At this point of the year, many of the best high school seniors have already signed their national letter of intent and are preparing to play their senior year with the peace of mind of knowing where they will be playing in college.
For the juniors and underclassmen there is much work to be done. If you follow these basic steps, however, it will make your decision-making process much easier.
- Decide if you want to stay home or go away– This is the first step because it immediately narrows down your decision. If you want to go away, you can still narrow down your choices based on what region you want to be in. Many players from Long Island, and the northeast in general, would love to flock to the south in pursuit of beautiful weather and top-tier baseball. Narrow it down to a region and it will be much more reasonable. Additionally, if you plan on staying close to home, at least decide whether you are willing to live on campus–which will at least expand your options beyond a 30 mile radius.
- Factor in academics– Although you might be a terrific player that is blessed with a phenomenal skill set, consider that you might not be playing Major League Baseball. What is your fallback plan? Do not simply base your decision on the ball field, decide if you can handle the workload and whether a bachelor degree at this school will allow you to stand out from the pack and land a full-time job in your desired field.
- Hire a Recruiting Agency-Sometimes it’s best to leave it to the professionals. They have long-standing relationships with coaches and have some pull in terms of recommending players to coaches. Hiring a company that has a track record of success is crucial. National Scouting Report has been the world’s leading authority in recruiting student-athletes since 1980. They will do the hard work that you might not necessarily be comfortable doing–such a compiling highlight videos, contacting coaches and inquiring about scholarship money. They have a 93 percent success rate in terms of netting their athletes with scholarship money. If you feel that you have what it takes to play in college, make your job easier and click here.
- Settle in at your best position-Offense may be down in Major League Baseball, but college coaches still desire well-rounded players–that includes playing defense. You may love to play shortstop, but if you are not holding your own defensively, there is much more value in moving to a position that you can better handle. Better to be among the best first baseman at your position than a fish-out-of-water in left field. Lucas Duda is the perfect example of that. On the flip side, if you profile as a catcher, by all means take advantage of that. The quickest way to the majors is being a catcher that can handle the bat.
- Talk with your parents– It’s your life, but they can shed some light on their personal opinions and also possibly their experiences. I’ve seen many cases when athletes were gung-ho to leave Long Island and pursue their dreams, only to return home after one year..or even one semester. Then you have a bevy of problems, including adjusting to another school, making your schedule and possibly even making up credits that didn’t transfer. Make the right decision the first time.
