Whitman in Walla Walla Washington

Go to d3baseball.com and their board you should find some stuff on the program. They certainly seemed to make progress this year, however they are in one of the most competitive divisions in the country with Linfield, George Fox and Whitworth. 

Yes, from a baseball standpoint, the last two seasons have been a breakthrough for the program.  This culminated in their first winning season in over 30 years last season.  If you look through their schedule, you will see they play quality opponents, and they compete.  They just graduated 11 seniors and two 3-2 engineering students, so 2015 will be a bit of a re-loading year.  The head-coaching situation is now very stable with Coach Kinney, the players respond to him and there is two-way respect between the players and staff. Although any season has ups-and-downs, the program has had a very strong vibe the last two seasons. The school supports the program financially at a pretty high rate, and the stadium is among the nicer in the conference. Be prepared to potentially practice/play in frigid weather.  The coaching staff works the team hard, but for the motivated baseball athlete there is still time to be socially active on campus particularly in Fall (frats, clubs, IM sports, etc) as well as taking advantage a bit of the local outdoor recreational opportunities.  Most Whitman athletes – across all sports, some of which the school competes at the elite levels of D3 - appear to have good balance between school, sports and social.

Academically, the school is fantastic, with a very strong alumni network, particularly in the Northwest.  Your son will be challenged in the classroom, regardless of his major.  The first-year Encounters seminar is rigorous – be prepared to read and write a ton. I believe the largest major on campus right now is BBMB (biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology)

The campus is absolutely gorgeous, as is the town of Walla Walla and the surrounding region. The school is very sound financially, with an endowment now over $500 million, and is actively strengthening and diversifying academic and other student programs.

We cannot say enough good things about the school.

like2rake; did you or your son go there?  this is great information, just what I was looking for.  I am going to be there next week for a wine tasting visit (adults) and will drive through the campus.  My son was looking for a D1 program, but they are showing quite a bit of interest and I believe he would play more and enjoy the smaller and more personal experience he might gain at D3 Whitman.

Baseballlife:

Our son is a current player.  I will send you a private "dialog" in the next day or so, I promise, with much more detailed information for you and your son to consider.

You should absolutely love wine tasting in Walla Walla.  If you get a chance, try to get a dinner reservation at "T. Maccaronne's" in downtown.  Also, "Olive" on Main Street in downtown is wonderful for a casual lunch.  Breakfast at "Bacon and Eggs" is one not to miss also. 

Walla Walla is one of my favorite towns in the Northwest.  Wonderful weather and access to the fabulous Blue Mountains.  Son pitched many times there, and loved it.

Like to Rake, would you be willing to share how your son ended up at Whitman?  Was baseball a driving force? If so, how did you conduct your college search?

Thanks!

Baseball was definitely a very important component, as our son was determined to play in college.  He focused on D3 the summer prior to senior HS year.  The big event was Headfirst Long Island in August, which garnered serious interest from Whitman, a NESCAC School (Hamilton), Macalester and a couple others.  All coaches were "showing the love" so to speak.  Whitman ended-up being the whole package to him - great academics, a great town (Walla Walla), tons of easy access for outdoor activities (hiking, fly fishing), the campus vibe, campus facilities, an opportunity to play a lot as a Frosh and hopefully be a part of turning the program around.  Also, on his overnight visit the fellas on the team were great guys, had a lot of fun, etc.  Applied Early Decision, and never looked back.

Rake, thanks for the reply.....please look for a pm.

Any update on Whitman? Looks like last season was not very successful and they have a new head coach.

Yes. The Whitman coaching staff is almost all new - some heavy talent recruited by head coach Brian Kitamura. The last head coach left for personal reasons. The team is very young, mostly freshmen and sophomores, and because of that may have another tough year. But they are a talented bunch of kids, and the energy is very high right now.

I can echo baseball life's comment.  Young team, but very excited about the future, and very happy with the new coach (who has actually been around the program a while).  

Full disclosure: I am hearing this from a parent of a current player.  My recent contacts with the coach have been great (I'm an alum and played there a long time ago) but my 2017 is looking for a larger pond, at this point.