I may be wrong but @DigitalDad might be a baseball parent.
I agree, it sounds odd, but I donāt know baseball. I think it would be ok to ask to speak to the coach in order to get clarity. It is tough for a 17 year old, and coaches can easily be misunderstood.
Although it was after my son accepted an offer, his college counselor verified (with admissions, actually) that my son had passed the preread and was the coachās #1 recruit at that position.
Given the uncertainty, i think itās reasonable to insert yourself in the process. Of course making it clear that you just want to make sure you understand the situation and want to avoid any misunderstanding.
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As a half measure perhaps ask coach for captains contact info and reach out to players. Talk directly to them about the team, school and coach and get a feel.
Not sure this will change the decision or move the needle but certainly wouldnāt hurt and may serve to persuade your athlete.
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Iām a baseball parent, but not sure thereās anything specific about that sport to this particular situation. Unfortunately there are coaches in many sports at many schools who do this first come first serve kind of recruiting offer. It doesnāt make sense to me, but itās their prerogative. Has your S had any contact at all with the team at either school?
Aside from communicating that the school is among the top choices and that the recruit wants to visit all schools before deciding, thereās not much to be done but hope the slots donāt fill up before the visit. So, if your S has told the coach that he wants to visit his final two(?) schools/my parents are requiring that, and that he canāt get there until the first weekend of October, your S has done everything he can. Much of the situation is out of his control which is part of the reason that recruiting is so difficult.
If this school was far and away your Sās first choice, I would tell him to commit. But it doesnāt sound like thatās the case. Itās great that he has a few offers. For how long is the offer open at the school where heās visiting this weekend? Is this offer the more common situation where the coach has offers out for the same number of slots that he has? How does he rank these two schools, at this point in the process?
ETA:
I agree with this.
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Sometimes you just have to take you best shot and decide without meeting the other kids, seeing classes in session,eating in the dining room. My daughter visited the school she ended up going to on a weekend so no classes in session. The team was new to the school, and she met one girl who would be a senior and play just one year. The only one she knew was a frienimy who happened to be on her club team (and they did just fine as teammates). She had to take a leap based on what she knew about the school and that one Saturday visit.
I just donāt think it is going to change his opinion that much by visiting one more time.
It is not like players get to pick their teams and teammates at other times. In Little League, hs, and even the pros, players are assigned to teams (often based on where they live in LL and HS) and thatās who they play with. It is unique to college that players are picking their coaches and teammates, and what are they picking them based on, how nice the other guys were during the visit or how good they are at baseball? Why would he think he wouldnāt fit in with the team?
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Unfortunately - no.
Not baseball, or any organized sports, in this family at all.
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Not sure that I agree with this approach. Most college athletes end up spending A LOT of time with teammates, and they end up being their best friends during school, and even far beyond college. Iāve seen a number of athletes not really take this into account, and transfer after a year or 2 because they just donāt fit in with their teammates.
Itās an imperfect system for sure. And you donāt necessarily know everything you ideally would just from hanging out for 2 days and one night with future teammates. But itās a lot better than not having that. My son knew immediately knew that he was with āhis peopleā when he was with future teammates away from coach and parent eyes. A friend of his did a visit to a different school that was great on paper, and he loved the coach. But he realized that it just wasnāt a group of guys he wanted to spend a lot of time with socially, so he didnāt take an offer that he may have taken otherwise.
It sounds like it worked out for your daughter, and in that circumstance there really wasnāt an alternative anyway. And I can certainly see circumstances where an athlete would commit without meeting teammates, because itās a good athletic and academic fit, and there isnāt a good opportunity to meet the team first. But if you have the chance, I would definitely take it.
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Itās a tough call, but I would not have him commit just to hold a spot āin caseā your ds decides he doesnāt want to go there after the visit. Did he attend camps on campus where he could have interacted with the players then? Are there players he can call or email to ask questions?
The other side of me is wondering why there is no OV before committing? When my ds was recruited last year, the coach set him up with admissions to get interviewed by them and to sit through a Q&A session. He also was able to meet with the chair of his intended major. Then the HC gave us a tour and answered questions regarding the sport program; and then he got to meet and talk with a current player. This was all arranged by the coach (this was a D3 school). Iām surprised something similar is not happening.
My dd had a similar experience to my ds when she was recruited, as well.
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Yes my son is having visits like this too but not every school that has made him an offer has offered such a visit. I agree with @dadof4kids - the opportunities my son has had to interact with players at other schools been really helpful in figuring out if the school and team are a good fit. Thatās why we are trying so hard to make this happen for schools he is really serious about.
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Iām not clear if he has an offer at the Ohio school already? And is it being held for him until the visit?
I agree with others that thereās no need to wait for a weekend. This is a good reason to miss a few days of school. Ohio to EWR or a closer airport is pretty quick and he could tack it on before or after his already-planned weekend visit to Ohio.
Definitely nice to meet teammates and get a sense of the team culture. If he canāt, facetime is next best but not nearly as good imo.
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I think thatās correct.
My knowledge of recruiting is totally second-hand and anecdotal. I have worked with a lot of athletes and I have heard too many stories. But the main thing I hear, repeatedly, is that the kids who end up definitely being an athlete for the college and who have a straightforward process without all the second-guessing are the ones who essentially have an unconditional offer with 100% coach support. Something akin to āI have confirmed with the AOās that I want you on the team, and provided you meet the conditions of being accepted in terms of GPA, you will be admitted.ā
I personally know students who were given āfirm offers,ā but in reality, there was always something that wasnāt unequivocal. This coach doesnāt sound like he is making an unequivocal offer. I am not trying to be a naysayer, but I think @cinnamon1212 has it right that your child isnāt the top recruit. If his goal is a lot of time playing, maybe he isnāt going to get that at the NY college.
I would take this coach at his word. If this college is the top choice, make the effort to be there this weekend. If not, itās probably for the best if he doesnāt end up playing for this school. We always say here on CC ālove the school that loves you back.ā Iām not sure the coach is showing him the love.
P.S. Fwiw, itās not ethical to commit just to hold the spot but you realize that.
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I wouldnāt assume this based on what we know.
I do agree with cinnamon and others that getting clarity before any final decisions is a good idea.
But coaches are all over the map in how they communicate and recruit, and itās really hard to draw conclusions based on that.
This coach sounds like heās been pretty communicative and also encouraged a visit. Iām assuming the offer is for a roster spot and admissions support, but Iād want to clarify that.
Iām not a big fan of the first come, first served approach but thatās how some coaches roll. I guess from the coach perspective, he has spots to fill and this is the most efficient way to get it done.
Baseball isnāt my sport but my understanding is that LHP is a pretty unique skill set and role so Iād think you could get a sense of whether itās overloaded from the current roster or a discussion with the coach.
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