My son is considering doing a post graduate year for myriad reasons. He is a good student and an excellent baseball player. Fortunately, he has had contact with several boarding school coaches who are interested in him and have invited him to their campuses.
We are brand new to the boarding school world. Are there New England prep schools who have particularly strong baseball programs and collegiate level athletic facilities? Want to make sure we cast a wide and appropriate net. Looking for the best blend of academics and baseball. Thank you.
1 Like
Worcester Academy has a good program.
3 Likes
Have you looked into the recruiting track record of these schools if you are trying to get your S on a baseball recruiting track. Less important if he is playing on a good travel team with a good recruiting record. In our experience, the level of competition is an important factor for college baseball coaches, with seeing the kid live and on video a must. Has he gotten any indications of interest to date?
1 Like
Avon Old Farms. George Springer (Toronto Blue Jays player who just hit a 3 run home run to win the ALCS) went there, among other MLB players.
2 Likes
Chris Dwyer and Anthony Hewitt both went to Salisbury. I’ve also heard good things about the Taft baseball program. Ditto the thoughts on Avon’s baseball. Peddie used to be quite strong, but I don’t know how they’ve been doing recently.
3 Likes
Take a look at Deerfield. Their facilities are top-notch for a boarding school. I can’t give details about the program since I know nothing about baseball, but they seem to be quite popular with baseball PGs. The few baseball PGs I knew who attended may have already been recruited by colleges by the time they attended. They had seven D1, ivy and NESCAC recruits last year.
1 Like
Yes, several boarding school coaches have expressed an interest in him playing - as they have needs at his position and have spoken with the college coaches who feel another year would serve him well. He is a current senior in HS, but still only 16 - has turned down a few offers (not the best fit) and turned down a few places (didn’t pass the pre-read) and a few places that like him as a 2027.
2 Likes
For a combination of strong baseball and academic level in New England, look for the Bridgton Academy (ME), a well-known post-grad program, Avon Old Farms (CT), Worcester Academy (MA) and Phillips Andover (MA).They all have good fields, coaches with college contacts and a strong training level.During visits, it is worth asking how many players move to the NCAA, what infrastructure they have (cages, bullpen, analytical equipment) and how actively their program cooperates with colleges.
Because of his young age, I’d definitely consider a PG year. My son is on the younger side for his grade and many of his classmates are two years older after red shirting and taking a gap year. Starting college at 17 is hard, and even harder now with the majority of kids starting at 19+. Seventeen to eighteen is a good year to get bigger, stronger, and more mature. The other thing is that boarding schools are really good at “packaging” their athletes.
Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond and share your knowledge with me.
I don’t have a ton of experience, but when my DS was looking a few years ago (he chose not to attend BS), Andover’s coach is/was also a scout in one of the farm systems. Many of his players were recruited to the D1 level and Thomas White (pitcher) went straight into the draft. Make sure you discuss/consider that at BS he won’t be able to play year round (unless he’s a day student). My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that many top BB recruits from BS are day students who continue to play for their local travel team. Good Luck!
2 Likes
I have many, many, many reasons to not like IMG, but if you are looking for solely a year of baseball to get bigger and stronger and have top level packaging, you can look at IMG. As I said, I’m not a fan, but it is what some people are looking for.
It’s not New England, it’s in Flordia. But it is year round training. Many more games (the New England season is short) as they play outdoors from Nov-May and they have amazing facilities for off season training. It will be baseball training 1/2 a day, every day.
1 Like
It’s funny you mention that, as it was the first place I thought of.
Professional facilities, lots of five-star types to train and play with, a strong recruiting network and the school’s a sports factory. If they’re already good enough test-wise and academically through this year, it’s an awesome sports finishing school. And kids from there go to good pure-play academic schools as well as the Power-Five usual suspects.
But you pay for all of that.
OP, you’ve probably gone through this exercise, but really think about what you need from the PG year. Clearly, a good baseball program (and you know if that also involves a well-connected coach, etc who can help beyond the field). But also, what are your expectations in terms of academics? You are, for the most part, paying for that, so it should meet your needs. Higher level classes, more hands-on in terms of workload management, etc.? It’s as if the baseball is table stakes, and the academics are where you find your match.