challenges, and many others. However, the big one is FINISHING the dream. Few make the "bigs" and most college players realistically know it will most likely not be their day job. But, since they've been 5 years old the dream has been to play pro baseball and through years of blood, sweat, and tears they have been programmed to go hard until the last pitch is thrown. This is a big part of what separates the HS player from the college player.

I would not question the people that bring up those questions because no one except the player and mom/dad would understand what make a baseball player tick.

Why take electives if they're not going to directly impact your major (which is, of course, structured exactly as a basis for your future career)?

Why read a book that doesn't further your profession?

Why travel if not for business?

Why talk to such narrow people? Sheesh!

Orlando brings up a point...Lots, if not most, of hs & college coaches also played in college...so it can be great on a resume, too.

Very good point. I STILL get asked questions about my college sport (football), and I finished in 1976! I mentioned this once before on here: a few years ago, I was interviewed by a Legislative Committee about a Judgeship. The very first question wasn't about capital punishment, judicial activism, or anything of that nature. It was "So how are the Hokies gonna do this year?"

Playing college baseball may not open the MLB door, but there are a lot of other doors into which it may get one's foot, and that's not bad either.

I agree with all that's been written already.

Except to say, that the team is a family away from home...they work-out, eat-out and party-out together. They live in dorms together, then later move into apartments as they get older. Upperclassmen help lowerclassmen with what professors to take, and then kick their butts when needed. They meet girls, play hallway stickball, and learn that they need sleep to be ready for finals and the next game. They raz each other, then then next second, high five each other. They fight, cuss and scream. They bleed and break bones. They high five the HR and the SAC.

They win as a team, lose as a team, and mature into men.

BUMP! Great thread worth bringing to the fore.

C'mon man... we all know why....

Chicks dig the long ball, or anything else those guys wearing baseball pants are doing out there!!!

All the "free things" helps as well. At least the kids think they are "free" LOL. Bats, gloves etc.

After a K the boy likes the glance back to the mound from the hitter as he rereats to the dugout. Summer ball, you can't beat a broken bat!

I ask my son this question at least once per week. His answers are invariably that he loves being on a team, that he wants to be a professional baseball player, that he wants to maximize his educational opportunities (I think I programmed that one over time), and that the game will always be a part of his life.

What I see from my vantage point is that it is an opportunity to maximize his educational opportunities, that I never see him smile like he does on a baseball field, his favorite toilet bowl reading is the baseball express catalog, he counts his 12 year old cooperstown trip as the best week of his life, and that although he plays basketball, guitar, saxophone, is in the top 5% of his class academically, and is genuinely a very funny kid, if you asked him to identify himself he would say he is a baseball player.

When I started playing LL it never dawned on me there wasn't another season of baseball in front of me. My father played college football. I figured I would play baseball through college. I never thought seriously about being a MLB player or what level of college I would play. I would just play. It turned out I was good enough to play D1.

I cried twice in a uniform. The first time was when my Legion team was elimninated in the post season of my final year. Four of us had played together since LL and whiffle ball in our back yards. Another five were teammates since thirteen in Babe Ruth ball. We wouldn't be teammates anymore. We wouldn't be smiling and laughing together anymore. I was fortunate to play collegiate summer ball with a couple of them.

When my college team was eliminated in the NCAA tournament my senior year I cried. I sat in the dugout after the game, realized playing baseball was over and I cried. I was the last one out of the dugout. Back in the locker room I just sat in my uniform. I knew it was the last time I would wear a baseball uniform. I just couldn't take it off.

What I didn't realize at the time was a year later I would be coaching 13-15 year old boys in baseball.

I hope this explains why the next level is just as fun as the previous. It's the passion for the game. It's because we're baseball players. It's a lot of who we are. If there's a challenge at the next level we accept it.

My freshman son came home from college last week and slept. He said for three months it seemed all he did was go to class, study, baseball, workout and sleep. He did gain fifteen pounds of muscle. He said as time consuming as baseball can be he can't imagine not playing knowing there's only a few years left to play.

RJM
Is your son playing for his college now? Last I remember he had some serious injuries, if he is now playing thats great!

Because a lot of girls tend to like the baseball boys. That's another reason, from what I understand.

