How to Choose a College Baseball Program

Finding the right college fit is not an easy decision. Many factors go into it. It’s four years of his life that will help him reach his goals and prepare him for life after baseball. Can he play there? Can he graduate there with a degree he will use? Can the staff be trusted? Can you pay for it without putting the family in a hole? Then, maybe, how are the amenities?

The ability to develop and play immediately is important. Part of this is an honest conversation with the coach and part is an honest conversation as a family. The time of a player coming into a program and developing and redshirting in year one is over. With the amount of money in NCAA baseball and with the portal, coaches want and need players to come in and have a chance to play immediately.

Distance from home is also a real thing that needs to be discussed as a family. Can you and mom handle it? Is the son mature enough to be 12 hours away? The culture of the locker room is also important. A big tell here is how many players return every year? Does the program return all eligible players or does 50% enter the portal? One visit won’t show you all of it. Watch a weekday practice if you can. How they treat their own players when nobody is recruiting tells you more than how they treat you on a visit.

When he’s stuck, go back to the honest evaluation. You can’t get where you want to go until you know where you are. The right level where he can compete beats the wrong logo where he disappears.