I think my son is leaning toward the “traditional college experience” at a larger university, rather than trying to play NAIA or something like that. Most major university’s have these “club” teams, don’t they? I believe University of Iowa does.
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Not all club teams are created equal. Ex., SUNY Buffalo dropped men’s ice hockey a few years ago and created two club teams. The teams are extremely competitive to get onto and within the teams they play. It also costs to play and there are no scholarships.
I don’t know how organized ‘club baseball’ is, if they just play the teams around their area or if they travel out of state. Look on the athletic/rec page for info on each school.
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Here is U Iowa’s club league, it is high level, and I doubt everyone who tries out makes these teams: Teams | NCBA
U Iowa club link: Iowa Baseball Club
Definitely reach out to them, and also take a look at pre-covid schedules…I expect there is significant travel (and $) involved.
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I’m in a completely different sport than baseball, but I looked at both club and varsity teams at a bunch of schools! Lots of club teams, especially if they happen to have a coach (often volunteer), will give you a tour experience much like a varsity unofficial visit! For me, this was invaluable in deciding what level of commitment I wanted to make.
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S played on a team like this. Unfortunately covid killed it the past two seasons. However, they still practiced because they love baseball. Very competitive at his school. Last season they had 22 kids come out for 6 spots.
Let me start by saying, there is a college for every level of HSBB player. You have to find that college and see if it’s a match for you. If your HS HC has been coaching for any length of time, he can give you an honest assessment of you potential and put you in touch with recruiters at those colleges where he feels you will fit in. If you are only in the mid-80’s and don’t have an exceptional out-pitch, you one of probably a thousand kids graduating that have the same metric. Top-tier players can benefit from showcase events, but most recruiters go to those events with a preplanned strategy of players they want to watch. If you’re not on that list, you better hope someone on you team is.
If your post-college plans don’t depend on graduating with a 4.0, and you really love the game and maybe have some hopes and aspirations of playing at some professional level or you want to stay on the field as long as possible, then I strongly suggest you pursue your dream. You’re only young once, and the window for your dream is small. If you plan to attend post-Baccalaureate where rigor and GPA are factors in admission,
it might be time to hang up the cleats. College athletics is extremely demanding, leaving very little time for friends and family, and studying. It can also bolster a resume and teach you invaluable time and resource management. Only you can decide if it’s for you. Best wishes in whatever you decide.
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That’s essentially an exact quote from S’ coach many yrs ago. Although S chose not to pursue college baseball (would have been one of thousand with the same metric), several team mates did, and indeed the coach was right. From a fans view, I thought these kids were just average. However we live in FL so average is relative as the level of play is really good. 5 or 6 kids on his team did play in college at least initially. The issue was finding a team which required them to attend unfamiliar colleges in out of the way places (SW Lousiana State or some small Christian school - nothing wrong with the colleges but not where they were hoping to be). A few have bounced around from school to school to keep the dream alive.
You need to decide what’s most important( to you): playing baseball regardless of where or choosing a college that you’d be really happy attending with or without baseball. Only you can answer that question. It’s not an obvious answer. I brought up Club Baseball in a previous reply because it sort of bridges the gap and allows you to do both, just not at the same level or intensity. Depending on the school, it can be quite competitive. But it’s not the same as playing / practicing every day and truly representing the school.
First I appreciate this thread on college baseball. I keep wondering how to find out about club baseball. If a school only has one team it might be so competitive to get on that our son wouldn’t get to play club. I’m looking for a school that has sports like a D1 or D3 that also offers a good chance to be on a club baseball team. All suggestions welcomed.
OP, are you going through the recruiting process and if so, what is the level of interest? That could help tailor some of the responses. As a rising senior, you would be pretty late to the recruiting process to start now. Your best bet is to attend some type of showcase camps where a large number of coaches are participants in a concentrated format. Tournament showcases of club teams are a total crapshoot unless you are already on coaches’ radars.
I agree with the posters above that you have to set your priorities, is playing varsity baseball a “must have”, or are you looking for the best academic opportunity, perhaps with baseball as a leg up in the admissions process?
My D played on a D3 softball team and was a 4 year starter. Even a D3 sport requires a significant time commitment, but it is manageable and allowed my D to pursue a STEM degree. The team was a social anchor for her, and her core group of friends were pretty much team members. My S was offered full support by 6 D3’s. Like you, he threw mid 80’s as a RHP but he was also recruited as a MI. He just did not quite make the cut for a few Ivies who told him to walk on if he got in without athletic support. He chose to SCEA one of the Ivies and got in. However, he chose to play Club ball. There was a defined season, a couple of practices a week and games on the weekend. He started at SS and came in to relieve and batted top of the order vs sitting at the end of the bench most likely if he had made the school team as a walk-on.
From the tone of your initial post (doubts already about baseball being a full time job), it seems you should look at D3’s or playing Club baseball somewhere.
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Entirely possible. Several of the schools around here play only men’s club hockey or lacrosse. Very competitive to get on the teams. It can also be pretty expensive as some schools don’t support the club teams so the players have to pay for ice/field time, refs, travel.
Information about club teams can often be found on the recreation pages of colleges. You could also search for the club tournaments and see which colleges participated in those tournament, and work backward to find info about the school’s club team.
I would recommend a school with both a collegiate and club team in the same sport, otherwise you’re up against serious talent (like mentioned above in hockey and lacrosse). Depending on the size of the school, they may have multiple teams in the same sport. Some of the larger state schools have Club A, B , C and D for that reason. They play in different leagues. I forget the name of the organization, but there is a national Club sports group that breaks it into different divisions (just like D1, D2, D3). They have conferences, tournaments, national championships, etc. It’s pretty cool. They travel without it being too far. S played Club baseball in MC. They competed in NC, SC, and VA. School provided a van. Furthest trip was a 2 or 3 hour drive. They even got to play on the regular team’s field a few times.