WHAT SCHOOLS SHOULD I BE LOOKING AT?
To start with, there are currently 291 NCAA D-I programs, plus another 1,300 D-II, D-III, NAIA, and Junior College teams. If you are one of the top 100 high school seniors in the U.S., you will have your choice of several top programs. If you aren't, there are several factors you should take into account ... most of which aren't even baseball related.
The key is to target the appropriate colleges that are an academic and an athletic match for you. Keep asking yourself this question: If you should not make the team, get injured, or decide later on not to play during college for some reason, would I be happy attending this college? Does it meet my non-baseball needs?
The criteria for selecting a school should be based on your make-up. Factors such as location, cost, setting, number of students, academic reputation, areas of study, faculty, social life, and the quality of the physical plant should help you narrow down the choices from the almost 1,600 possible colleges in the nation with a baseball program.
For example, if you don't want to be more than three hours away from home, you have narrowed down your search. If you want to play ball in a warm climate, you have narrowed your search. If you are planning (at least at this point) to study engineering, then again, you have narrowed your search.
After you have looked at these factors, it is important to find a college that will be a match for your baseball talent. You need to determine what level you are good enough to play at. Ask your high school, summer, or opposing coaches. They'll give you a fair evaluation of your talent. Keep in mind that some high school coaches have a solid understanding of college baseball, while others do not, so don't base your decision on his opinion alone.
Enroll in showcases and summer college camps. This will give college coaches the opportunity to evaluate your skills against other players interested in playing college baseball. Further, by attending these camps, coaches will have an opportunity to get to know you, your work ethic, ambitions, and competitiveness. And again, ask college coaches who have seen you play. Whether they are interested in you for their program or not, most will give you a fair evaluation of your baseball skills.
Finally, determine how you rank on your team and against others in the area. Some teams and leagues are not as strong as others. Simply being the best player on your high school team or league may not qualify you to compete at the highest level in college. On the other hand, if you have played sparingly in high school, this doesn't mean you can't compete in college and get a scholarship. What if a good high school catcher doesn't play because the starting catcher on his team is the best in the state?
Hopefully, taking these steps will help you narrow down your list of "possibles" to a manageable number. We have attached a list of "recruiting guidelines" that should help give a general picture of an athlete by division and position. This is just another tool....again to aid in your search.
BASEBALL RECRUITING GUIDELINES
DIVISION I:
The typical Division I baseball player is 'polished' and seems to already have all the tools necessary to be successful as a freshman. As opposed to the Division II baseball player, the typical DI player needs far less development, if any. The position players possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools - hit for average, hit for power, arm strength, speed, and defensive abilities. The pitchers display a command of at least 3 pitches with high velocities. On average, they have the ability to throw many innings, and most often they are only used on the mound and rarely as position players. Most D1 players come from large high schools. Many of these programs are considered the best in their area or in the State. In addition, most DI players have been awarded accolades such as All-Area, All-County, or All-State.
The average characteristics by position are as follows:
Right Hand Pitchers:
-Height: 6'1"
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-Over 1 K per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 2.50 -Velocity: 88-90 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Left Hand Pitchers:
-Height: 6'1"
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-1 K per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 2.50
-Velocity: 84-86 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Centerfielders:
-Height: 5'11"
-Weight: 170 Pounds
-60 Yard: 6.8 (Verified)
-Velocity for OF: 86-87 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Middle Infielders:
-Height: 5'11"
-Weight: 175 Pounds
-60 Yard: 6.8-6.9 (Verified by neutral source)
-Velocity from INF: 85+ MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Catchers:
-Height: 5'10"+
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-Pop Time: Sub 1.95 (Verified by neutral source)
Corner Infielders:
-Height: 6'2"
-Weight: 200 Pounds
-Power Numbers: 8+ HR, 30+RBI
DIVISION II:
For some colleges, especially those in the Southern States and out on the West Coast, DII Baseball is an extension of DI. There are very few differences between the typical West Coast or Southern DII player and the average DI player. For the DII schools up North, the athletes may be a notch below the average DI and perhaps a little less polished. They may not throw as hard, play for the top high schools programs, or possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools. This is not always the case, as there are some very solid DII Baseball Programs up North. However, it is no secret that overall, the better baseball schools are those located in warmer climates.
The Minimum Requirements by position are as follows:
Right Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 6'0' (Preferably taller)
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Averaging about 1K per inning pitched
- ERA below 3.00 - Velocity: 85 MPH
Left Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 5'10' (Preferably taller)
- Weight: 165 lbs
- Averaging about 1K per inning pitched
- ERA at 3.00 or below
- Velocity: 83 MPH
Centerfielders:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 165 lbs
- 60 Yrd Time: 6.8 or below
Middle Infielders:
- Height: 5'9"
- Weight: 165 lbs
- 60 Yrd Time: 6.9 or below
- 79-80 MPH from SS
Catchers:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 180 lbs
- Pop Time: 2.0 or below
DIVISION III:
Some DIII programs are stronger than others, but there seems to be more continuity with the physical characteristics of DIII players than there are for DII or NAIA. Certain DIII programs, such as Wisconsin Whitewater or George Fox, play at a superior level. However, for the most part, the range of physical characteristics was slim.
The Minimum Requirements by positions are as follow:
Right Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 170 Pounds
- 1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched
- ERA below 4.00
- Velocity: 83 MPH
Left Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 165 Pounds
- 1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched
- ERA below 4.00
- Velocity: 81 MPH
Centerfielders:
- Height 5'10"
- Weight: 165 Pounds
- 60 Yard Dash: 7.0 or below
Middle Infielders:
- Height: 5'9"
- Weight: 165 Pounds
- 60 Yard Dash: 6.9 or below
Catchers:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 175 Pounds
- Pop Time: 2.1 or below
NAIA:
The discrepancies in characteristics are very severe when it comes to NAIA baseball. Some NAIA schools are playing at a DII level, while others are competing at a lower DIII level. NCSA found a mix of D2 criteria and D3 criteria make up the recruiting guidelines for this league.
JUNIOR COLLEGE BASEBALL:
Unlike the NAIA, Junior Colleges do have 3 divisions for the purpose of separating stronger JC programs from the weaker ones. While there may be somewhat of a drop off in talent between Division III Junior College and Division I and Division II Junior Colleges, there is little difference between DI and DII Junior Colleges. Many of the Junior College players lack the 'polish' to be considered DI players coming out of HS, but they already possess the necessary physical tools to be successful at the DI level. All they need to do is harness and polish those skills. The GPA's of most of the Junior College athletes are lower than those attending 4 year schools, suggesting that these athletes need to two years to mature academically as well.
PREFERRED GRADES FOR ALL DIVISIONS:
3.0 GPA + 24 ACT + 1000 SAT (out of 1600) (No scores needed for underclassmen)
In order to compile these Recruiting Guidelines, NCSA tracked hundreds of former NCSA student-athletes who have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, polled college coaches across the nation, and analyzed college rosters at all levels of competition.
reprinted from NCSA.com
