College recruiting

This is a HUGE topic, and one that will take more than one post to cover. With that being said, here’s our first look at the recruiting process. Today’s blog is going to feel a bit technical as I break down the different levels of college baseball and start to look at the recruiting process. I promise, not all of our blogs will feel like you’re pouring through statistics or a technical manual!

Over the last 15 years I have been able to see the recruiting process as a player, collegiate coach, and now a coach with Pipeline Prime. Although a ton has changed over that decade and a half, even more has stayed the same.

What are the different levels of college baseball?

There are three different and very distinct classifications of collegiate athletics. Under the umbrella of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) there is Division I, Division II, and Division III. Additionally, there are those under the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). The NCAA is the most stringent of the three associations with respect to academics, eligibility and transfer rules. Within the NCAA, the three levels all have their differences as well. NAIA and NJCAA are both home to some high level players and programs, but in many cases, are not on the same level academically.

Division I

There are roughly 300 Division I member schools across the country that offer baseball. Division I baseball stands apart from the rest as the highest level of college baseball. When you flip on ESPN in the summer and watch the College World Series from Omaha, this is the level on display. These programs, if fully funded, have 11.7 scholarships and can maintain a roster of 40 players (up from 35 pre-COVID). Of those 35, 32 are eligible to receive baseball scholarship (up from 27 pre-COVID). These expanded rosters and scholarship recipients are subject to change, but this is where we stand currently.

Division II

There are roughly 250 Division II member schools across the country that offer baseball. Division II baseball is nothing to scoff at. At many of the high end programs in the country, it is not uncommon to see Division I caliber players on the field. There are no roster size limits on Division II, as some programs carry both a Varsity and Junior Varsity or developmental team. The scholarships change slightly as there are only 9 to divvy up across the team.

Division III

There are roughly 375 Division III member schools across the country that offer baseball. Division III baseball is often found at more rigorous and academically demanding schools. For the most part, these schools are private institutions rather than state schools. 

Division III programs have 0 athletic scholarships to provide to their athletes. This makes these programs get creative with packaging need-based financial aid, academic scholarships, and other various scholarships to make the education as affordable as possible.

NAIA

There are roughly 210 NAIA member schools across the country that offer baseball. NAIA can be an outstanding option for an athlete that is looking to maximize his scholarship package or maybe was not academically in a position to play within the NCAA system. NAIA programs that are fully funded can divvy up 12 scholarships across their roster. Much like Division II and NJCAA, they do not have a maximum roster size. 

NJCAA

Last but certainly not least, there are a little over 500 NJCAA member schools across the country that offer baseball. By playing at an NJCAA member school, an athlete puts himself on track to earn his Associate’s degree (2 yr) rather than his Bachelor’s Degree (4 yr). In most situations, after his first or second year, he will transfer to a four-year institution under the NCAA or NAIA umbrellas. Athletes that play at the junior college level may be trying to: develop and transfer to a larger school, minimize costs, maximize scholarship dollars, improve their academic standing to be eligible for NCAA, or shorten their time until they are eligible for the draft. Junior college baseball can be a tremendous opportunity in a variety of situations. NJCAA programs have a maximum of 24 scholarships that can be divided, depending on the classification of junior college (1, 2 or 3). 

When should I start worrying about the recruiting process?

The first day you walk into high school as a Freshman, if not sooner. Yes, you read that correctly, the first day of your Freshman year of high school. This is a time where you can put yourself in a great academic position or dig an inescapably deep hole that serves to limit which schools and levels of college baseball you can play at. One of the first questions that a college coach will ask a prospective student athlete or his coach will be, “so, how are your grades and test scores?”. Not only can having good grades offer opportunities for scholarships and guarantee acceptance into the school of your choice, it also says something about who you are as a young man. A student that is barely skating by doing the bare minimum with C’s and D’s paints a vivid picture of his work ethic. The last thing a coach wants to worry about with one of his athletes is whether he will be going to class, if he will be eligible and if he is cutting corners when nobody is looking. Now, we all can’t be valedictorian and carry a 4.0 and get a perfect score on the SAT but each of us is capable of giving our very best.

Now that we have the academics out of the way, let’s look closer at the process itself. For Division I programs, they are allowed to make contact with a Prospective Student Athlete (PSA) on August 1 of his Junior year of high school. Division II schools can make first contact June 15 after a PSA’s sophomore year, and Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA programs have no restrictions; however, they typically put most of their focus into recruiting athletes in their Junior and Senior year of high school. As you can see, the summer leading into your Junior year, and your Junior and Senior year is the most pivotal time for recruiting. Because this is such an important time, by the time a student reaches his Junior year, he should register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. This registers him with the NCAA and allows him to potentially take visits and also serves to help ensure he is on track academically to be eligible in college. We will spend more time talking about the Clearinghouse and eligibility. For now, just store that away as something important to do around the beginning of your Junior year.

In a perfect world, you are able to get onto a coach’s radar at the tail end of your Sophomore year, your recruiting begins your Junior year and is all wrapped up before you begin to stress during your senior year. Like I said, in a perfect world. For the rest of us, the process starts when it starts, and that’s ok! Knowing that coaches cannot have recruiting conversations with an athlete until his Junior year means there is no need to shell out thousands of dollars taking your 8th grader to showcases to give coaches an “early look” at him. 

How do I get on a coach’s radar and start the recruiting process?

There are many different ways to do this and they are all as right as the next one. The first way is to send an email introducing yourself and with video included. This can be a first chance for a coach to know you are interested, and be able to evaluate you from the video you provide. Understand, unless you are hitting 500 foot home runs or throwing triple digits, they are still going to need to lay eyes on you in person to make sure what they see on video matches up to what you can do, but it’s a great way to get noticed.

The next way is to participate in a camp that they either host or are working. College camps and showcases can be a difficult minefield to navigate, but they can also be completely invaluable to the recruiting process. They offer PSA’s the chance to interact with coaches and players, visit the campus, and see for themselves what a day in the life of that program may feel like. Unfortunately, these camps are equal parts recruiting and money makers for the college programs, so being realistic is really important. The last thing we want to do is spend a small fortune on every single prospect camp from coast to coast. We’ll touch on that at greater length later on.

The last way to get onto a coach’s radar is to perform at a high level when he is at your competition or practice. Now, he may be there because of the email you sent, or because your coach reached out and told him to come watch you, or maybe he just so happened to walk up to your field at a big tournament. Whatever the reason is, this is a fantastic way to impress a coach and get your name circled. Conversely, display a poor attitude, show a lack of hustle and don’t do things to the standard he expects, you can find your name crossed off the list before you even realize who is in the stands. This is a constant reminder to carry yourself to a high standard and remember every day is a tryout!

STAY TUNED AS WE CONTINUE OUR RECRUITING SERIES. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU, WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?