About College Baseball

If you only focus your search on the country's top baseball teams, you will be disappointed.  Too many high school players think that programs like Miami, Stanford, Florida State, Tennessee, Louisiana State, Texas and a few other ones are the only respectable ones in the country.

While most high school players dream of one day competing on ESPN in a packed stadium at the college World Series, the reality is that very few get the opportunity.  According to research, roughly 2% of all high school and junior college players who seek to play at a D-1 school will ever get a chance.

If you're just finishing your junior year of high school, you'll have a pretty good idea if you are talented enough to complete at the level.  Blue chip athletics recruited by these nationally ranked schools are often three- or four-year varsity starters for their high school teams, selected to All-District and All-State Teams, and are invited to prestigious tournaments like Team One's National Showcase and California's Area Code Games.  These players also often receive recruiting phone calls from coaches and attract lots of college coaches and pro scouts at their games.

Lesson Learned: If you not a "blue-chip" recruit, expand your college search and include a wide range of schools on your target list.
 

Do not misinterpret letters you receive in the mail to mean that a coach considers you a prospect.  Every high school layer who expresses interest in a college team, regardless of his ability, will receive a letter and a questionnaire in the mail asking for more information.

Answer the following questions honestly: Do college coaches call you? Is your mailbox overflowing with letters from coaches wanting you to consider their school?  Are coaches coming to campuses?  Do recruiters and pro scouts attend your games to watch you play?

If you're one of the lucky few who can answer "yes" to the above questions, then consider yourself a blue-chip prospect - one of the nation's elite baseball players.  If you're like most high school players, however, and you had to answer "no" to a lot of the questions, then you need to take a pro-approach to your college search.

Lesson Learned: Receiving phone calls from college coaches is much better indicator of how interested a coach is in recruiting you.
 

If you receive lukewarm interest from coaches, yet you really want to play college ball, you can try making the team as a "walk-on."  This means you participate in an open tryout when you arrive in the fall. 

Understand that it is extremely difficult to make the team as a non-recruited player.  The tryouts are usually brief - most players get cut after the first day - and as many as a hundred players can show up.  Every now and then a coach may find a diamond in the rough, like a hard throwing pitcher who has gone unnoticed; yet, for the most part, a coach knows exactly which players will comprise his squad before the open tryout even begins.

Lesson Learned: When you consider how much time you will spend practicing with such a slim chance of ever playing in a game, you may want to search harder for a school that wants you.  Many players who try "walk-on" do not make the team and transfer or drop out after their freshman year.
 

Do not rely on your high school coach to contact college coaches, write letters, or solicit offers on your behalf.  Most high school coaches are unable to devote the excessive time required to help their player find a college.  If your coach has time to assist you with the recruiting process and has demonstrated a commitment to help you find a school that meets your needs, consider yourself lucky.

Too frequently we hear from players and parents that their high school coaches don't do anything to help.  Often these complaints and accusations come in the spring of their senior year, after most college application deadlines have passed.

Don't worry if your coach only limits his involvement to practices and games.  Some are simply too busy to help.  Others are unfamiliar with their recruiting process and might not even know where to begin.  And some devote 100% of their time to the "star athlete" because he is the easiest to promote.

Lesson Learned: Don't expect your high school coach to devote the time and effort to personally help you with your college search.  Take the responsibility and control of your own future.
 

Always set high goals for yourself.  We have found that the players who have the best college experience are the ones who make their teams' starting line-up.  Riding the bench is no fun unless you have the potential to work your way into a more important role within a short period of time.

Where would you be happier? Being the 34th out 35 players on the University of Texas depth chart where you will be lucky to see a couple of innings during your entire four year career, or being the star of the team at a small, lesser-known school?

We know you will have a much more enjoyable baseball career if you are an integral part of the team and get to play regularly.  That's much more important than the team name on your jersey.

Lesson Learned: Find a team where you can eventually contribute and have a chance to start.
 

If more than a handful of college coaches ever watch you play throughout your high school career, consider yourself lucky.  Even if coaches attend your game, they will be most likely represent only nearby schools.  Unfortunately, most baseball programs' recruiting budgets do not allow coaches to travel around the country, scouting talent.  It's just too expensive.  Coaches will scout regional high school and summer league games usually within a couple of hours of their school, but rarely will they travel further.

