When Should HS Players Start Evaluating Colleges?

The first thing you'll need to do (and it may be a little tough as a freshman) is set a realistic expectation of what level he feels he can play at.  It doesn't make sense to look at Vandy if he's going to be 5'9, 150 and throwing 84.   Once you have an idea on where he fits, go ahead and start making a list.  Keep in mind, if he wants to play baseball.....the list of his "wants" and the list of colleges that "want him" may be completely different in the end.  Now if he's a 6'3 freshman LHP already throwing 84-85....then yes, go ahead and start big.  It's pretty likely that at that size and with that velocity if he can at least throw a strike he'll have a shot at choosing where he wants to go.  As is always said here....choose a school that he would still like to attend if it wasn't for baseball.  My son is proof of that.  He is a college senior.  His career hasn't gone exactly like he had hoped, but he is at a school fairly close to home....has lived with a couple of his good HS friends most of the time he's been there and even if baseball had ended after his freshman year, I think he'd have been happy with his college choice.   Also, if your son is playing travel in a good organization, his coaches can probably help give him some insight on where he may "fit" with regard to colleges.  Again, if he's a freshman, a lot can change, but you need to start with the realistic fits...and if he grows, gets stronger and ends up being a high level prospect, things will take care of themselves

Is he a straight A student?  Worry about that first, second, and third. Then worry about baseball and college.

Francis,

Good question, and I suspect you'll get different answers based on what the student/athlete is most interested in.   I look at this two ways.   First is what you can do or which college can you visit on your own without regard to baseball.   Second is who are you going to visit during the recruiting process for baseball.  These colleges can be inclusive or mutually exclusive, but you've got to start at the beginning and I suggest starting with a reasonable list that makes sense academically and athletically...adjust as necessary.

For my oldest son it started in 8th grade trying understand college and what he needed to do to get there primarily with academics then with baseball.  His national travel team played at a number of colleges so he got exposed to them at an early age (freshmen in HS) and pretty much made up his mind he wanted to play in college.  Unofficially we visited, a lot of schools (30-40+) over a few couple years in the state & region so he kind of had an idea what he wanted in college.   Frankly, many of the ones he liked surprised me.  You've got to make the time to visit these schools even if it is a drive-by if you happen to be in the area.   Expose them at an early age what college is all about (including it costs a lot of money!) was what we did for all three of my sons.

In terms of recruiting, you should start seriously thinking about this when your son is ready to showcase his skills and is ready to take on the full responsibility of college recruiting.   It is a lot of work and sacrifices for the recruit and his family.

As always, JMO 

Don't think it's too early to think about it. Even if only for motivation. Also depends on the kid. My 2020 RHP started making contact end of sophomore year going into the summer. Now has a number of current coaches he keeps contact with. 

My 2022  wasn't thinking about it, but his coach was contacted about him. He's not a 6'3" LHP, but a 5'11" RHP/3B  up to 84 this winter. So we're moving a little faster with him.

FWIW from what I've seen with my older son's teammates and friends that have committed, official visit was usually used after the player committed and coaches used it to bring the class together.

Ideally, parents should begin the process of learning about the college admission processes and standards BEFORE their kid begins HS. Of the thousands of potential colleges, the number needs to be winnowed substantially. Eventually the result is an intersection of academically suitable schools and baseball schools - but academics are far more critical early because of potential baseball attrition.

So, a family should set up an appointment - as early as possible in 9th grade - with the school GC. Learn what curriculum are offered, what colleges look for (e.g., a kid taking the "most rigorous"), what extra-curriculars are desirable, where that HS sends its graduates,  etc. If this is your oldest child, this is a long - and constantly evolving - process. (DO NOT LET BASEBALL INFLUENCE ANY STEP IN THIS PROCESS. All sorts of things can derail totally a HS baseball career (girls, weed, desire, injury, whatever), up to his last game; an academic record is built over a four year period and can't magically be created overnight. (Many schools have computer programs which, e.g., can display the college application results of all its students in cool easy to understand graphs. These programs are huge helps.))

This gives a start to understanding how a kid can and should be positioned to maximizing his college options - from the HS performance side.

Also early in the process financial constraints - if any - can be identified. These constraints need to be shared with your child. There may be some financial planning early in the HS process which can result in more FA when the time comes.

In a perfect world, parents should have a handle on their kid's academic performance - recognizing that just because a kid was a stellar MS student doesnt ensure a stellar HS academic record; but a kid who struggled in MS will most likely not all of a sudden become a great HS student. With this educated guess in mind, colleges that suit his academic perfomance can be identified and further researched. (I am NOT saying to look for any specific majors; I am saying look at academic profiles of the average student which are found on the colleges' CDS.)

Also early are visits to all types of colleges - big, little, rural, urban, north, south, etc.- will eventually lead to discovering which type of college is preferred. (Recognize that college preferences may dramatically change during the process.) Try to go to some college games to see the level of play.

IMO, you've got a cart/horse issue. Everything you're asking has a baseball overtone (9/1 junior year, OV, etc.). Winnowing the 1000s of choices to a more manageable number occurs without any baseball consideration - because NO ONE KNOWS WHAT LEVEL OF BASEBALL A NINTH GRADER OFFERS. (My son was about 5' 4" 115 lbs in ninth grade; there was no way to see the baseball path he eventually followed; but, we knew - from meeting with the GC what would be his most likely courses for his HS career.)

