Anonymous wrote:OP here. Lots of helpful information on this thread, but I may be more confused than ever. Should we be looking for a higher level travel team for his freshman Fall season? Seems like it would keep his reps up for the Spring season (he wants to go out for Varsity as a freshman and may have a shot since he's just attending our public HS). OR, do we skip Fall ball altogether and just do one-on-one coaching and weight training?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

It sorta also depends on your HS team though. Madison, SJC, etc. have role players who barely play that are D1 committed.

SJC has a Tennessee pitcher commit that barely saw any innings. I don’t think he was injured.

This is not unusual at SJC. Their pitchers are sought after by colleges not just because they are good, but because their arms are all very low mileage for a high school program that plays a lot of games against strong competition. The coaches at SJC are obsessed with arm care which occasionally costs them results on the field, but probably a healthy thing overall.

Well, that’s sort of true. They had three senior pitchers that between them pitched like 90% of the games. I get that many schools like to give their seniors more playing time because this is their final year…but they also had some D3 committed seniors that literally only had like two innings all season.

Probably 1/2 their games were blowouts, with the score 8+ to zero after like the second inning…yet they still had these three pitchers pitch the entire game for no reason.

Don’t know about the school season. I’ve just seen them in the summer/fall and have been impressed with their philosophy in pitcher management. Rarely have seen a starter go more than 60 pitches, even when they were cruising. Obviously you need roster depth to play this way. Other teams grind down pitchers in the summer heat at 100+ pitches counts and it’s hard to watch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

It sorta also depends on your HS team though. Madison, SJC, etc. have role players who barely play that are D1 committed.

SJC has a Tennessee pitcher commit that barely saw any innings. I don’t think he was injured.

This is not unusual at SJC. Their pitchers are sought after by colleges not just because they are good, but because their arms are all very low mileage for a high school program that plays a lot of games against strong competition. The coaches at SJC are obsessed with arm care which occasionally costs them results on the field, but probably a healthy thing overall.

Well, that’s sort of true. They had three senior pitchers that between them pitched like 90% of the games. I get that many schools like to give their seniors more playing time because this is their final year…but they also had some D3 committed seniors that literally only had like two innings all season.

Probably 1/2 their games were blowouts, with the score 8+ to zero after like the second inning…yet they still had these three pitchers pitch the entire game for no reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child wants to play college ball - their travel team at age 14/15 shouldn’t be the focus.

Getting to the next level is about the work done in private. Have a plan and execute it. It’s in the details. Training, diet, etc. It really requires a bit of an unhealthy obsession and no days off!

This. Mid Atlantic Red Sox change rosters nearly every year. The 2025 class were mostly all committed before they joined. A few even got dropped from colleges. It really is about the individual rather than the team. Also, recruitment is now later in high school which is a good thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

It sorta also depends on your HS team though. Madison, SJC, etc. have role players who barely play that are D1 committed.

SJC has a Tennessee pitcher commit that barely saw any innings. I don’t think he was injured.

This is not unusual at SJC. Their pitchers are sought after by colleges not just because they are good, but because their arms are all very low mileage for a high school program that plays a lot of games against strong competition. The coaches at SJC are obsessed with arm care which occasionally costs them results on the field, but probably a healthy thing overall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

It sorta also depends on your HS team though. Madison, SJC, etc. have role players who barely play that are D1 committed.

SJC has a Tennessee pitcher commit that barely saw any innings. I don’t think he was injured.

Anonymous wrote:If your child wants to play college ball - their travel team at age 14/15 shouldn’t be the focus.

Getting to the next level is about the work done in private. Have a plan and execute it. It’s in the details. Training, diet, etc. It really requires a bit of an unhealthy obsession and no days off!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are many degrees of D1 talent.

If you are someone that Vanderbilt would recruit, then yes, your talent is clear.

However, if you are someone that is Fordham or Ivy or Patriot League D1 level (meaning, that would be your upper limit of athletic ability)...that's not such an easy call and it matters that a club coach knows those coaches, understands which schools are recruiting for what slots and makes sure you get in front of them.

You have to be an incredibly good player to attend any of these schools for baseball. I highly doubt a travel coach would do anything to sway the recruitment for these schools. D3 no name schools, maybe. Ivy's? Not a chance.

If you're not an All State player and a three year or four year varsity starter then chances are you aren't playing at an Ivy or Patriot league school.

