Your input on recruiting experience and the HSBBW

Without question the most useful tool in my bag in helping my son work his way through the recruiting maze has been HSBBW.

The recruiting timeline was where I started - back in his sophomore year. Without that, I don't think we would have known that we needed to start right away or what to do.

As the journey continued, the boards on HSBBW helped shape his showcasing, camps and even his summer team selection.

As we hit the Junior year many of fine people on this site who have older players helped with PMs full of helpful advice (TPM, JustBaseball, Observer44 just to name a few).

Other parents with players in the same age bracket also provided help along the way that helped keep me sane - and allowed me to validate information as well as discuss strategy with people taking the same journey (Texan, Krak, Rob K just to name a few more).

We never spent money on a recruiting service - probably in large part due to the great advice we were already getting on the site. I did buy a few books - but frankly this place is better and more comprehensive than any book I have ever seen.

So thank you all - one and all for all that you have contributed - and I look forward to paying in forward when it is my turn.

08

This simple post explains what this site has done for my family and I, but more importantly what it has done for my son.

http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6616002781/m/4681016562

Being that we're stuck over here in Korea, can you imagine my cluelessness about all this had I not stumbled across this site? Without this site, there's no WAY I would have had any idea how to help my son play college ball. I didn't even know about showcases!

The DI-vs-DIII types of threads have been especially illuminating to me because, as I've mentioned many times, my son's #1 'fit' item was a small student body size...as in 1000-1500 students. He wanted a liberal arts school....in the south or lower west coast. I just figured he'd want to go where mom and I went (Wash State Univ), but he had no interest! By learning all about 'fit', and how there are some pretty good small, liberal arts, DIII baseball schools where guys get placed in the top summer leagues and get drafted and all, it all became clear to me that DIII would be the best fit for my son. I would have had NO idea how to help him find this fit were it not for this site......

The HSBBW is like a big collective 'friend'. It always gives me a happy feeling when I see it in my drop-down list of visited sites! It's like a huge stress reliever, to come in here and read what everyone's up to. Someday I hope to be of more help to others. Once my son is admitted to his dream school, there's a lot I'd like to share about this process.

It's been hard enough trying to drum up any interest from so far away, but because of what I've learned on this site and the people that have helped out with advice along the way, everything's going to work out fine.

Thanks HSBBW!

Talking to 08DAD today as we had the pleasure of watching our sons compete against each other in a winter ball game, we talked about how indispensable the hsbbweb has been for our son's future college plans. (beautiful 70-75 degree day!)

We have personally learned so much about the recruiting process and what it takes for these players to get to the next level. I think the biggest thing I learned from all the posters is how important academics are in the whole process.

I also learned how important the players work ethic is. I recommend this site to everyone I know with a baseball player that wants to play in college or make the high school team. We used the recruiting timeline to be proactive and contact coaches at schools he was interested in attending.

Between this site and a book by Varsity Edge we learned as much or more than a recruiting service would provide. We have friends that paid thousands of dollars for recruiting services and these players did not end up any more successful than if they had researched the recruiting process on their own. Now if your son is a blue chip recruit he probably doesn't need to be as pro-active but for the rest of us I think this is the best site I have ever seen.

Thank you for all the posters that make this site so special and informative and for the moderators and Julie (of course).

quote:

Originally posted by CaBB:
Talking to 08DAD today as we had the pleasure of watching our sons compete against each other in a winter ball game, we talked about how indispensable the hsbbweb has been for our son's future college plans. (beautiful 70-75 degree day!)

CABB and I had a great chat - and I echo her thoughts - Academics, Work Ethic are key components.

We also started back on HSBBWeb after son's sophomore year and begin looking at the recruiting time line and tried our very best to follow it to the max. Successes and failures followed but it was part of the process along the way.

I learned more from you good folks than any recruiting service could have provided. I got to hear from other moms and dads...how can you beat that?! You can't!

I don't remember who said it but he said it a couple of times...."Find a place that wants you" or something along those lines and it rang true for my son. They wanted him badly enough to sign him....and he did! To God be the glory!

quote:

Seriously CABB and I had a great chat - and I echo her thoughts - Academics, Work Ethic are key components.

