The start of the school year and Fall Baseball

The summer travel baseball circuit has ended, and the beginning of a new school year and the fall season are upon us. So how does 2025 move forward in the recruiting/exposure process? What about the 2026, 2027, and the 2028 classes?

Let’s start with the 2025 class and those that are uncommitted to date. This is the class that is the first to feel the impact of the new roster reductions and scholarship rules at the D1 level. As previously explained in our last blog post, the implications are vast. So what to do as an uncommitted 2025? First and foremost, hopefully you are playing on a quality Fall team. Ideally one that will participate in a couple fall tournaments to provide some exposure. The NCAA D1 recruiting calendar allows in-person off-campus evaluations through October 13th. That means moving forward post-October 13th, only on-campus evaluations and in-person contact is permissable for a D1 institution. With all that being said, as an uncommitted 2025, D1 should no longer be a focal point. Opportunities are extremely limited, to say the least, for uncommitted 2025’s at that level with the new roster and scholarship rules that go into effect in August 2025. The focal point of looking for potential opportunities should be at the D2/D3/NAIA/JUCO D1/JUCO D2/and JUCO D3 levels. With the exception of two days in November (11-13) that affect only the D2 member institutions, these schools are all permitted off-campus/in-person evaluations and contact, with much less restrictive recruiting rules. This means any tournaments or showcases post-October 13th still hold plenty of potential exposure value for players. The key component of course is to play on a quality fall team, in quality tournaments, and to look for productive showcases that will have the non-D1 schools in attendance. The last component of exposure, but certainly not the least important, is to look for realistic schools that will host their own camps/showcases throughout the fall/winter and into early January. Opportunities are still out there for the 2025 class. There are just fewer, so the resource of time and how it is spent looking for those opportunities is more important than ever. Sound, experienced, quality guidance is of the utmost importance.

The 2026/2027/and 2028 classes may have a slightly different approach to the fall season and how to navigate exposure and/or recruiting. First and foremost, as mentioned in our previous blog post, playing college baseball at ALL levels just became harder with the new rules. One topic that we always address right off the bat when speaking with parental groups, high school booster clubs, and travel organizations is that the game is much more physical now at the collegiate level. And that does not mean just at the four-year school level, but at the junior college level as well. So if you as a player want to play at the next level, putting quality time into a strength and conditioning program has never been more important. The other topic we always address early on when at a speaking engagement is how high-end grades and scores can now be more of a separator than ever. For example, we are all now aware of the transfer portal and how that has impacted high school players/recruits. There are still many schools at the D1 level and beyond that CANNOT participate in the transfer portal because their institutions rigorous admission requirements will not allow for most, if not all, transfers. This includes both general students and student-athletes. So put the work in the classroom as well to create more opportunities for yourself even in today’s tougher landscape. For these classes ( 26/’27/’28), the idea should be to keep a wider cast net/scope of potential schools. The 2028 class would have a wider net cast, while the 2026 class will have a more narrow net of potential fits both athletically and academically. The same general thought process still applies with regard to travel teams, tournaments, camps, and showcases, as it does for this year’s uncommitted senior class. 

ALWAYS remember, the player does not choose the INITIAL level of entry into college baseball; college baseball coaches will determine that. I say initial level because, as we all know in today’s transfer portal landscape, where you begin may not be where you finish your playing and academic careers. There are plenty of examples of D3 players producing and then ending up 2-3 years removed from high school on a D1/D2 roster that would have never recruited the high school players. Also, do not sleep on D3 programs. If you have never seen a D3 program play, try and do so. The level of play is of a high quality. Additionally, JUCO players producing and winding up with multiple offers from four-year schools that had shown no interest as a high school player are more the norm than not. The key will ALWAYS be DEVELOP and PRODUCE.

We hope this article has been informative. There is much more information to expound on. Whether it is us, another baseball recruiting service, or your high school coach, sound and experienced direction and advice are more vital than ever in today’s college baseball recruiting landscape.

Best of luck to all in the 2024/25 school year!