Video Offers some great insight into what it would be like as a collegiate player and on what a college coach may be looking for live if they come out to a tournament or game.
recruiting roadmap
Whether you are just entering your freshman year of high school or your senior year, it is never too early or too late to get started with the recruiting process, if playing college baseball is your goal.
We hope that the information provided here will make the process less daunting and serve as an informational source for what you should be focused on with each passing year of your high school career.
More importantly, relax , enjoy the process, and high school. For those with the talent and desire to continuing playing in college, there are options.
The reality of playing collegiate baseball
Playing college baseball is fiercely competitive. In the 2022-2023 school year, there were roughly 511,000 high school baseball players in the United States. There were just over 63,000 college baseball players. That means about 12 percent of high school players went on to compete at the college level. Just 2 percent go on to compete at the NCAA Division 1 level!
*https://scholarshipstats.com/varsityodds
While there have been significant changes made at the D1 level in terms of number of roster spots and scholarships available, it remains to be seen how these changes will impact recruiting, as schools grapple with the financial implications of the changes. Also, with the addition of the transfer portal, more coaches are opting to fill open roster spots with seasoned players.
What this means for you, the player, is that you should consider your options at all levels of collegiate baseball. Don’t limit yourself in your recruiting. A very good JUCO program could be a pathway to a top D1 program later.
You will occasionally hear about players that verbally commit as early as their freshman or sophomore year, however, these athletes are the exception and are typically very talented standout athletes. We want to stress that these situations are very rare and the majority of high school athletes won't verbally commit until the summer between their junior and senior year or even senior year.
In addition, in 2023 the NCAA governing board adopted new recruiting guidelines designed to slow the recruiting process: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/new-ncaa-rules-designed-to-slow-college-baseballs-recruiting-process/
NCAA Recruiting Calendar 2024-2025
https://www.ncsasports.org/baseball/recruiting-rules-calendar