This is an interesting thread. No doubt about your statement 08Dad. Those things act as disqualifiers however rather than qualifiers imho.

It seems to me that baseball is the number one thing of interest or people wouldn't spend so much time here on this site. No one values an education more than me, but no one will convince me otherwise that pursuing a baseball career is a bad thing. The best part is that it is a free country and everyone can decide for themselves.

Good post TPM and I'm surprised more people haven't responded. I have to make this a long post because I have to go back in years and explain that I am not a "seasoned poster" but a clueless parent simply educated by the HSBBW members. I found the HSBBW just before my son entered high school. I was what most would call a "typical" parent when it came to sports. I liked sports was a pretty good athlete in my younger days but I had no preconceived plan for my son to play baseball, football or any sports in high school. However, I knew from the time he was 4 that he had a very strong arm and could hit the "snot" out of a ball but I didn't know how that would play out. I was pretty much going to "let things happen" because I don't appreciate parents forcing their kids to be athletes. The only proactive thing I had done prior to finding the HSBBW was move him up in age brackets, get him some lessons when he was nine, and finally moved him to a local travel team when he was 11. I did most of this because local people had suggested I do this and it was fun watching him win. I noticed that whatever baseball challenge faced him he took it in stride. I decided about the time he was getting ready to enter high school that I needed to educate myself on the overall process of how a player goes from rec ball, to travel ball, to high school, to college and the paths the pro players take because it was becoming evident he was going to do something in baseball (Ijust didn't know what). I set down at the computer about the time the HSBBW came into existence and googled something like "high school baseball". Even with dial up I found the fledgling high school baseball web and started asking questions about showcases and travel teams and college baseball. Some of the people were very knowledgable baseball people but for the most part the people involved in the HSBBW were parents of high school players and were looking for the same information as me. TRHit, BeenthereIl, HSBBW (Bob Howdeshell), Bama Bomber (then he called himself GLegg) Hiwassee Vol, bbscout and shortly thereafter PG Staff joined in. These people stand out in my mind as those that guided me. If I were to put it in a "nutshell" I would say my question to all the people on the HSBBW at that time was: "What am I supposed to do?" All were VERY active in sharing their information and opinions about what a parent and a player should do. I quickly understood that this progression from preteen baseball to college and professional baseball is a process and not an event and there are many options and it can take many different paths. Basically I changed my whole approach from being a parent that was waiting for something to happen to putting my son in the best baseball environment I could find and afford. This in itself didn't "make" things happen but it sure facilitated it. So bottom line YES the HSBBW did alter the path I took and the things I did for my son. Not to pat myself on my back but I think my actions resulting from the advice provided by members of the HSBBW helped my son tremendously. I have no idea if it altered his future but it sure made the trip we took together as a family a lot more enjoyable.
Fungo

I happened upon HSBBW in the spring of my son's sophomore year. Up until that time, I had never heard of Perfect Game showcases and Area Code tryouts and was fairly clueless about the recruiting process. My learning curve was HUGE those first few months as I soaked up information like a sponge. Through various posts, as well as articles on recruiting, I was able to ascertain what types of strategies and activities would be most beneficial in helping my son attain his goal of playing college ball.

Regarding the value of HSBBW, here's one example: the father of one of my son's teammates hired a promoter to talk up his son. His son got a college deal at a cost of $2,000 for the promotion. Our family followed the recommendations of HSBBW and my son also got a college deal....for FREE.

Once I figured out the recruiting process, I realized I had many new things to learn. I first learned about the new NCAA rules -- and all their implications -- from this site. When my son begins to play in college next fall, I know I'll have another huge learning curve in front of me.

One thing I truly cherish is all of the friendships I have formed with posters on this site. Through numerous PM's, countless posters have encouraged me, offered advice, and figuratively held my hand through uncertain times. The value of those friendships is immeasurable.

There have been some nice responses in here so far!

I think the site is most useful to provide ideas on what to do from high school and getting into college - how to form a proper plan suited to your child's particular needs. I think people sometimes can be intimidated or thrown off course by some of the hype that is posted and I say pay no mind to that stuff. You cannot figure out from words on a message board whether or not your kid is good enough and I have found those words often do not live up to anything close to the hype that was intended. Help him be the best he can be and get exposure the best as you can to college coaches. From there, let the chips fall where they may.

