By Aaron Sorenson
A debate has begun in baseball recruiting circles regarding the value of high school versus travel baseball. Travel programs have started to train their athletes all year long and some even compete in the spring. This has forced athletes to choose between playing for their high school in the spring or the travel program where they’ve invested a large amount of effort, money and time. There are pros and cons to both sides of this debate, and there are a few key items to keep in mind when trying to find the balance between high school and travel baseball.
College coaches are creatures of habit. Many college coaches have strong relationships with high school coaches and rely on their evaluation of players. As a former college coach, I know there are plenty of high school programs that do a great job of preparing their athletes to compete at the college level. College coaches may have limited availability due to their own competition schedules in the spring, but there are still valuable opportunities for recruiting during the spring.
Summer months have become increasingly valuable for recruiting. A Division I regular season schedule runs 13 weeks and includes 56 games. This leaves only one or two days a week for college coaches to make recruiting visits during the spring. With no practices, workouts, or games during most of the summer, coaches have a great opportunity to be on the road recruiting. Many college baseball programs host summer tournaments that bring a large number of recruits to campus. The summer can be a great time to be seen by college coaches.
There are two key elements to consider when being evaluated in person by coaches—you need to be in the lineup and they need to know when you are competing. Being on a highly competitive team is great, but if you aren’t playing much, coaches won’t be able to fully evaluate your skills. You need to get your high school and/or travel team schedules to college coaches. Don’t “hope” a coach shows up at your games. Take the initiative and tell them when to be there.
Both high school and travel ball schedules can help you get noticed and recruited by college baseball coaches. It’s important to provide coaches with multiple opportunities to evaluate your skills. The more games you play, the more chances you have to be seen. Work hard to earn a starting spot on your high school varsity. If you do choose to play travel baseball, then find a program where you will get ample playing time. Being a good player is only part of the recruiting process. Connecting with coaches and giving them opportunities to recruit you can help you move forward with multiple programs.
By Aaron Sorenson