It's not unusual for a college to spend the majority of his travel and recruiting budget scouting a select few blue chip prospects.  What's left in the travel budget will be used to attend high-profile tournaments or national showcases where the greatest number of prospects can be seen.

Say for example you live in Texas and are interesting in attending a college in Michigan.  Even if the coach in Michigan really likes you, he will probably not have the money or the time to fly to Texas to watch you play.  He would rather find out if you attend any showcases, national tournaments or he may even invite you to attend one of his summer camps.

Lesson Learned: Be proactive and take your game to coaches of schools that interest you.  Don't expect them to travel to your hometown.
 

Most players believe the misconception that D-1 is the only way to go and that all other college divisions are inferior. Don't fall into this trap!  If you do, you will eliminate yourself from hundreds of schools that need a player just like you.

Lesson Learned: Surprisingly, many D-2, D-3, NAIA and junior college teams stack up well against a D-1 school.  Don't neglect them simply because of their affiliation.
 

If you're ultimate goal is to play major league baseball, keep in mind that you will have a much better chance of getting drafted out of college than out of high school.  Many pro scouts look favorably upon college graduates because they have had an extra four years or more to develop their abilities.  In addition, they are generally more mature, responsible, and less of a risk than their high school counter parts.

Lesson Learned: Go to college and get your degree.  It will give you a better chance to make it to the pros.
 

Contrary to popular belief, a high batting average or impressive won-loss pitching record is not enough to attract a recruiter's attention.  Here's why coaches feel this way: stats are a direct result of completion. Coaches are more interested in your skills than mere statistics.  When coaches evaluate you, they are projecting where you will be in two or three years.  They're looking definitely at your bat speed, your agility, your hands, your foot speed, and your overall athleticism.  Sure, it definitely helps to have impressive stats because it leads to publicity and recognition, but coaches do not rely exclusively on these numbers.

It wouldn't be unusual, for example, if the best pitcher on a weak high school team in New York was cut from a strong high school team in Texas. Coaches also realize that high school scorekeepers can often inflate a player's stats by awarding hits when a fielder should have been charge with errors and vice-versa.

Lesson Learned: Stats are a small part of a college coach's perception of you.
 

Scholarships are not as readily available as most players and parents think.  A full baseball scholarship is so rare that it almost does not exist.  Over 90% of all scholarships are rewarded to pitchers and most of that money is divided into partial scholarships.

Lesson Learned: Don't expect that athletic scholarships will allow you to attend school for free.  Even if you are one of the fortunate few to receive an athletic scholarship, you will still have to pay for other college expenses with family money, an academic scholarship or loans.
 

Even if your heart is set on attending one particular school and the coach has expressed interest, you should still promote yourself to other schools.  It will give you leverage when it comes time to discuss academic and athletic scholarships.  The coach at our first choice school has all the bargaining power if he finds that you are desperate to attend school.

Lesson Learned: Leverage is crucial if you want to increase your worth and potentially attain a better scholarship.  Avoid the temptation to prematurely tell a coach that you've made your decision to attend his school.
 

Constant praise from influential people in the baseball community is nice to hear, but it can also be dangerous.  It may cause you to sit back, wait for coaches to come to you, and cease to be aggression in our college search.

Lesson Learned: Always strive to improve your skills.  Never stop learning.

Avoid rushing to judgment if a coach expresses interest in recruiting you.  A lot can change and a school that you dismiss now may look a lot more attractive later on.  Never lie to mislead a coach.  Just make sure you research every opportunity before making up your mind.  Once you decide exactly where you want to go, tell all other coaches who are interested in you to remove your name from the recruiting list.

Lesson Learned: Keep your options open and avoid rushing to judgment until you have made up your mind
 

Unfortunately, by the time your senior season is just underway in March, you will probably already know where you are going to college.  While it's important to have a productive senior year, understand that your junior season is much more important from a college coach's standpoint

Lesson Learned: Your junior high school season and the summer just before your senior year are the most important recruiting time periods.
 

Figures indicated that your competition to fill a roster spot may encompass as many as 61,000 other high school graduates and junior college players seeking to transfer to a four-year  school.  Approximately 1 out of 9 (11%) will ever have the opportunity to play college ball.  Some of them will receive athletic scholarships, but most will not.  If you estimate how few players receive even partial baseball scholarships, the number is staggering.

Lesson Learned: Very few roster spots are available.  You need to work hard both on and off the field to stand out from the crowd.