Personally, I am glad we did not know of the hsbbweb during the recruting process because I believe it would have added stress in our lives. Certain dates and deadlines passed that we were unaware of and I am glad we were not. Also, don't let some of the general timeline or signing announcement data that is posted detour you from achieving your goals. Use them as a guide but do not let them detour you from executing and/or re-adjusting your plan.

After finding a college fit...

Does the utility of the site pretty much end after the player commits to college? I mean I hang around here a lot because I enjoy the interactions but other than moral support, it seems to me that everything is pretty much out of the parents hands after the athlete goes to college. Obviously there are some great threads dealing with injury or other setbacks at the higher levels but isn't it mostly up to the athlete after they go to college? If they have pro aspirations, isn't it up to someone other than the player or the parent as well?

My son is a 2011 so we are just embarking on this journey with the recruiting mindset. He has always had good grades but seeing the emphasis placed on grades to go along with the baseball ability, he has really stepped it up. That in itself is valuable so far. The other information we have received from this website has been great to say the least.

I found the site a couple years before my son went to college but was involved with another Canadian site. That site has diminished and may dissappear so I looked at this site about 6 months after my son was in college.
I found it interesting and was surprised at the things people all over America had many of the same issues that we had. I met several people because of the site who's sons played at the same college and it was nice to chat while the college season progressed. We shared the upd and downs of the rigors of college ball.
As far as the recruiting process we did all the marketing and I enjoyed it. There was almost a let down once the NLI was signed.
Things that I might have done differently were picking some showcases to go to and we had no clue about some great BB colleges that we would have contacted. It is like being in a candy store and not knowing what to chose. Over all we are very happy with my son's experience. Things couldn't have gone much better.

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:

quote:

Seriously CABB and I had a great chat - and I echo her thoughts - Academics, Work Ethic are key components.

This is an interesting thread. No doubt about your statement 08Dad. Those things act as disqualifiers however rather than qualifiers imho.

It seems to me that baseball is the number one thing of interest or people wouldn't spend so much time here on this site. No one values an education more than me, but no one will convince me otherwise that pursuing a baseball career is a bad thing. The best part is that it is a free country and everyone can decide for themselves.

I would suggest that all attributes - or the lack there of can be viewed as qualifiers or disqualifiers - Speed - a lack of it can be a disqualifier just as much as the ability to run a 6.5 40 is a qualifier.

The point I was trying to make was that had I not come to HSBBW I would not have been aware of how many doors will be closed if grades are poor. And vice versa - good grades keep doors open.

In the same way, HSBBW made me even more aware of how hard some players are working vs the norm. Coach May had a great comment on another thread that I will repost here:

quote:

Originally posted by Coach May:
The problem is when you are doing what everyone else is doing you are on the AVERAGE plan. When you do more than anyone else. When you are more disciplined than anyone else. When you are more dedicated than everyone else. You are on the SPECIAL plan.

Working hard depends on what you are judgeing that against. Are you looking at those around you? If you want to be average just do what everyone else is doing. If you want to be special do what no one else is willing to do. ...

If you want to be average just follow everyone else's lead. You wont have any problem reaching this goal.

Very few players around here put out that extra effort - HSBBW made me aware of the larger picture.

Regarding the value of education, you and I discussed this via PM and I think we are in complete agreement.

I believe that an education is an incredibly important lifetime tool, but pursuing a baseball career is once in a lifetime opportunity. Each player and his parents need to decide how to balance off the dream of college baseball vs the quality of the education. Should a player go to a "lesser" college in order to chase the baseball dream - or go to the "great" college in pursuit of the best possible education - if that means giving up baseball? No one can make that choice other than the player and his parents.

08

quote:

did you have no clue about it all and learned more here than you anticipated. Do you feel parents experiences and free advice helped you to understand more of the process vs. someone you would have paid a fee to( ex. recruiter) or spent money on buying books that really didn't give you much more than you got here?

we almost went with paying some company to get son recruited and then i found this site. so without a doubt if it werent for this site, we probably would have been out some considerable amounts of moneys. All recruiting ideas we got all came from this site. The advise was truly helpful. Without this site and the help from his summer coach I wouldnt have known where or when to start.

