If you are an athlete that believes you have what it takes to play baseball at the next level, you have a lot of work to put in before you can get to where you want to be. First of all, you cannot be recruited to any school if you do not have the grades required by said school. You also need to realistically evaluate which division your skills can bring you to. Divisions rank from I, II, III, NAIA and Junior Colleges. You can receive athletic scholarships from all division except for Division III and Junior Colleges.
There are thousands of schools that have baseball programs and choosing one school is tough. Taking multiple visits to schools, meeting the coaching staff and meeting the team are all good ideas to go through with before choosing your school. Most importantly, you must not choose your college solely on the baseball team. Love the athletic program and much as you love the school and its atmosphere and you'll enjoy your time. Attending showcases and getting in contact with scouts is a good way to determine where your skills could land you division wise. If you believe you have what it takes then you need to look no further than Colleges and Universities of Bloomington-Normal to further your baseball careers
Table of Contents |
|
| Colleges | |
| Getting Noticed | |
| Notable Showcases | |
| Divisions | |
| Coaches Contact Info | |
| Top Tens | |
| Statistics | |
| Walk-ons | |
|
Colleges
Illinois State University
ISU is a Division I school in the Missouri Valley Conference. The best collegiate team in Bloomington-Normal. Last year they ended the season with a record of 27-27 with a home record of 12-9. They do offer athletic scholarships but it only covers part of tuition, not any living expenses. The amount of scholarships is scarce in baseball, so they need to be frugal with scholarships they give.
http://goredbirds.com/index.aspx?path=baseball
Heartland Community College
Heartland is a part of the Mid-West Athletic Conference. They are a powerhouse in the National Junior College Athletic Association. The team ended last season with an outstanding record of 46-13 with a conference record of 27-8. If community college is your path, I highly suggest Heartland as the number one choice. They do not offer athletic scholarships.
https://www.heartland.edu/athletics/baseball/
Illinois Wesleyan University
IWU is a part of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. They are a division III athletic program. Last year they ended the season with a record of 27-16 with an impressive home record of 12-3. They do not offer athletic scholarships.
http://www.iwusports.com/index.aspx?path=baseball
Lincoln College
Lincoln College is a part of the Mid-West Athletic Conference. They are a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II. They are a smaller school and not as competitive as the other Bloomington-Normal schools. They do not give athletic scholarships.
http://baseball.lincolncollege.edu/
Getting Noticed
No matter who you are, you HAVE to market yourself. The absolute best way to get noticed is by emailing, calling, and meeting with coaches every opportunity you have. Do everything you can to get your name in the loop, college coaches will come see you if they see that you are dedicated to getting recruited. Unless you are a prodigy who has been highly touted by college coaches since your freshman year of high school then you need to get yourself out there.
- Have someone video tape your games because coaches will ask for game film once you start talking to them.
- Make a short video that you can put in an email to a coach that shows your skills. If you are a pitcher then film your arsenal of pitches along with some notable statistics you want the coach to see. If you are a position player like a short stop for example then get a few ground balls showing your techniques and you taking batting practice to show your form. The key is word is SHORT video. Coaches don't want to sit down and watch a ten minute video until they are serious considering you for their team.
- Ask your coach to talk to coaches for you. Their job is to move players to the next level and chances are they know a few of the local college coaches.
- Play on a summer ball team. College recruiters go to summer tournaments all the time looking for talent.
- Always play at 110 percent, you never know if a scout is at your game for a player on another team, you could get noticed.
- GO TO SHOWCASES. They are loaded with college scouts and all of your attributes (60 yard dash, arm strength, bat speed, videos, etc.) are sent to college coaches across the U.S.
Notable Showcases
Showcases are the best way for coaches to see all your skills. If you do well at a showcase you can be invited to invite-only showcases which will have mostly very respectable Division I coaches in attendance.
Divisions
Division I
Division I is the highest level of athletics provided by the NCAA. D I schools compete at a much higher level than D II and D III, with larger budgets, generally better facilities, and more athletic scholarships to give out.
Division II
Division II is the intermediate level division in the NCAA. Not too far away from D I, D II can still offer scholarships, and compete at a very high level. You will notice less athletic staff per team and a downgrade for facilities due to the athletics budget.
Division III
Division III is the lowest level division offered by the NCAA. There are not athletic scholarships given in division III. Funding and budgets are not too high in most division III schools. Don't let the lack of scholarships frighten you, if you have the talent and the coach wants you on the team, the staff does a good job finding you multiple grants to help cover costs.
NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is another athletic association like the NCAA that supports athletic not only in the U.S but also out side the U.S. NAIA is about the same level as NCAA Division III. The resounding difference between the two is that NAIA can give athletic scholarships. A lot of Division III schools are pushing to apply for NAIA status for just that reason.
Junior College
The National Junior College Athletic Association is almost exactly like the NCAA, with similar Division I, II, and III. The differences are that the level of play is much lower in all divisions and there are no athletic scholarships to give.
Coaches Contact Info
Illinois Wesleyan
| Position | Name | Email Address | Phone Number |
| Head Coach | Dennis Martel | [email protected] | (309) 556-3335 |
Illinois State University
| Position | Name | Email Address | Phone Number |
| Head Coach | Bo Durkac | [email protected] | (309) 438-4458 |
Heartland Community College
| Position | Name | Email Address | Phone Number |
| Head Coach | Nate Metzger |
(309) 268-8418 |
Lincoln College
| Position | Name | Email Address | Phone Number |
| Head Coach | Tony Thomas | [email protected] | (800) 569-0556 |
Top Tens
According to the NCAA these are the top 10 division I, II, and III baseball programs in the nation.
DI
http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/baseball/d1
DII
http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/baseball/d2
DIII
http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/baseball/d3
Statistics
Student athletes must understand the difficulty in the process. Making it a goal to play college baseball and even eventually try to get drafted is great. But expecting to or planning your life around the hope that you will is not a good idea.
According the the NCAA website:
- About five in 75, or about 6.8 percent, of high school senior boys interscholastic baseball players will go on to play men's baseball at a NCAA member institution.
- About nine in 100, or about 9.4 percent, of NCAA senior male baseball players will get drafted by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team.
- Approximately one in 200, or about 0.50 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic baseball will eventually be drafted by an MLB team.
Walk-on Opportunities
Illinois State University
The walk-on schedule will be posted through campus, walk-on tryouts are always are always in late August as the fall season starts.
Here is a link to Redbird camp:
http://collegebaseballcamps.com/redbirds
Lincoln College
Walk-on tryouts will be held in late August.
Here is a link to the recruitment page:
http://baseball.lincolncollege.edu/recruits/
Heartland Community College
There are no official walk-on dates posted yet.
Here is a link to the recruitment page:
http://www.heartland.edu/documents/athletics/HCC_PLAYER_PROFILE_baseball.pdf
Illinois Wesleyan University
There are no official walk-on dates posted yet.
Here is a link to the recruitment questionnaire:
https://admissions.iwu.edu/register/athleticinfo
Professional Player Coming from These Colleges
Illinois State University
There have been 68 total players that came from Illinois State that were eventually drafted into the MLB.
Illinois Wesleyan
There has been 6 total players that came from Illinois Wesleyan that were eventually drafted into the MLB.
Heartland Community College
According to their website there have been 13 players who went on to play in the MLB.
Lincoln College
There has been one player that came from Lincoln College who went on to play in the MLB.
