where to start

Sent you a private message Cabbagedad.

Cabbagedad -

Starting point; do a couple of searches on this site. You are not the first to ask the question.

To answer your questions:

Best way to search thousands of schools - start by defining some general criteria that you are trying to match. For example my son wanted a small school, warm weather, engineering or busines, access to cheap golf, opportunity to play early, opportunity to play in a top summer league, town served by southwest air.

Once you define what you are looking for use college board to do some searches. We made three trips one east, one midwest and one to texas. We covered alot of territory efficiently.

Best way to get in front of coaches. Read the recruiting time line as a starter. Getting in touch with coaches is as easy as writing a letter and following up with a phone call. It may be easier with some than others but your son needs to know that they are in the business of talking with prospective college students.

Which comes first - if you know what you are looking for it will be easier to focus your exposure.

There is no formula to answer your scholarship question. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; if a coach wants you and has budget, anything is possible.

CaBB and ILVBB,
very specific helpful advice, thanks a ton!

CaBB - first time recieving PM.. started to "reply" from my email but it looks like reply would go to HSBBweb. will you get that or do I need to click on your name and create new pm? I will definitely contact those you suggested as well.

ILVBB - Regarding "starting point", I have been searching this site quite a bit and have learned alot, but was looking for direction specific to son's situation and you provided it. thanks again!

others - please keep it coming... anxious to learn from those that have been there

cabbagedad, pls, pls, pls... from the bottom of my heart. call ABD Academy. You are from California. If you child can play hook him up with ABD,... google it.

They are a national program. They have the very best of people running the program. First class, highly connected. If your kid can bring it they can help on the college front.

cabbagedad,
My suggestion, for DIII would be to start exploring schools in the Northwest Conference, SCIAC in Southern CA and schools in Texas from the SCAC and ASC.
Next, I would register for the Headfirst Camp next Summer in the Central Valley, probably Sacramento.
I would also seek the assistance of the HS and Summer league coach to see if your son can gain a place in the Stanford All-Star camp in late June/early July.
A 3.5-3.7 in a solid HS, combined with a solid SAT or ACT will combine with exposure to a lot of very good schools at each of those camps.
Our son was part of a group that left Northern CA to DIII's outside of CA. , especially in Texas.
Today, I had the great pleasure to read that one of those kids is now a top prospect in the Giant's organization.
Here is a link for you to D3 baseball.com

http://www.d3baseball.com/

Their baseball message boards will start to get quite active.
Through this site, you can find all the West Region D3 schools to get some idea of the academics.
I might suggest you and your son take a trip to LA and watch Chapman, Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer, for instance.
Take a trip to Davis and Sac State and watch their games/practices in February and get some idea of the skill level where your son might fit. Getting to Chico, CSU-East Bay for DII would also be a great idea.
You have a lot of Northern Ca resources on this site.
We all love to see players like your son succeed. Keep posting. Great suggestions and support will follow.

Wow. I expected some very good advice and direction and you guys have exceeded my expectations. Son and I will be following up on all leads/suggestions. We've got a lot of work to do!
Infield-
Can I ask why the NorCal group headed for TX? It seems like most of the TX school rosters I checked were filled 100% or very near with TX HS players, even more so than other states. I may not have been checking all of the D3's. Your reference link will be very helpful.
Also, how did you end up weighing the out-of-state tuition upcharge favorably?

Cabbagedad- to answer my private message just scroll down your email and click the link for the hsbbweb and my post should pop up and you can answer it there.