I moved this so more would notice.

Please respond!

My son is an '11. The two most important things I've learned here are, 1) The baseball process is much like the softball process. This means I don't have to relearn the process from the start, 2) I've learned much more about showcases. The most important being Head First. I had never heard of it. Assuming my son maintains his academic standing and continues to progress as a baseball player this will be an important showcase for him.

From just general information I've tagged at least twenty-five websites since joining based on information provided by posters.

I understand the value of an education. Trust me there was a day I did not. And I was one of those people that had to learn the hard way. I got two college degrees while working a full time job. It was tough , really tough. I also put my wife through college. Her parents said "If you marry him before you go to college we will not pay a penny of your tuition." They were true to their word. But I worked two jobs and put my wife through college.

I have always told my players. Im 48 years old boys. If I want to go to school right now I can. If I want to go to the beach I can. If I want to go out and chase the girls I can. If I want to go buy a new car , I can. But there is something that no amount of money can buy. And thats a chance to go back in time and play this wonderfull game again. I can not go back in time and suit it up again and compete. You have a short window of opportunity at this game we love. You better cherish every moment , every second of it.

When your 40 and you wake up and look in the mirror. Do you want to ask "I could have , I would have , I should have." Or do you want to know "I did." Leave the game with not regrets. Know that you got everything you could have gotten out of the game. And get an education.

Again I have gotten off topic. I just cant help myself. The HSBBW has been awesome. Ive met alot of great people that share my same passion for the game and those that play it.

[/QUOTE]
Should a player go to a "lesser" college in order to chase the baseball dream - or go to the "great" college in pursuit of the best possible education - if that means giving up baseball? No one can make that choice other than the player and his parents.
08[/QUOTE]

This shouldn't have to be. You make it sound like if you go to a "great" college all you are going to get is a great education. I didn't find that to be the case.

I am 100% for the opportunity to go to college to get a college degree. I will admit I was not supportive of my son pursuing a baseball career BEFORE the college experience. This is hard sometimes for a mom who has a college degree in teaching and taught for many years to support and I admit that openly. Don't think we are not on son's case as to when he is going to finish his degree.

The one thing I have learned from this process is that the more opportunities you have the more doors open for you. If you have done your job in the classroom and play the game well, securing a scholarship proves (if you decide to go pro) that you can put it together in other places not just on the field. That's why the results in your HS recruiting process is so important, why the info here is so important, no matter what path you choose. Playing in college should be your first priority when in HS, once you get that scholarship then you can shoot for the stars. The great thing is if you missed that opportunity out of HS, you have 3-4 more years to work your butt off for another chance.

JMO.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:

Should a player go to a "lesser" college in order to chase the baseball dream - or go to the "great" college in pursuit of the best possible education - if that means giving up baseball? No one can make that choice other than the player and his parents.
08[/QUOTE]

This shouldn't have to be. You make it sound like if you go to a "great" college all you are going to get is a great education. [/QUOTE]

Perhaps an example would help me be a little clearer. (NOTE - This is NOT 08SON - strictly hypothetical)

Let's assume the player has the academic capability to go to any school in the country - perfect grades and maximum 2400 SAT Scores. Let's further assume that the player's baseball ability is D2 or perhaps low D1.

In this case, I think the player might have a choice to make - the perfect academic school might be Cal, UCLA or Vanderbilt to pick an eastern school. His baseball skills are not good enough to make those teams. Alternatively, he can pick a lesser academic school (I prefer not to start a flame war by picking on any particular school) where he is being actively recruited to play baseball.

He has a choice to make - less well thought of school with baseball or more highly regarded school and no baseball.

Now I know other options exist - he could go to Cal Tech for example where he would be able to make the baseball team and attend a "Great" university. Or perhaps an Ivy League school. But with both of those options he is selling the baseball dream short.

I would suggest that he has a choice to make - which of academics or baseball to optimize - at the expense of the other.

Let me also say before I get completely flamed lesser colleges can still offer great educations - I know because I went to one (SFSU). As a student you just have to seek out the right classes and the right professors, putting in the extra work that is not required and really being driven about maximizing the value of your education.

oh I got ya now.

