Dear KPB Community,
2017 was Keep Playing Baseball’s best year yet. The simple reason is that we were provided the opportunity to connect with more people than ever before. More people visited and returned to visit the site, more people contributed to the content, and more people provided helpful feedback about what is working and what can be improved. We also launched major projects that will improve our resources long-term and better help high school baseball players make it to the next level. These projects include a new partner website, www.KPBrecruiting101.org, a needs assessment project with high school programs that is already helping us better understand the real-life barriers facing college baseball recruits and their families, and an upgrade to www.KeepPlayingBaseball.org that we plan to have finished early in 2018. There were many positives in 2017, but this simple message from a parent encapsulates the best of 2017 and what we hope to build on in the future:
Hi, just wanted to update you all. My son has committed to play baseball [at a D1 university]. Thanks for all the advice and helpful articles you guys put out, it helped us along the way. BTW we did this without going to expensive camps, without recruiting companies, etc. Thanks again.”
In 2018, we will continue to work to fulfill a vision where all high school baseball players, regardless of background, have access to the information and resources to play in college, succeed as a collegiate student-athlete, and graduate from college. We stand by the idea that the recruiting process doesn’t have to be expensive and you shouldn’t have to pay a big price for the information necessary to make informed decisions about your future. If money is tight, you CAN play college baseball and KPB will be here with the information and strategies you need to find a program fit.
We also know that our efforts to make essential information more accessible will only go as far as the KPB community allows us to take it. Our strength lies in you, our community of supporters. You are our strongest voice and biggest ally and we will lean on you in 2018 to help us continue to make college baseball more attainable for everyone. In 2018, we promise to continue to provide the most accurate information and advice on the college baseball recruiting process for free and we ask that you continue to help us get this information to the people who need it. If you are struggling to understand the college baseball recruiting process, you can bet that your teammates, players, or fellow parents are struggling as well. Talk about the recruiting process with them, lean on KPB as a source of free information and guidance. Tag people, like, retweet, and share articles that you find helpful. It truly makes a difference.
In the words of the late, great Hall of Famer and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente, “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”
We look forward to working with you in 2018 to make a difference and happy New Year!
Ethan Guevin and the KPB Team
