Is college baseball worth it?

stemit
Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:50:41 +0000

As a parent, I can give you the perspective as it is told to me by my son who is playing for one of the schools you listed. In reading this, remember that he chooses to tell me things selectively (just the same way you would tell your parents things about your life), and my interpretation of what he tells.

You first really need to look inside your mind and soul and decide if you love baseball and love being a baseball player. If either answer is anything other then an emotional " yes," I think playing ball at the schools you listed is problematic.

Next, you and your parents need to reach an understanding as to what will be acceptable majors and GPAs. For example, if becoming a chemical engineer with a 3.8GPA is the understanding, playing ball at those schools is problematic. All of you should keep in mind that baseball in the off season will consume 25+ hours per week and during season (February thru beginning of May) the time commitment is greater than a full time job.

Only the rarest player can maintain a GPA which reaches the schools median GPA in a difficult major (meaning you will be in the lower half of your graduating class). BUT, as I watch the seniors on my son’s team getting permanent jobs, they land the best jobs. Now, most wind up in the financial area; but the starting salaries are around 70-100k. One or two over the past few years have gone to graduate school; some have been drafted and are now trying to ascend the professional baseball pyramid.

In my son’s case, once we realized the incredible time commitment we ratcheted down our expectations (he had to really, really explain the commitment to us - we were slightly deaf in the beginning), and took our self-imposed GPA minimum to a more realistic level, GPA conflicts evaporated.

As to social life, I can only say its fabulous. You come into school with a built in social group - in addition to the myriad of of social opportunities open to all other freshmen. My son has deep life long type friendships with his teammates and with non teammates. He’s having lots of fun, partying hard (not in season), making good grades in a legit major which leads to great jobs, playing summer ball, and hoping to play at the next level (or get a job in the business side of baseball).

I will also offer up this advice: listen very carefully to the players as you visit schools. Coaches are great at painting pictures of their programs which, in many cases, bear little resemblance to players’ experience. Some coaches develop players; some coaches have players who graduate with diminished skills - because of poor coaching. A coach is essentially your work boss for your time at school; a bad boss can destroy your love for the game.

Pick wisely.