Ok…but a kid good enough to get recruited at Vanderbilt would be the best kid on any Ivy team…in fact they wouldn’t even bother trying to recruit them they would be so good. It’s a completely different level.

My kid is on a team with a kid gong to play for Penn…he’s a great player, but not All State nor even made varsity until a junior. It absolutely helped that the club coach knows the Penn coaching staff well (the team has probably sent 5 kids to Penn over the last 7 years) and they have a track record with their kids.

Actually, there are SEC-type players on those teams and schools all over. There is A LOT of movement among teams as kids get bigger and stronger and develop through their first and second years playing college ball. It’s night and day in some cases. Don’t sweat it - find a team/coach/school that’s a fit and will support your DS’s development.

Yes…kids do get bigger, better and stronger and do transfer, but the Ivy kid recruited out of HS is not getting many if any looks from an SEC program.

Also, it’s not easy transferring into an Ivy…your grades have to be strong in real classes, you need to apply before the Ivy transfer deadline, etc.

It’s not like transferring to Alabama where you can transfer in August and show up for the first day of class the next day.

The huge selling point from multiple Ivy coaches is that it’s just hard for kids to transfer from Power 4 schools and take your spot…so the team will be largely unchanged other than kids recruited in behind you.

Ivy schools also don’t allow grad students to play, other than they made a temporary Covid exception.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are many degrees of D1 talent.

If you are someone that Vanderbilt would recruit, then yes, your talent is clear.

However, if you are someone that is Fordham or Ivy or Patriot League D1 level (meaning, that would be your upper limit of athletic ability)...that's not such an easy call and it matters that a club coach knows those coaches, understands which schools are recruiting for what slots and makes sure you get in front of them.

You have to be an incredibly good player to attend any of these schools for baseball. I highly doubt a travel coach would do anything to sway the recruitment for these schools. D3 no name schools, maybe. Ivy's? Not a chance.

If you're not an All State player and a three year or four year varsity starter then chances are you aren't playing at an Ivy or Patriot league school.

Ok…but a kid good enough to get recruited at Vanderbilt would be the best kid on any Ivy team…in fact they wouldn’t even bother trying to recruit them they would be so good. It’s a completely different level.

My kid is on a team with a kid gong to play for Penn…he’s a great player, but not All State nor even made varsity until a junior. It absolutely helped that the club coach knows the Penn coaching staff well (the team has probably sent 5 kids to Penn over the last 7 years) and they have a track record with their kids.

Two things -

1. Go look at the Penn roster. Nearly every player on there was a stud in HS. I can't find one player who didn't have a shot at other high D1 schools. Playing D1 is very very hard and the difference between Vandy and Penn players is not as big as you think.

2. Going to Penn means nothing. Come back when the guy signed a letter, made the team and has playing time.

Dude..I am quite familiar with the Penn baseball team, the coaches and their recruiting.

The kid committed to Penn is a 2025 grad…so he has signed his letter and it would be shocking for him to not make the team.

You are crazy to think those kids had much of a shot at a Power 4 D1. The Penn coaches will even admit this.

I mean, I guess everybody has a shot…but no way in hell that Penn and Power 4 programs are actively trying to recruit the same kid.

You're making it sound like playing a Penn or Brown isn't that hard. Every single player on the roster was a stud in high school and not some role player on their varsity team. The gap between the Penn players and your average Varsity/youth travel ball player is huge.

They do have to be strong players…but the number 8-10 recruits could just have easily dropped down to play at a JHU and vice versa. There isn’t some obvious dividing line.

I think the point is that playing college ball is very very hard. And if you aren't an absolute stud in high school than the odds are very low that you will actually play for any college team. Even the JHU roster is packed with kids who were all conf/all state and played multiple sports. So if you're just a roll player on your travel/varsity team then just enjoy the ride and don't take it too serious.

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what everyone is arguing about. Most CAL Tech players are still really really good and were probably the best kid on their HS/travel team.

Few highlights from clicking random roster profiles"

"Athletic Honors: CIF Div. 1 South Coast League Champions starting shortstop, 2-Year Varsity Letterman, Dana Hills Baseball Senior Scholarship Award Recipient."

"Athletic Honors: MaxBats 2021 National Championship Tournament Winner... 10x Perfect Game All-Tournament Player... Letter Award Recipient."

"Athletics: Four-year Varsity Starter, 2020 and 2021 Varsity Captain, 2019 and 2021 First Team All-Conference (MIAA), Conference Champions 2018 and 2021."

"Athletic Honors: Iowa First Team Baseball Academic All-State."

