Many high school ballplayers make the mistake of thinking if they aren’t contacted by college coaches during their sophomore year that they have no chance of playing in college. This is simply not true. While there are no guarantees, there’s a lot you can do to increase your chances of playing at the next level. That’s what this website is about: helping you get the facts you need from college baseball players while you are looking for a place to play.
- Make a list of the schools that are best for you based on your skills, interests, and goals.
- Find out what you need to do to play for the schools on your list.
- Find ways to let the coaches know that you want to play, and help them get to know who you are.
- Meet all the requirements to play, and send in your applications.
Baseball players around the country get to experience the fun, excitement, challenges, and camaraderie that come with playing on college teams. Current and former players shared their knowledge and advice with us so that you can have a chance to have the same opportunities that they did.
“When you play college baseball, you get on a team with 40 different individuals, and you have to bond as one. You make, pretty much, 40 brothers on the team, and you can stay connected with each one of those guys for the rest of your life. If you need anything or you need somebody to talk to, you always have those 40 guys that you bonded with.” – JC Pitcher, Louisiana
While the best players on big name teams get heavily recruited by college and pro teams, they are not the only players who can play at the next level. There are lots of places to play college baseball for players who are willing to work hard both on and off the field. Most of the players sharing their experiences here were not recruited early or approached by pro scouts, but they were still able to make their dreams come true. Read more to find out if you have what it takes to play at the next level by clicking here.
To play any college sport, you need to know about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). These organizations determine who can play and what rules athletes must follow while in school. You can find them at www.ncaa.org or www.naia.org. Colleges list which organization that they work with on their team or athletic department websites. No matter what anyone tells you (even us), these organizations (NCAA or NAIA) are always the ultimate sources for rules and guidelines so you should always check with them before making important decisions. Never guess what you need to do to be eligible to play.
To be a college athlete, you have to follow the NCAA or NAIA rules to be “eligible” to play. That means you have to take specific, approved classes and tests while you are still in high school. The classes and grades required to be eligible may differ depending on what college you choose, so you should start planning early so you don’t make mistakes in choosing classes that limit your choices later. Because college baseball is so competitive, you’ll be more likely to play if you have the grades and skills that will help you qualify for more than one or two schools. Read more about eligibility from NCAA or NAIA.
While you and your parents may hope that you will get a baseball scholarship, there aren’t that many to go around. You don’t want to give up on your dream because you can’t get a “full ride.” We’ll help you learn about other ways to pay for college. Read more about paying for school here.
- Experienced college players answer the common questions high school players have about playing at the next level.
- We have nothing to sell you. You’ll find straight talk without the sales pitch on every page.
- We’ve organized what you need to do into year-by-year checklists to help you stay on track.
- We’ve included important resources to help you improve your skills and knowledge of the game.
- Players who have “been there” are here to help you Keep Playing Baseball.
