An Approach Towards The College Baseball Path
Baseball Ontario

Are you interested in playing college baseball? What’s the best approach for a player you coach? How is it possible for you and your son successfully negotiate through the maze to find the proper school?

Below are some things that you need to do and consider during this important decision making process.

WHEN TO PREPARE: Start today. Good study habits and work ethic are musts. Will you work longer in your life or play baseball longer? The answer is work, so a first-class education is needed.

SAT’s: Check with your school guidance counselor on where and when you can write your SAT exam. The exam is comprised of 1/3 math, 1/3 English and 1/3 English composition. There are Prep courses available. You can write the SAT exam as many times as you want.

BE D-U-M: Make sure that the letter D, U or M is behind all of your high school courses so you are eligible to go to university. There is nothing wrong with taking applied courses if you want to be eligible for a four-year school you need academic courses. Don’t slip up and take an applied by mistake.

SCHOLARSHIPS: 11.7 are allowed per NCAA Division I four-year schools, 12 per NAIA school. How does that work? Player A gets 50%, Player B gets 40%, Player C gets 62%, etc.

JUNIOR COLLEGES: If you have a high average/good SAT score, you should go to a four-year school. Some students who do not apply themselves might be better off going to two-year junior colleges.

WHAT’S A GOOD SCHOOL: Make the best of a situation no matter the school. Corey Koskie went to Des Moines Area Community College (he earned $26.2 M in his career) Jason Bay went to College of Southern Idaho ($11 M and counting). They have earned millions and are one in a million. On the other hand, Evan Weinstein attended to Longwood and had the College of Business Economics highest grade-point average, won the Wall Street Journal award, was named a Verizon Academic All-American, was member of the Dean’s Advisory Board and took a investment banking job on Wall Street. Nick Gianou went to Dakota Wesleyan and earned Daktronics-NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete. ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honours from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), First-Team Academic All-District honours. Both had perfect 4.0 GPAs.

LETTERS FROM SCHOOLS: Don’t get excited over a letter from a school it’s like the flyer stuck in your mail box. Get excited over an offer. It’s a business; some schools use the invites to baseball camps to make money for their programs.

COST INVOLVED: When a recruiter offers a specified percentage of the tuition ... you are best to figure out the amount of the offer and what percentage are your out-of-pocket expenses. These types of expenses include:

Tuition
Meal plan
Books
Housing

CANADIAN SCHOOLS: OUAA schools offer $3,500 if student has an average of 80% or better (Top 6 high school courses).

REFERENCE POINTS:

NCAA.org (www.ncaa.org) to learn and see if there are any rule changes.
High School Baseball Players Guide to College Recruiting – College Bound Sports the best walk through on the process.
U.S. News and World Report (http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/) ranks all the schools and costs
Baseball America – February Issue, lists strength of conference, teams in conference, etc.
London Badgers, Team Ontario web sites -- schooling section.
Canadian Baseball Network – www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com for exposure.

APPROACH AND QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK RECRUITERS:

Get involved; this has to be a family decision. Use your phone extension when the coach phones.

Who does the coach have coming back at the same positions?
How much playing time can a first year player expect?
How often does the coach red-shirt a freshman?
How long is the coach’s contract for?
Can your son expect help academically if he’s having trouble maintaining his GPA?
How is study time managed when the team is on the road?
Are credits transferable to a Canadian university? Don’t take the American version, check with Canadian schools.
What is the graduation rate is at his school?
If a junior college, what four-year school does the coach usually send his players?

In many ways playing college baseball is like golf -- anyone can play. In golf you need to play against someone where the handicap levels the field. When it comes to college baseball, you must find the right fit as a player. As a parent you should allow your son to make the decision that fits your situation financially.

As coach you should be an attentive, realistic sounding board.

Be sure to check out www.baseballontario.com for a listing of our College Baseball seminars for players, coaches, and parents.