I think that the player should go to the best academic school he can get into with the best baseball program where he will get playing time, if he desires to play baseball after college.


The best part in all of this is that he obvioulsy is a good student and has that choice to make.

If you were a gunfighter in the old west, would you choose the Remington or the flintlock? Same deal with HSBBW. Finding HSBBW has been a tool (a weapon) which has helped blaze a path for my son.

Showcases, the recruiting process, NCAA rules, dealing with high school playing issues, there is so much to learn. But the number one thing HSBBW has done (other than the great friendships) is to give me hope that my son was on the right path, that he had a chance to take it to the next level. I know Bum, Jr. was always confident, but Bum himself was a worry-wort on a keyboard.

Observer44.. stop writing such great posts, we can't keep up!

Infielddad was invaluable as a resource as we hit on the realization that D1 was NOT going to be an option for JT, Jr. He (and others) offered great wisdom on issues such as over-recruiting in D3...and emphasizing the "fit", which most everyone discussed. I thought, from working in college athletics, that I was prepared for anything...I was wrong. It was the folks HERE that helped me.

.

WOW!...

quote:

Originally posted by Bum: Observer44.. stop writing such great posts, we can't keep up!

I'm honored...

....but how am I to keep up with posters/posts like this....

quote:

Originally posted by Coach May:
I have always told my players. Im 48 years old boys. If I want to go to school right now I can. If I want to go to the beach I can. If I want to go out and chase the girls I can. If I want to go buy a new car , I can. But there is something that no amount of money can buy. And thats a chance to go back in time and play this wonderfull game again. I can not go back in time and suit it up again and compete. You have a short window of opportunity at this game we love. You better cherish every moment , every second of it.

When your 40 and you wake up and look in the mirror. Do you want to ask "I could have , I would have , I should have." Or do you want to know "I did." Leave the game with not regrets. Know that you got everything you could have gotten out of the game. And get an education.

44
.

Yes, That is the whole point.
Give it your all, Let it take you as far as it will.
You can live with that.
No Regrets.
Thats what I've learned on the HSBBW.

Yes, great post by Coach May. But the great part about being a dad is we can help our sons not make the same poor choices. Therein lies the value of our mistakes.

Havent had time to get on here in a few days , daughter is visiting(she doesnt like sports too much) and I broke my rib when i slipped cleaning the bath tub(very painful) anyway we first came to this site when punching in :how to make your high school baseball team: literally brought us t some articles on that and many other great things. Didnt really start posting until this year as we have been going through the college stuff. the articles, information and posts have been a significant help to our family and our only son. so one time through for us. Posters have helped me so much in regards to son and choice of college.the recruiting road has been nothing like i thought it would be but would be so much harder without everyone on here and their willingness to share their stories and opinions, even when we dont all agree. I have given this site to many people and encourage them to get on and read.its like a road map for baseball.

This site has been such a blessing to our family. The encouragement and suggestions of some very helpful and knowledgeable posters helped me in getting my son tested for a possible learning disability (confirmed the summer of his junior year in high school). He struggled in school, made passing grades, never failed a class, but still struggled.

My son opted to go the JC route (on baseball scholarship) after getting offers and visiting several large schools and is a very happy. As parents we struggled with what was right and almost got caught up in the big school better over small school debates. This site and the stories of kids that went both routes were very helpful.

I continue to check site daily as I always learn something new here. Thanks to all the posters who have shared their stories and given advice.

My guys were all in college playing ball prior to this site being developed---we were in the Stone Age before showcases and so-called "elite" travel teams

What this site has done is allow me to know what people are interested in, their emotions, likes, dislikes etc--- the bottom line is the kids come first

I like the idea of posters sharing experiences not that one works for the other but it gives depth to your thinking and direction

It has also educated me regarding the differences in thinking of people around this great country of ours---some have you have not been where I have been nor have I been where many of you have been---good bad or indifferent it is a fact of life---it is called learning and with my 66th coming up I am still learning and absorbing info, despite what many might want to think---I can only hope that many learn from me as I am learning from them

By the way The Northeast is rejoicing today---Giants and Patriots in the Super Bowl----Me from NY and my wife from New England just think about adapting to Super Bowl Sunday in our house-- I still love her dearly !!!