Great advice here and these guys know what they're talking about!

dad,
check the roster at Trinity, Tx.
Coach Scannell has been coming to the Stanford Camp for 11 years. He recruits heavily from the Camp. That is where he found our son and several from his HS along with ILVBB's son, and many others from Northern CA and other parts of the West Coast.
Millsaps in the SCAC has been attending recently.
Coach Page told me if their recruiting coordinator doesn't get some of those guys going to Trinity, he will be doing the Vermont All Star Camp next summer.
Hendrix College is starting to heavily recruit Ca. players and their program has improved dramatically.
Scholarships at D3 are for academics and need based, not athletics. I cannot tell you too much about the ASC schools other than they play very, very good baseball and some have great baseball facilities. Most are private schools other than UT Dallas and UT Tyler so there will not be any out of state up charge.
The SCAC schools are wonderful on the academic side.
Need based aid can be equally generous if parents qualify.
Our son's roommate was from Northridge. He had the ability to walk on at UCLA, had a smaller baseball scholarship at a WCC school in Northern CA combined other financial support.
His financial package at the D3 was by far the best for he and his parents.
playfair has recommended the ABD camps.
I am not familiar with the Camp but know playfair to be a very knowledgeable poster. playfair's son is a terrific talent. I certainly would support checking the ABD camp based on what playfair has posted, in addition to Headfirst and Stanford.

. Would echo all that was posted above.

As a fellow Central coast guy...don't overlook the obvious...

Go watch and visit a range of the central coast schools/games/practices to get a feel...CSUMB, Cuesta, MPC, SBCC, Hartnell, Cal Poly, Menlo..maybe down to Westmont and Cal Lutheran...some good baseball and some great caoches here...

...you might PM 08Dad...as they are central coast...small school...high academic...LHP...travel ball...his son did JC in this area and is now out of state and playing. I am certain that he has an excellent handle on the specific options/suggestions...he does great research.

44
.

quote:

Originally posted by observer44:
. Would echo all that was posted above.

As a fellow Central coast guy...don't overlook the obvious...

Go watch and visit a range of the central coast schools/games/practices to get a feel...CSUMB, Cuesta, MPC, SBCC, Hartnell, Cal Poly, Menlo..maybe down to Westmont and Cal Lutheran...some good baseball and some great caoches here...

...you might PM 08Dad...as they are central coast...small school...high academic...LHP...travel ball...his son did JC in this area and is now out of state and playing. I am certain that he has an excellent handle on the specific options/suggestions...he does great research.

44
.

That post might be worth 100,000 dollars or more to someone on this site to read it and follow its good advice. I agree on the 08Dad comment. He is one of our site's great resources.

thanks Observer,
was about to pm you per another's reco. I will certainly contact 08 as well.
We do get to several Cal Poly games and have caught some Cuesta practices and fall games as they are nearby. We'll make a point to hit some of the others.

OK, this is going so well, I thought I'd get greedy and ask for more...
Private schools/D3 -
I have learned from this site that there are often more funding options at these schools (academics scholly, needs based, etc.) and I understand that there are many variables as to how much $$$ help that amounts to and it will be different for every school. However, the high tuition sticker prices still scare me.
If, for example, it's $30K/yr tuition that goes down to $20K, that's still tough. $30K down to $10K is much more palatable. What is the best way (if there is such a thing) to quickly determine roughly how much help can be had?
Also, do these schools generally tend to be good fits for students who are academically good but not great?

You can go on collegeboard.com and look up schools, then there is an area to check your FEC, (family expected contribution) also you can do a FASFA form and get an idea about government grants/loans etc. and see where you stand as a starting point.

quote:

Also, do these schools generally tend to be good fits for students who are academically good but not great?