By focusing on baseball and developing your entire college approach - IN THE NINTH GRADE - on baseball means you are most likely burning options from which decisions  he can't recover if baseball doesn't pan out. (And, if you're not spending the same mental energy on his academics as you spend on pre-HS baseball you're betting a lot on something which can be derailed in so, so many ways which ultimately will come back and bite the person you are seeking to help.)

The long and the short is this (and applies for athletes and non-athletes): it's never too early to be learning about the college process. There's lots to learn and the time just seems to fly. The later you discover critical information means the fewer options to address that new info - and there is always new info to be absorbed.

Francis you catch a lot of slack, but it's a good question. 

Even without baseball, most kids have an idea of of what schools they want to go to around their sophomore year. Based on grades and what they want to study you can probably start sitting down and making a list. Kid has straight B's, keep Princeton off the list. Kid wants a big school with good sports, add Clemson. Once that list is made try visiting some of the more local schools on long weekends/holidays/etc. Your son doesn't have to be a straight A student, but he should be getting the best grades possible. 

As for baseball. You need to identify your kid as a prospect first. That is the most important part. Until he stands apart from other teammates or is at the level of other players that are in the process of being recruited, he is not a prospect. For some it happens at 14. For others it doesn't happen until 18. The most important thing is to have a non biased, non family source that can give it to him straight and tell him if his has enough talent and at which level he can see him at. It can be a HS coach, trainer that comes to games, but it is usually a travel coach who can put him in front of the right people. If he is with the right program, that travel coach will know or he will have schools reaching out to him. 

The 9/1 date is pretty meaningless. Coaches aren't offering official visits to recruits. Officials are saved for the incoming classes to come up to a football/basketball game their senior year. You also don't pick where you want to visit, they have to offer to have you on campus. 

For once, I DON'T think you are getting too far ahead of yourself.  Although, perspective is still important.  It is a good time to start getting a feel for what type of college your son may want to attend/ qualify to attend with baseball being just one small piece of the equation.  Understand that, if he is like most HS freshmen, his preferences and points of focus will change over the next few years but at least you can start the dialog and start exposing him to different campus cultures so he can gain some perspective.

That said, keep the main focus on enjoying the experience of the HS years.

Unless a kid is a pro prospect the thought process should be what college will set him up for a lifetime of success? Then, how is the baseball there? 

In the case of one of my son’s high school teammates he knew he was getting into a college baseball program where he would have to laugh off a lot of losses. But he works for NASA now. 

From a baseball perspective start attending some college games at each level. Get an up close idea for the speed of the game and the quality of play. 

You wont have to figure out if your son is a D1 prospect. Appropriate travel teams in your area will pursue him. 

"Unless a kid is a pro prospect the thought process should be what college will set him up for a lifetime of success? "

I'll narrow that thought to: Unless a kid is a [sure fire MLB player] the thought process . . . . 

And that list is pretty small. Bryce Harper comes to mind. On the other hand Stephen Strasburg was simply a pudgy not impressive specimen.

Goosegg posted:

"Unless a kid is a pro prospect the thought process should be what college will set him up for a lifetime of success? "

I'll narrow that thought to: Unless a kid is a [sure fire MLB player] the thought process . . . . 

And that list is pretty small. Bryce Harper comes to mind. On the other hand Stephen Strasburg was simply a pudgy not impressive specimen.

I think he meant high level D1 recruit - P5 Schools and perennial mid majors. How many D3 recruits are getting drafted? 

But I agree. College baseball needs to be used for 1 of 3 reasons; Get drafted, make college more affordable, or get an education you might not have been able to get if baseball were not in the picture. 

Lots of good responses above.  And everyone's situation is different.  It's not too early.

The biggest challenge is how to engage your son in a process to actually think about his future to where he makes his choices.  It's also a process that exposes a kid to realities; financial, ability, desires and necessary effort.

I remember the 14U travel coach asking the kids for a top ten list of schools they wanted to go to.  And what a struggle it was for my son to think in those terms.

Unless he's a complete stud and your phone starts ringing off the hook...I think the answer is once he's taken the SAT/ACT and has the scores he's comfortable with. At that point he will have a real feel for which schools he will qualify for. So perhaps target Spring of junior year for the tests and reaching out baseball related..that way he can answer the test score question and let the coaches know where he will be that Summer. Then if he has a great Summer travel ball season and does well at a showcase(s) he should good to go. 

I think it is good to start thinking about it as a freshman.  That is why I think a showcase freshman year isn't a bad idea.  It gives you an idea of where you stand today.  Could your kid be a late bloomer and things change, or great at 15 and fizzle out? Yes, but it gives you a baseline. Our coach had us do the same thing as freshman.  Write down your top 5 schools.  He then laughed and said that 90% of the kids put the same 5 schools...Vandy, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, etc., and that most of us were not being realistic.  We honestly had no idea until we went to some showcases and college camps.  If the schools start reaching out to your coaches after you attend, you are probably in the right pond.