There 6 reasons you should consider the #JucoRoute when considering college baseball. You need to consider these 6 things before you rule the NJCAA out of your potential colleges. The Juco Route. More Scholarships. More Development. More Chances to Play Right Away. More Opportunities. More Draft Eligibility.
- More Scholarships
Lets be real here for a second….everyone wants the opportunity to earn a scholarship. Did you know your best odds are with Junior Colleges? That’s Right. Junior Colleges can offer more scholarships than D1, D2 & D3 COMBINED!
Division 1 – 11.7
Division 2 – 9
Division 3 – No Athletic Scholarships
Junior College – 24
Since most programs carry 35 student-athletes there is more money to go around at the Junior College level than NCAA. Your chances for a scholarship are even better just based on the number of scholarships that can be offered. I like your odds already!
- Development
Through my years of being a recruiting coordinator, I have seen a lot of kids that I KNOW can play college baseball, but they’re just missing one tool or attribute. That could be anything from size/weight to needing more time to grow and develop some of their skills. The Junior College route is PERFECT for personal growth and development on the field. There are less rules in junior Colleges, so you can practice every day in the fall (For the most part), and play games in the fall which translates to becoming a better player. It takes 10,000 hours to perfect a craft and going the Juco Route you will certainly be on your way to growing and developing. The NCAA and NAIA have 4-1 periods and roughly 6 weeks in the fall they are allotted for practice time. While you get your work in, the juco Route gets more work in during the off-season with their respective coaching Staff.
- The Chance to Play Right Away
At the Juco level there are only 2 classes of students on campus (sometimes there are a few 3 year guys if they redshirt), which means the opportunity to play right away. At most 4 years you will be competing as a freshman against players who have been in the program and STARTING for 2-3-4 years. Seniority plays a role with some coaches and they know what they are going to get out of their upperclassmen that have shown they can do it. At the Junior College level, you can come in and play right away and only be competing against the freshman you come in with and the sophomores that were freshman just a year ago. Going the Juco Route and playing right away is better than sitting on the bench for a year or two behind some upperclassmen right?
- Social Life & Academic Life
Consider who you are socially and academically. You may be a home body that does well in a comfortable environment close to home. There are a lot of Junior Colleges in the country and most of them are very close to where you live now. Freshman year is a huge transition year both socially and academically. You, as a student-athlete, have never been on your own before and there are a lot of distractions with the freedom that comes with being a college student and college athlete. Are you someone that thrives in a comfortable environment? Are you a good enough student to be away from home and still thrive academically? Your teachers won’t be asking you to submit homework assignments, it is expected. Junior College classes are also a good transition to taking classes at 4 year schools and learning the ropes of how to mangage your time wisely. Sometimes being closer to home helps with the transition into college because there is a lot of familiarity when you have the chance to play closer to home.
- Future Opportunities
You can open up more opportunities for yourself to earn a scholarship at a 4 year school or bigger university than you did out of high school. Players all mature and peak at different times. Some need more reps and some are naturally gifted. Maybe you aren’t as naturally gifted as the guy next to you (that was me in high school), but you know you have what it takes, just the looks aren’t coming. With 11.7/9 scholarships to offer, coaches can’t miss on players. So, they may not want to take a chance on a player they are unsure of. If you can play junior college baseball and put up good numbers and prove you can play at that level it will open up more opportunities for those 4 year schools to come back after you finish at your Junior College. Coaches trust the Juco Route because they know it takes a grind to survive at that level. If you can have a successful year or two, 4 year coaches will come knocking, I can promise you that. Also, it is the Juco Coaches job to help you find a 4 year and they have more connections sometimes than high school coaches do.
I had 2 offers out of High School – D2 Palm Beach Atlantic & D2 Rollins College. After 1 year of Junior College I had offers from Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State, Georgia State, Maryland, Tampa (D2) and a host of other small colleges as well. I never would’ve thought a good year at the juco level would open so many doors.
- MLB Draft
You may be a high level player that has Power 5 offers and a chance of getting drafted out of high school by the time your senior year comes….you should still consider a Junior College if this is where you are. Why? Because if you don’t get drafted and go to a 4 year school you have to wait until after your Junior Season (unless you turn 21 before that) to be drafted. If you go the Juco Route, you can be drafted immediately following your freshman year and again after your sophomore year if you return or are undrafted after your first year. If you are getting draft interest out of high school and you go the Juco Route, you will be eligible for the draft every year in college! You are always eligible for the draft in junior college and if you are undrafted after your two years of Junior College, you will be a junior, and draft eligible, at the 4 year school you continue to play at.