I can only speak to the experience of our son and many of his friends/teammates and those from his HS who followed him to Trinity.
Their view is the education was/is spectacular and rigorous.
Our son was a good student who didn't necessarily have the best level of confidence in his ability, based on the extremely demanding academic HS he attended. He did well in college.
All professors is a major attraction and they are high quality teachers. There are no TA's and the like.
The academics are demanding.
Being in class is a must since the class sizes are usually 12-18. Students cannot hide. Participation is graded in many classes.
Most professors are available outside of class for additional support and assistance.
Most professors are fully understanding of the travel demands in the Spring and extend themselves to support the athletes.
The graduation rates for athletes starting as freshman at Trinity is higher than the normal student body...89% vs 86% the last time I saw information.
Graduation in 4 years can be and usually is done(4.5 for some) by most student/athletes unless you get into the 5 year accounting or teaching programs.
I forget the exact number, but I believe there are upwards of 10-12 or our son's teammates who went to law school and received multiple admissions.
One is now a professor in accounting at Texas A&M,after completing his doctorate in accounting. Some were in engineering, some in the teaching school and the accounting program were jobs are almost guaranteed if a student wants to stay in Texas.
I doubt it is much different at the other SCAC schools and the better SCIAC/NWC programs, but I am sure there are some differences that you would need to explore and filter through.
As I am sure you know, experiences vary from student-athlete to student-athlete.
Our son is now finished playing. He was a lot of places and on a lot of fields/campuses.
He is now a coach at UC Davis. In terms of baseball/the campus and the environment for a student, he indicated Davis is the only place which might compare with the experience he had in Texas.

.

quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:
thanks Observer,
was about to pm you per another's reco. I will certainly contact 08 as well.
We do get to several Cal Poly games and have caught some Cuesta practices and fall games as they are nearby. We'll make a point to hit some of the others.

Cool...We have connections/experience/information/opinions for most all the central Cal schools...particularly MPC, Cuesta, SBCC, CSUMB...as well as many of the Socal DII's and NAIA's as we researched and visited them a bunch last summer, ask away with any of them either privately or publicly...Cuesta and SBCC are loaded but I'd keep those doors open...MPC could be an option, good school, program is good but not near as competitive as Cuesta or SBCC. Another realistic option if $ could be an issue could be that suggested above, take a long look at a couple state schools...CSU San Marcos and Hayward that are in the DIII, NAIA category have good programs and at state prices. Also PM Krakatoa about Menlo as he has a son that is there now one going, and was at an out of state NAIA out of HS...I belive that he has pretty clear experience with the out of state $'s.

44
.

O'44,
CSU-East Bay(I still call it Hayward too) is now DII. Made that transition 2-3 years ago.
Don't know about scholarships, just that they are DII.
Seems amazing when all the options, and this isn't close to all, start to get put in writing.

Thought I'd just chime in quickly. My '11 son was able to visit and throw for three schools this summer and all were keen on having him. One school was far, far away from anything, and he scratched that one right away.

This left him with the options of Cuesta and Menlo. He really, really liked both. I loved both. Mom loved both. Cuesta's coach is a great guy. One of the best I've met. Just a no-nonsense guy that you know is going to make your kid as good as he can get. Their field and facilties are good, the area is beautiful. We finally concluded, however, that being at a four-year, where the academic continuity is assured, outweighed the JC route in our case.

Menlo is not a school for everyone. It's small - maybe 700 kids, if that. It's also specifically geared towards Business and Psych. My kids, having grown up overseas, are just fine with a small campus. The campus is very pretty, the profs are outstanding, and the sense of community and closeness is inherent in the setting. The Bay Area, of course, is just an incredible place to call 'home'. Admissions are not too difficult so you'll get kids in there who survive a year or so and then get blown away by the prof's expectations for top-notch work. In other words, admissions and academic/professorial expectations are not on a par with each other, and kids who are admitted should be prepared for rigorous work or find another school.

Baseball-wise, the coaching staff is exceptional for such a small school. You've got coaches with very solid backgrounds from around the country. One of their coaches will be the field manager for the Northwoods League's St. Cloud Riverbats next summer. By mid-October, they had placed my junior son on a team in the new Far West League for next summer (see the Humboldt Crabs website for a good article on what this league will entail).

These guys have become very active in recruiting and have developed a good reputation all around northern California. They have just moved from D-III (where last year they swept Pacific Lutheran, and also defeated Redlands and Chapman over the course of the season) to NAIA. I think they just lacked some depth last year, which they have now shored up through good recruiting from all around the west. They'll play a tougher NAIA schedule this year, so it will be interesting to follow them as they evolve.