"Athletic Honors: Under Armor Preseason All-American, Captain of the varsity baseball team, Under Armor All-Region player, PBR All-State pitcher."

"Athletic Honors: First team, All-State Pitcher... Great Falls Chargers Pitcher of the Year in 2019 and 2020... Bison Pride Award in Swimming in 2021."

"Athletic Honors: Four-year varsity baseball starter, CCS D-VI Championship in 2021, First-team All-League (2022), Second-team All-League (2019), Pitched a perfect game versus Woodside Priory High School on 05/11/2021."

"Athletic Honors: Under Armour Baseball Factory Pre-Season All American, 2021 Perfect Game Pre-Season All American Texas Region (Honorable Mention), Perfect Game Sunshine South Top Prospect Team, Perfect Game Sunshine South All time 1B Velo Record Holder, Showball Showcase top throwing Velocity (94mph) and Batted Exit Velocity off a tee (98mph), 2018 Power Showcase 15u All American Team, 3 year Varsity Starter for McKinney High School, 6A-District 5 (Varsity Captain 2021), 2021 Texas HS Coaches Association Academic All State Elite Team, State Farm Scholar-Athlete of the Week (April 2021)."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

Considering plenty of D3 schools will take pitchers that only throw high 70s (Trinity in CT or Colby as specific examples of kids that will be playing for those schools in the Fall)...I don't know what you are saying. D1 absolutely agree.

I don't believe that there is anyone throwing only high 70s and going D3 unless there is something more to the story.

Like what? These schools require high grades and/or test scores, so it’s not a cake walk acceptance.

News flash…CalTech also has kids that only throw in the 70s. Not that many 1600 SAT kids with published research that are also great baseball players.

Once again most of DCUM is living in fantasy land.

Go look at that the Caltech roster. The baseball players are still really really good baseball players and have years of being a star player in HS. The pitchers are not throwing high 70s.

You mean like the very first pitcher on the roster who is 5’4” and doesn’t list baseball as his HS sport?

You really think he’s launching lots of velocity?

My kid spoke with the Caltech coach multiple times…many kids are also walk ons to the team because Caltech doesn’t give any benefit to athletics for admissions so they can’t get enough recruits admitted if they wanted.

Many of the kids don’t list anything for their bio.

Perhaps someone else resides in fantasy land.

The guy who has pitched 5 innings his entire career and has an ERA of 27?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

Considering plenty of D3 schools will take pitchers that only throw high 70s (Trinity in CT or Colby as specific examples of kids that will be playing for those schools in the Fall)...I don't know what you are saying. D1 absolutely agree.

I don't believe that there is anyone throwing only high 70s and going D3 unless there is something more to the story.

Like what? These schools require high grades and/or test scores, so it’s not a cake walk acceptance.

News flash…CalTech also has kids that only throw in the 70s. Not that many 1600 SAT kids with published research that are also great baseball players.

Once again most of DCUM is living in fantasy land.

Go look at that the Caltech roster. The baseball players are still really really good baseball players and have years of being a star player in HS. The pitchers are not throwing high 70s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really isn't that hard to figure out if you're kid can play in college. Why the PP keeps arguing about it is beyond me.

Is your kid the best on the team? No? Then probably not. Easy. College ball is way way different than HS. If your kid isn't the #1 player and never has been then accept reality and move on.

Considering plenty of D3 schools will take pitchers that only throw high 70s (Trinity in CT or Colby as specific examples of kids that will be playing for those schools in the Fall)...I don't know what you are saying. D1 absolutely agree.

I don't believe that there is anyone throwing only high 70s and going D3 unless there is something more to the story.

Like what? These schools require high grades and/or test scores, so it’s not a cake walk acceptance.

News flash…CalTech also has kids that only throw in the 70s. Not that many 1600 SAT kids with published research that are also great baseball players.

Once again most of DCUM is living in fantasy land.

Go look at that the Caltech roster. The baseball players are still really really good baseball players and have years of being a star player in HS. The pitchers are not throwing high 70s.

You mean like the very first pitcher on the roster who is 5’4” and doesn’t list baseball as his HS sport?

You really think he’s launching lots of velocity?

My kid spoke with the Caltech coach multiple times…many kids are also walk ons to the team because Caltech doesn’t give any benefit to athletics for admissions so they can’t get enough recruits admitted if they wanted.

Many of the kids don’t list anything for their bio.

Perhaps someone else resides in fantasy land.