There are a lot of students with division I talent who choose division III schools because the emphasis at these schools is more likely to be on academics and not baseball. Ask yourself what kind of time commitment you are willing to make to play baseball. Coaches at division I schools can make you practice up to 26 weeks per academic year and they can also restrict your extracurricular activities off the field. The more competitive the program the more of a commitment will be required of you and the less time you will have for classes and other aspects of college life. Don't forget your priorities, education first baseball second. 

The NCAA does not allow coaches to contact high school students until after July I before their senior year, but you can contact them any time  Start in your junior year if possible and include with any correspondence letters of recommendation from you high school and legion coaches, a brief profile and any feature articles from the newspaper.  Plan a visit to the school and make an appointment to see the coach. This will allow you to see the campus to meet the coach and for him to meet you.

These visits are very important. It not only lets the coach know you are serious about applying to his school, but lets you get to know each other a little. You are going to be together a lot if you end up playing baseball so you both want to get some idea of what each of you is like. However, never pick a school because you like the coach since you never know how long he will be there. If you can, prepare a video and suggest that the coach look at it with you when you go to visit. He should be able to give you an idea if you have the talent to play for him after you look at the video together. Do your homework before you go and have a list of questions you want answered prepared in advance. Some important things to ask are: 

How many weeks per academic year do you practice?
Do you restrict any off field activities?
When are the practice facilities available to the baseball team?
What happens if I have a class that conflicts with the team's schedule?
What type of experience does the training staff have?
Are tutorial services available to all members of the team and what is the charge?
How many players do you already have at my position?   

While you are on campus take the tour offered by the admissions office, listen to the admissions office presentation. Try to talk to some student athletes. Ask yourself if you want to spend the next four years of your life at this school even if you can't play baseball.

The NCAA has some good advice about what to do and what to ask on a campus visit plus a whole host of information concerning recruitment and eligibility. You can contact the NCAA online at www.ncaa.org, or call 800 638-3731. Fill out forms that you receive from coaches promptly. Try to keep in touch.

Another way of getting exposure is to go to a showcase. This probably works best for individuals with good grades and higher scores but is nevertheless worth a try for anyone serious about playing college ball. Two good show cases in our area are the All American Baseball Talent Showcase, 6 Bicentennial Court, Erial, NJ 08081, 609 424-5875, and the RBI Baseball Academy, 5042 West Chester Pike, P.O. Box 537, Edgemont, PA 19028, 610 359-0898.

WHAT ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID? Athletic scholarships for baseball are hard to come by. A fully funded division I program has 11.7 scholarships most of which go to pitchers and most programs are not fully funded. Many of the top academic schools like the Ivy League, Patriot League, top division III schools like Swarthmore don't award athletic scholarships. With the exception of merit scholarships most financial aid is need based. While money is nice, your goal should be to get the baseball coach to be your advocate in the admissions office of the school of your choice.  CONTINUE