My junior son is very, very happy there (B.S. Mgmt / Marketing), and my '11 son is looking forward to carving out his own niche (planning Psych). Best of all, they have my son listed as a Freshman this year, so I guess he gets to start all over again on his eligibility!

another good round of helpful replies, thanks all!
infield -
we'll definitely look at Trinity. Unfortunately, sons HS is not very demanding, so not sure if he'll handle rigorous academic load as well as a rigourous bb program. However, he does do well with participation and would benefit from the small class sizes. wish they showed better images of bb facilities on their website
44 -
you listed many schools we've been thinking may be good targets. Hopefully, son will stay on track and we'll have good need to take you up on info from your visits. Looks like East Bay is loaded with transfers, so I would think that would be more of a "after JC" target.
Krak -
totally agree with Cuesta and the coach and it's the one school that son could commute. would be great if it's a fit when the time comes. great info on Menlo - will have to research more to determine if son can handle academics and dad can figure $$ options.
.. and congrats on the extra eligibility

cabbagedad, your screen name just reminded me of the summer, when my son was about 9 or 10, where the only place we could find to throw where we lived at the time was in an urban cabbage-patch behind an apartment building. The residents (Korean) used this patch to grow cabbages for making kimchi. Ultimately, one old lady came out one day, screaming bloody murder at us. I don't know what she was saying, but it was obvious we were no longer welcome.

Krak,
Funny, that's about the age son was when he and his LL baseball buddies decided they'd give each other nicknames that were fruits or vegetables. Mom let son's curly head of hair get a bit out of control that year and thus... "cabbage"
These days, dad would definitely be watermelon

This thread is what this site is all about. Infielddad, O44, Krak, cabbagedad...

This is great stuff!

.

quote:

Originally posted by infielddad:
O'44,
CSU-East Bay(I still call it Hayward too) is now DII. Made that transition 2-3 years ago.
Don't know about scholarships, just that they are DII.
Seems amazing when all the options, and this isn't close to all, start to get put in writing.

IFD...Good info on Eastbay. Thanks for the update.

Would also agree, the options for staying in CA if you are willing to play to level of thereabouts are actually pretty darned good.

And yes Cabbage lots of transfers/dropdowns there...gonna get that a bunch at CA schools, particulary the DII's. Even the NAIA's. That's that byproduct of a state with this much talent, even at the JC level.

Jc's in your close region...One of the biggest concerns of going away to JC would have be housing and life for an 18 year old on his own for the first time. The halfway house of the dorm...or a commute is simply and I would suggest a preferred option.

As some know my younger played for Cuesta, and we are big fans of that program. Would echo..The facilities are excellent for a JC (bettre than many 4 yearsat any level) and getting better every year, the location/school great, the baseball top flight. Coach Miller is a pure baseball guy...and his team overacheives year after year and the expectations for players and program is very high. The bad news is that the team is deep and talented, the get large #'s out. Hancock is a good option as well, longer commute though...very competitive every year...but top to bottom not as deep as Cuesta...or SBCC...so real opportunities may exist there.

And a little further afield...

SBCC has just gone through a coaching change, and the new HC, Ryan is a former Cuesta Assistant when mine was there and we think the world of him as well, and have stayed in touch with him. Energetic, enthuisiastic, a great communicator (one of the best) and really instills a culture of support and energy. He is going to do relly well there. Kids
are going to love and respect him, and will run through walls for him and the program. Mine did.

Another observation...if your son played travel ball...talk to the caoches see if they have suggestions, contacts. Based upon you posts you would appear to be one of the parents who is realistic and wants to find a true good fit. That is an excellent choice.

