THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE BASEBALL How to Select the Right Situation
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The result is that most Division I coaches need players to be able to compete and
It used to be that your very best teachers and developers could be found in the collegiate ranks. Today, the restrictions placed on the time involved in developing athletes at practice by the NCAA is so strict and severe that true, long-term development no longer really happens at the college level. Recruiting has now become the primary name of the game. Development takes time. In an effort to allow college student athletes to have more time
contribute immediately upon arriving at school. They do not have the time for player development. This definitely skews college recruitment. Coaches are forced into choosing the athlete who will contribute first rather than the athlete who might be considerably better two years from now. As I have alluded to previously, my strong recommendation to parents of an elite baseball player is to choose the college situation in which he feels the most comfortable. First, have a genuine affinity for your coaches and teammates. They will be your family for 2–4 years. If you are lukewarm about them coming in, the chances are great that you will be miserable before the season is over.
available to devote to academic pursuits, the NCAA began placing practice limitations on coaches in the early 1990s. True development occurs in the off-season. The NCAA has steadily gotten more restrictive since 1990, not only in terms of hours per week but also in shortening the time available to be spent in the off-season.
Second, be able to play sooner than later. You don’t develop much sitting on the bench.
Third, have a genuine feeling that your coaches like you, believe in you, and are excited to have you. Baseball is a game of failure. If your coaches chose you simply to “round out the team” and not as an absolutely necessary cog in the machinery, chances are great that at the first signs of failure, you will get the hook and be placed on the shelf.
THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY Baseball’s Greatest Pitching Performance Ends in Defeat
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS June 7–9 June 21–23 July 5–7
MLB history abounds with legendary pitching performances, but there’s never been a game quite like the one Harvey Haddix pitched on May 26, 1959. Many baseball historians and experts regard Haddix’s efforts for the Pittsburgh Pirates that day as the best-pitched game ever. What’s most remarkable about this recognition is that Haddix lost that day.
July 19–21 Aug. 9–11 EXTENDED STAY SUMMER PROGRAM:
June 3: Session I Begins July 1: Session II Begins Aug. 5: Session III Begins
We all know that a traditional perfect game consists of retiring all 27 batters you face. Well, Haddix did that, but he didn’t stop there. As the game stretched into extra innings, Haddix stayed on the mound. His perfect game continued through 12 innings — a remarkable 36 up, 36 down. Somehow, the opposing Milwaukee Braves also managed to maintain a shutout through 13 innings. In the bottom of the 13th, Haddix finally faltered. Felix Mantilla, the leadoff hitter, reached base on an error. A few batters later, Joe Adcock doubled in the game’s only run. Haddix was crushed, but his performance lives on in the annals of baseball history. May it never happen to another pitcher again.
For more information, go to TexasBaseballRanch.com/events.
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