Which is a better choice of programs?

Quality overlaps divisions. There are D2, D3 and NAIA teams that would pound the bottom D1's every day, all year long. There are 293 D1's. Some are bad... really very bad. If your team is 0-44 who cares what division it is in?

If you aren't top 10 D1 quality starting talent, then college criteria other than D1 drives school choices, like academics, location, cost, climate, academics and academics.

Each kids situation is different. The situation at a bottom tier ACC school may be a better fit for a kid than a top tier SOCON school. But then it may be a better situation at the SOCON school for another kid than a bottom tier ACC school. Heck you may have an offer from a top tier ACC school but be in a better situation going to an A-10 school.

Is the school the right fit for the player? Is the player the right fit for the school? How important is playing time to the player (early playing time)? How important is the status of the schools program to the player? Kids that are good enough to get recruited to play college baseball are not used to sitting on the bench. Some are not used to having to fight for playing time. None are used to having to go to college and do everything the baseball program will require of them.

The bottom line is each kids situation is different. There are a ton of great baseball programs that do not play in the top conferences in nation. There are alot of D-2 programs that are better baseball situations than many D-1 programs and just as good if not better academically.

I would suggest that you not get caught up in the "D-1" status mentality. I would also suggest that people not get caught up in the "Big Time" program mentality. What is the best fit for "ME". Baseball and academics. In the end it will be more important to be happy where you are at. How strong your conference is will not be much solace to the kid that is not happy about where he ends up.

Any kid that advances to the next level of baseball wether it be JUCO D-1 thru D-3 should be excited about the opportunity. There are alot of kids playing at the JUCO level and Community College levels that could have played at the D-1 level. I have always believed too much emphasis has been put on the name of the school you play for. Its not as much about where you are but what you do where you are.

Great Post Coach May

Coach May, outstanding post !

Excellent. Words from the wise. Thanks Dad04 and Coach May.

Coach May,

You are so correct!!!! I would like to add that there are many kids playing at the Juco or D2 level that could play at one of the premier D1 programs but were passed over for some reason. In my humble opinion many of the bigger D1 programs are recruiting off some type of list rather than evaluating the players as a staff. In the past few years Oregon State has done a great job of taking unknown players and making them into "big time" players. What they have done is select good athletes and find a way to get them to play in their system. Being able to evaluate talent is becoming a lost art in baseball. Everyone wants to place a number beside a players name (radar gun, 60 yard dash, height, weight, sparq test, etc...) and recruit off of that number. In college the key is finding a kid that will work his tail off for you in the classroom and on the field. While a player has to have good skills the thing they must have over everything else is a very good work ethic.

I agree with the comments above but it is hard to convince a BB player to not want D!.
Playing on a non power house team can be a great experience and if you play top teams you get to show what you can do.
I would say that I have seen all too often non power house teams beat many top ranked teams. The schedule to me was very important. You could get limited playing time no matter how strong the team is over all because you may be behind some great players in either case..

From what I have seen, for a position player, I would rather see son attend a smaller D1 with a good program that plays good competition with a chance to play than sit behind a player for 3 years at a larger program.

Good coaches will take position players even if positions are filled and teach them other positions because they are good players.

That's why position players should become adaptable, makes them more useful.

I agree with you whole heartedly TPM. And the same logic applies to those schools outside of Division I as well.