I am one of those girls who always liked baseball players. Now I'm too old to admit it, but I know you folks won't tell anyone.

There are lots of reasons chicks dig baseball players. For the most part they look great in their uniforms and their faces (usually) don't get messed up. Most (not all) baseball players have a good sense of humor - you haved to, to endure all the failure involved in the sport.

I frankly think the question of why play if you aren't going to go pro is a stupid question. There are lots of things people do for enjoyment and not for money.

When I was 11 years old I stepped on a bee while playing kickball barefoot. Being 11 years old, I didn't wash out the wound properly and simply bandaged my foot up and kept going. I didn't want to go tell my mom what happened because I wouldn't be allowed to play anymore. Three days later I was playing the outfield in a summer league game and had my cleat caught in a drain in centerfield. My leg twisted oddly and in turn, my left groin muscle was torn. 48 hours later I was in the hospital with a fever well over 100 degrees and with doctors not understanding how or why that had just happened to me. It came to fruition that the bee sting had allowed a staph infection to enter my body and the hematoma that developed from the muscle tear was being attacked. The doctors told my parents I might not make it through that first night.

Over the course of the next eight months I was in and out of the hospital for about 12 weeks and missed a good chunk of 6th grade. I developed a gram positive infection, acute hepatitis, and an irregular heart beat. The doctors feared I had Crohn's Disease.

I was miserable- I just wanted to get back on the baseball field. I knew I would feel better then.


A week after my 15th birthday I was given the most startling news I had ever received in my entire life. My next door neighbor, a sophomore at the University of Delaware, was the victim of a brutal rape and murder late the night before, and her body was found burned in the bathtub of her off-campus apartment. I spent the entire week amongst friends and family, consoling and being consoled. I was verbally abused for several weeks by countless news reporters knocking on our front door looking for the inside scoop on the story. I had to take finals and an AP exam. I had to attend her funeral. It was a time in my life that I found myself seriously questioning God and a lot of the circumstances of my life and the lives of those around me.

I was miserable- I just wanted to get back on the baseball field. I knew I would feel better then.


When I was 19 years old and a college sophomore, I enjoyed the festivities of a semi-formal team Valentine's Day party. We put on ties, the girls put on dresses, and we enjoyed a night amongst ourselves. I got home after the party and went to sleep, setting an alarm to wake up the following morning and have breakfast with a friend. I never heard that alarm. At about 8 AM my roommate heard a crash and looked down at the floor to find me having a grand mal seizure. After a 9-1-1 call, an ambulance ride, a CT Scan and an MRI, it was determined that I fell out of bed and had a concussion-induced seizure. I was to sit out of baseball until I passed the necessary concussion tests.

I was cleared about a week later...just weeks before opening day. I went to sleep early on a Sunday night- Monday morning's 6 AM workout would be my first day back from the concussion. My roommate remained awake a bit longer playing video games in the common room of the dorm. About a half hour after I dozed off, he says he heard an odd moan and peeked into my room. I was having another grand mal seizure on my bed.

The doctors told me that I have nocturnal epilepsy and that I'd be required to take two pills a day everyday. I was run through numerous tests at the hospital to monitor my neurological symptoms. They suggested no physical activity for the time being until they figured out what was wrong.

I was miserable- I just wanted to get back on the baseball field. I knew I would feel better then.


The day before my 21st birthday I blew out my UCL, as is fairly well documented here on this website and in my blog. With Tommy John Surgery occurring in July, there's no chance I will be physically capable of playing baseball this spring- my senior year. Several people suggested hanging 'em up...not getting the surgery and moving onto the next phase of my life.

I looked at them like they had two heads. Why would I voluntarily give up the game when I know I can still play? It's been my salvation my entire life...why quit now?


You play college baseball because you love the game of baseball. There's no other reason necessary.

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You play college baseball because you love the game of baseball. There's no other reason necessary.

Wow incredible journey for you.I love reading your posts. Its about the game, the pure love of the game,you play until you cant play any longer or you leave on your own terms.Somebody outside of the game has no idea what they are talking about.

The only real reason to play baseball (or any other sport) is to win.

At any level.

If that isnt the driving factor - you are probably toast.

The other driving factor is - when you lose - to play again - and win.

Thats about it IMO.