BT attended a small private prep school.  He was a mainstay of his school baseball team, but not a star.  He played 3 seasons of Legion ball and made a major contribution each year.  He was the team MVP his senior year.  He was a solid, but not outstanding student.
    BT's father really wanted him to attend his almamater, which had division III athletics, but BT did not have the grades to get in.  BT wanted to play division I baseball, but had marginal division I ability.  He attended a showcase as a junior, but not as a senior.  He was contact by several college coaches as a result, but didn't find any of the colleges attractive. With the help of the school guidance councilor, BT applied to several schools that matched his academic and athletic abilities.  He visited a small Liberal Arts College about 100 miles from his home. The baseball coach at this school and BT really connected.  The school was an academic stretch, but the baseball coach advocated for him in the admissions office and BT was admitted.
    When he arrived in the fall he found that there was a new baseball coach. For some reason this coach was not impressed with BT and would consider him only as a pitcher even though he greatest attributes as a high school player were as an infielder/hitter. He was allowed to practice with the team, but never issued a uniform.  He considered transferring to another school after his freshmen year, but he like everything else about college life at his present school. He, therefore, decided to try and work things out with the baseball coach.
    That summer he played in an adult league that was made up of college, ex-college and some former pro players.  He distinguished himself as a shortstop/hitter and had several complimentary write ups in the local papers.  Using the newspaper stories his former Legion coached lobbied the athletic director and baseball coach for more playing time.  The following fall BT was given a second look and became the starting 3^rd baseman.  He led the conference in steals the following spring and had the third highest batting average on the team.
    While everything worked out for BT, his story emphasizes the point that coaches come and go.  You may not have the same coach all four years of your college experience.  If the coach is the main reason you decided to attend a particular school, you may be disappointed.

    HJ attend a prestigious private prep school where he excelled in both academics and sports.  He was a three year three sport varsity letterman.  He was the MVP of his Legion team his junior year and all league his senior year.  When it came to deciding on his college education his options were many.  He accepted admission to a near by Ivy League University.  He was a walk on at the baseball tryouts in the fall of his freshman year and made the team.  In the spring, the coach started hassling him for being late to practice even though it was his class schedule that made him late.  After some discussions with the coach, HJ decided his education was more important than baseball and he quit the team.  For the first time in his academic life he was not playing a sport.  HJ found it very liberating.  He suddenly found time for other pursuits and a whole new world opened up to him.
    HJ's experience demonstrates how you must make sacrifices to play college sports.  The more competitive the program the more the sacrifices.  Ideally, you want your college experience to be balanced.  Sometimes, as in HJ case, there is more to be gained by giving up baseball than in pursuing it.

    SP attended a large suburban high school where he broke several pitching records, including the win/loss record.  He led both his high school and Legion teams to championships his senior year.  In spite of his on field accomplishments, very few college coaches came calling.  He was an average student and cleared the NCAA requirements without difficulty.  Upon recommendations from his high school baseball coach he applied to a small selective state college in a neighboring state that had an impressive division III baseball program, but applied nowhere else.  His grades were not enough to get him.  Last minute calls by his Legion coach to a near by state college campus got the baseball coach's attention, and with that coach's help he was a late admission to the college. 
    SP didn't disappoint his new coach and in his junior year he became the first all conference baseball player the school had had in seven years.  He graduated in a little over four years and is now a high school teacher and baseball coach.
    SP lucked out even though he put all his eggs in one basket by applying to only one school.  He also put too much reliance on his high school baseball coach to fine him a place to go to school.  If his Legion coach didn't happen to know the coach at the college that SP eventually attended, things might not have worked out as well.

    GC was an average student and an average baseball player.  After graduation from high school he applied and gained admission to a local large State University.  GC's family had a very modest income.  He was the first of his family to go to college.  The cost of tuition, fees and room & board was to be a burden on the family even with the aid package the university offered.  Several of GC's high school baseball teammates had decided to go to a near by junior college.  GC talked to the baseball coach who encouraged him to try out for the team.  The opportunity to save money for his family and play college baseball with his former teammates over weighed the attraction of the four-year school he had been admitted to.
    GC attended the junior college and played ball with his friends for two years.  He eventually transferred back to the four-year college, but gave up baseball to work part time as he completed his course work.
    GC's story demonstrates how junior college can be a good alternative to a four-year college.  In GC's case, it saved him money and allowed him to continuing playing baseball for two more years.  This is an excellent strategy for a student who has the academic credentials to attend a four-year school, but lacks the financial resources.  GC didn't have the baseball skills to play at the big U, but did make a contribution to the junior college team.

    CC was a standout first baseman/pitcher on both his high school and Legion teams. Unfortunately, both his high school and Legion team were mediocre and attracted few if any scouts.  CC attended several showcases, but received few calls, as he was a below average student.  His Legion baseball coach was his main advisor in the college recruitment process and insisted on shopping him around to division I programs.  He submitted no applications to any college or university on his own. A small private university in Virginia expressed some interest, but could only consider CC for admission if he improved his SAT scores.  He eventually signed a letter of intent to attend a Virginia State College with low admission standards and received a $1,000 scholarship. 
    CC played only seven innings as a freshman at the Virginia school and was unhappy with the rest of his college experience there.  He transferred to a state college in California that played division II sports, but only increased his playing time by a few innings.  He transferred his senior year to a small Catholic college not far from his hometown in Pennsylvania that participated in division III athletics.  He finally found a good match and not only led the baseball team to a conference championship, but improve his grades as well.
    This story reminds me of Dorothy in The Wizard of OZ.  CC traveled all over the country to find his "heart's desire" when it was really in his "own backyard". CC's experience shows how too much emphasis on trying to get into a "top program" can make you miss opportunities that might be a better fit.  There is a whole world of college sports beyond those "top programs". Today' media hype about college sports really only applies to maybe fifty university programs that are a distortion and more resemble professional sports than interscholastic athletics.  It is important to access your goals carefully and keep athletics in perspective.