My son, who is a senior in high school, is registered to participate in an upcoming "Pre-Draft ID Showcase" in College Park, GA, supposedly attended (mostly) by major league scouts. Will this (or will any other) showcase negatively affect his NCAA eligibility status? This is all new to me! Any advice would be appreciated.

no.


attending any of these type of events does not affect your eligibilty unless he signs with an agent. but for a simple showcase, no issues.

That is terrific news. Thank you for the reply. We have a tough road ahead of us. He has played baseball since he was 5 (spring, summer and fall); however, he took 2007 and most of 2008 off from baseball (switched to golf), so no one knows him, and he hasn't played HS ball. As a pre-teen and early teen, he had a problem with the growth plate in his right shoulder which caused him pain when throwing. After much rehab and many doctor visits, we were told that once he was "done" growing, the growth plate would close up and he would have no more issues. That is precisely what has happened and where we are now. He is baseball ready. He grew from about 5'1" to 6'2" now and really is a strong athlete and a pretty good student (GPA 4.101). He plans to tryout as a Senior for his HS team; however, there may not be any open spots. He has continued with his private baseball lessons (pitching and hitting) every week and throws a solid 80+mph fast ball. His mechanics are very good. He has always dreamed of playing for Clemson, although with our getting started so late in the game, the chances of that seem to be fading fast. If anyone has any ideas as to how best to market his abilities -- we would love to hear it. He is signed up for the Pre-Draft ID Showcase in GA, the Unsigned Senior Showcase in Cary, NC in November and the Unsigned Senior Showcase in Blythewood, SC also in November. I would love to take him all over the Country for more showcases; however, that's not financial feasible.

sheliamommy,

Welcome to the HSBBW.
Contact Tom Riginos (the recruiting coordinator) at Clemson. Your son should apply to Clemson anyway, since it is one of your state universtiies and you can take advantage of state funds for tuition.

I am not sure what a solid 80+ means or his other pitches that he throws for strikes, but if it has been his dream to attend and play at Clemson, you may consider attending their winter camp program in december and meet the coaches and let them know of your son's interest. Most RHP recruited usually throw 88-89+ in high school for scholarship consideration. A lot may depend on your son's projection as well.

Just a suggestion, best of luck.
BTW, Clemson has a club baseball program and a few of those players have been walk on players at Clemson.

Thanks for the info. We definitely plan to do the December Clemson camp! He has also done the Clemson Tiger Baseball Camp (2004) and the Clemson Tiger Golf Camp (2006). His trainer just put the gun on him for the first time the other night and his fast ball is 80-81, although he was able to hit 85 every now and then. He has accuracy and movement on his pitches. We do not presently know the speed of his curve, change up, etc.

Thanks again so very much for the information. As every parent I am sure feels the same, I want to do everything I can to help him be in the "right place at the right time" to achieve his DREAMS.

Take care.

If your son did the camp in fall of 2004 (December), my son was there at the time ( fall of freshman year)and played on the 2005,2006 and 2007 squad.

It's a great place to go to school and play baseball, I can't blame him for trying to fulfill his dream.

Great golf program too!

He actually did the Summer 2004 weeklong camp. Yes, I agree, it is a great place to go to school and to play baseball!

He is lucky to have your support.

He has about 6 months before spring baseball season starts to really build strength. A good program with emphasis on building his core muscles can help him on the mound. He will have to cruise at 85+MPH to have any shot at D1 baseball as a RHP.

Showcases can be a detriment if you arent in shape to perform. But, he does have size in his favor as a projectable factor.

It's great to have a dream and that dream can be played at many other schools too.

Sheliamommy,

There are a number of good college baseball programs you should consider in addition to Clemson. Unless he throws in the upper 80's/low 90's, or can hit the ball 400 ft+, Clemson might be a stretch, especially since he's been out of baseball for a while. Nonetheless, the Clemson December camps are excellent and it might be an opportunity to get in front of their coaches. There will be a lot of good baseball players at those camps.
There are other showcases in your area to consider. I think you have already noted the Diamond Prospect Showcase in November - there should be a lot of coaches there from SC and some from neighboring states. I would also highly recommend the Young-Harris showcase - the final one is Oct 4-5 - definitely worth attending. The Aug showcase had 32 college coaches in attendance.
Also, Lander University has two showcases coming up and Belmont Abbey has one Nov 22. Belmont Abbey is a top-25 D-II school with excellent academics. They also have a JV team.
I'm from Greenville, too, so feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

We were at the Young-Harris showcase on Labor Day weekend and they announced that the Oct dates are just about full, but they are having another one at Darton College in November. Go to their website to get the exact info on it. But, it was a very good showcase. Lots of coaches.