44
.

playfair
thanks and I have dug into the ABD website a bit.. just from the surface, looks like you need to be socal to take full advantage but I'll follow with a call and more research

O44
certainly agree with "life of 18yr old" challenges. didn't know you had a son attend Cuesta - glad to hear it was a good experience. Son has actually worked with coach Miller a few times recently for instructional guidance. Coach was complimentary of mechanics, both pitch and hit and gave needed guidance for boosting arm strength - he really went above and beyond with help.
We'll see if son progresses thru jr year as he should and if appropriate, seek to get honest assessment from coach at that time.
Yup, Hancock borders on commutable.. many from son's HS league on that roster. Great to know about SBCC coach! Son certainly wouldn't have objections to playing in that area

A good place to get in front of D2 and D3 coaches is the Stanford camp. They have a lottery system to see who gets into the camp but it seems like the vast majority of players who apply get in.

Another option is the headfirst camps. The camps on the West Coast don't get quite as many schools as the one's back east but it is still great exposure to D2s, D3s and D1s that are more academic than baseball focused.

Hancock may not be that far away from you either and they are also good at developing players.

I would agree with CA Dad, would probably recommend the Headfirst over Stanford as Stanford is a very large and you can get lost there.

I would most definitely get him on a scout team next fall. The Wahoo's are from your area, but if you don't mind the trek on Sunday's to the TO area, then I would go with the So Cal Cardinals. Chuck Fick is one of the most connected guys you will ever meet. Arizona Fall Sr Classic and the PG Nationals in Az are both a must IMO.

Vince Sagisi runs the Wahoos for the Indians.

My son never went to Headfirst, he did go to Stanford camp with about 209 (109??) other kids, stayed overnight and had a great time, meet a number of coaches from the Ivy league etc. The only reason to miss Stanford camp would be to save the money or if you had something else planned that week.

CADad,
While I don't know the total numbers at a Headfirst Camp, from what they post, it does not appear they have nearly the numbers of DI coaches that are at the Stanford Camp.
Last June at the Stanford Camp, I was meeting DI coaches from the MAC conference including one from either Eastern or Western MI., Ohio U, along with coaches from Va. Tech, BC, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Kansas, the Ivy's including Dartmouth, Columbia, the UC schools, WCC programs and WAC schools.
Yes, it is a bigger camp now but nearly every coach goes there "knowing" they will find players to recruit. Coaches from DI to DIII to NAIA to JC attend and the camp seems to be getting more popular with coaches, at all levels, each year because of its quality.
If I remember right, there were about 85 coaches at Stanford last summer and 250 campers. As noted, many, many were DI. I would guess close to 1/2 are DI coaches at Stanford.
I'm with CollegeParentNoMore on this one. If your son can get invited and has talent, there are coaches there who want to and will work hard to find him.

thanks guys.. more great help.
we'll keep weighing Stanford camp & Headfirst... sounds like we need to try to do one for sure and I don't think feasible to do both, financially or logistically as they are back to back.

BOF and CADad - we have Wahoos on our "need to contact" radar but didn't know about So Cal Cardinals, thanks. We love our remote area here but there are certainly drawbacks - one biggy has been lack of abundant competitive ball.
There's one other group trying to get a program going around here and we're hoping it happens.

I'd like to chime in with those suggesting Headfirst camp in Rocklin. GREAT CAMP with really good contacts and advice for players and parents. Unfortunately most coaches there will not be from California. But the program empowers the player to take initiative in his own recruiting efforts. Took our 2013 last year to get his feet wet with his first showcase, and it was a GREAT experience all around.

I've been fascinated to read this thread -- Cabbage, you are a year ahead of us, but in much the same situation and just a little farther north in CA. I hear you with the array of options, yet the confusion on where to start. Thanks for asking, we've learned from the answers here! Keep posting as you narrow things down... good luck!

If anyone has similar/different ideas for our 2013 in So Cal, please let me know!

Thanks SS2Mom,
I also started a thread titled 'best time for exploratory school visits" (in the same recruiting area). If you're in the same boat, you may benefit from the responses we got there as well. Between the two threads, we are feeling WAY better about next steps. Let us know how you do as well and good luck!