I certainly agree with the post on this thread. IT IS A GREAT PLACE TO READ ABOUT OTHERS EXPERIENCES AND TO POST QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE PROCESS!. Add to that the other information such as the time line and sample recruiting letters to coaches and you really get some great information to work with.

I fall into the the group that TPM described as "no clue about it all and learned more here than anticipated". In 2004 when my son was a freshman we were starting to think about colleges but had little idea where to start. AT that point I figured we would have to rely on the HS coach for any information. I believe my wife found the site first. She was coming up with all these great ideas and she finally let me in on her secret!

By far the feature I like best is this message board. It is a very active site and you get good responses to questions and see how others handled similar situations.

TR,

If you made it through the World Series, the Super Bowl should be a piece of cake!

We didn't find the HSBBW until our son was pretty far into the process. I have to agree with Cleveland Dad that, had we found it earlier, it might have made me/us more nervous. I found that it was less nerve wracking to listen to the experience of those on this site who were ahead of us in the process rather to those who were going through it at the same time. We also never knew the dates - first phone call in July, NLI in November, ... and if we had, I think it would have weighed heavy on us during that time.

Our son was not a top DI prospect. I kind of think that if he was, we would have been aware of those dates and more aware of the whole recruiting process. Having said that, I also know that there are a lot of players that have the talent to play at all different levels, that would benefit from the knowledge or advice on this site.

Once we found the site, however, it helped us to help our son ask the questions that allowed him to make an intelligent, informed, decision about where he wanted to go to school and where he wanted to play baseball.

The HSBBW seems almost more helpful now, when I wonder how other players and families are dealing with injury, college, grades, allowance, girlfriends, slumps, ....

I do wish that our two boys would be willing to use the HSBBW themselves. They view it more as a parent's forum (and what do we know?).

I know that they are missing out on a lot of great tips, and a wealth of information from a great many experienced coaches, former players, and families that have gone through this process. You can lead a horse to water....

But I am grateful to the community and family that I have found here. I found it we we needed it the most. If I can pay it forward to someone else, I will feel as if I might have earned the right to be part of it.

HSBBW provided me the answers to questions that I didn't even know to ask as we ventured into the recruiting process. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had only the school coaches or counselors to lean on because I found myself explaining things to them at times.

He has 2 college seasons under his belt and anxious for the third to begin, but we have still benefited from this site.

Additional value has come from guidance and suggestions regarding many other areas –
* Stories from posters helped us make educated decisions in several areas including applications, college fit, and understanding the college structure
* My son got the bacterial meningitis vaccine from advice on this site only to experience the tragedy of an unvaccinated baseball friend die from the disease 3 months later (I'd never heard of it before this site)
* We have sought out and then chosen an ortho physician based on feedback from others here with good results
* My son has implemented strengthening and nutritional steps based on advice from the knowledgeable people willing to post here

As others have said, I see the folks here as an extended family. You don’t always agree with everything they say, and there’s the ones you have to keep in separate rooms if they’re invited to the same party but everyone one of them are willing to reach out a helping hand.

Two years before I met this old friend, the sports dept. I managed did a multi-part (I think it ran for 15 weeks) series on how to get an athletic scholarship. I felt pretty good about the work we did on the baseball part of what we published. Without braggin too much, we received a lot of notoriety nationally, mostly because nobody had done anything like it.

Two years later, when it came to my own son, I quickly realized how fast the landscape changes. I was the clueless parent, proving that a little knowledge was a dangerous thing.

Sure, I've learned plenty over the years here. Some of it even about baseball. But the value isn't what I've learned, or whom I've been fortunate enough to have met through this place (real and cyber).

The value is knowing that there always is someone here who has been through what you're going through; someone who wants to know not just what you know, but what you think, and someone who is willing to help you remember why you came back after the first time (it ain't recruiting).

I don't visit as often as I did when the boys played ball; the remaining kids' singing/acting/modeling stuff takes up a lot of what free time I have now. But I do know that, professionally speaking, the next time we try something like we did years ago, the baseball story might come up short.

All I have to do is list the link.

lol
The HSBBW had absolutely zero affect / impact on my family's recruiting path.

peace
Bear