My boy has gotten info about an interesting camp, thought I would pass it along.

The University of Missouri Tigers will once again be hosting its summer showcase and skills camp at Oak Park River Forest High School. Camp is on July 17.

For info...573 884 8929

i would strongly advise against this one. they want your money not your son.

We thought it was a very minimal cost for the opportunity to work with coaches and play in front of them for the better part of a day.

Unless your son is being seriously considered by Mizzou, and I mean seriously, and he wants to go their, it is not worth going to. There will only be two coaches there from Missouri, doing 60 times, hitting, pitching and fielding. THe OPRF staff will be there as well.

Your talking about your son potentially playing in the Big 12 Conference of D1 baseball. He had better be pretty good. There were 3 All-Staters at their August camp, one of which they drooled over. That player didn't go their. One of the two other players is going to a smaller D1 school, and the other is going to be a senior in school. I thought my son stood a chance, but is to small, even though they have some smaller players on that team. Size does matter!

The mizzouri camp was set up to help get exposure to local kids in the area who may not have a chance to be seen by a big 12 school. The two coaches at the camp handle recruiting for the program. They are looking for top caliber players who can compete at the big 12 level. David Cales was one of the kids spotted at the camp. They have made offers to other players who decided to go elsewhere. Keep watching the roster and you may even see a familiar name enrolled there in the very near future. This is a great opportunity for top level kids. We have contacted other schools to run camps at our school to help get the players in this area some exposure, but have not had many takers. remember, each year they have different needs that need to be addressed and that is what they are doing, searching for the players that will help them win. on a side note, Kevin Cullen from missouri has made over 10 calls for me to other coaches about players he has seen that need help getting into other programs. I call him every year for help with contacting coaches or suggestions about where a specific player I have could play and contribute. I just have to say he is the best connection I have, and even returned my call the night they swept texas. Don't be so harsh. There are many people who take advantage of families and these guys are not one of them. Just my 2 cents

Could someone be more specific about the actual showcase. How much money does it cost? Do they play games? How does one sign up or get in? Or do they just show up?

goose, call kevin cullen at the number listed above.

Goose....

I must give my "props" to 'ballfan', he certainly has been kind and generous toward my son. Thanks 'ballfan'!

Having said that, if you have never been to Mizzou, you will be treated to a very good "small college town" setting. Columbia, Missouri and the University are what I refer to as a 'real college town' example. The location of the sports facilities to the academic halls, and now, the new dorms, really made Mizzou appealing to my son. The way the athletes are treated, looked after, academically as well athletically, again, impressed my son. He would have loved to have played baseball there!!! They also offer a Winter Camp between Christmas and New Years.

Your son should go if this university is of interest to him. And go again, if possible, depending on his year in high school. He has to make his intentions known to the coaches that Mizzou is his first choice. Have him ask where he would fit in relationship to their positional needs. Ballfan gave you that information before. Good luck.

i'll stick to my original opinion. i am more than sure that they know who they want way before you go to the camo. it is,in my opinion, a way for them to make some money for themselves. or where ever it goes. i think they mess with kids heads and i am not the only one to think that. i would recommend going to SIU before i would say go to the camp at op-rf or mizzou. i can tell you that the name mentioned here is not exactly happy there either. they are like a corporation, the fact that they have to win to keep there jobs is a large factor. it is nice that they come to the area to "look" at players but, like i said, i beleive they know who they want before hand. i think you are better off going to other schools first and them last. this is my opinion and from my sons experience, that is all i will say. big 12, its a name and a monacher. BIG 12 is looking for the BIG kid. not necessarily the great 5'10 6 footer. again it is from experience i speak. you can keep them off my list for ever. we had a BAD experience at op-rf and at mizzou.

OK, Time for the Facts ,,,,,

Just linked over to the Missouri Web Site and this year’s roster of 34 players have 14 under 6 foot. 4 Additional players are listed at 6 foot.

One player on their roster is listed at 5'5"
Out of 34 players 18 are 6 foot or less!

We also went to the Christmas camp last year and would recommend it to anyone thinking of going. They have a great support program for all of their athletics. From the Classroom to the field. Sounds like a great slogan for their program. LOL

like i said, from experience

sweaty:

Thanks for sharing your experience and telling it like it is.

As far as the Mizzou coaches having their minds made up beforehand, we experienced the exact same thing at an Eastern Illinois camp during Christmas break.

My son was told by the Eastern Illinois players helping at the camp that he was one of the top players at the camp. Before the camp closed, the coaches split the campers up. My son was not included in the group that was being closely reviewed. If left up to the players, my son would have easily been included on their roster. Our conclusion was that the coaches already knew who they wanted before the camp began. We got a call from them early in December asking if my son would be interested in attending the camp...they called more than once...but what they really were doing was "Dialing for Dollars". They certainly made money off of this family that weekend...not a great feeling.

Because of this experience, we cannot recommend the EIU baseball camps, just as you cannot recommend the Mizzou baseball camps.

Congrats to Danny on his All-State selection.

if i can add one more thing to this topic for all the juniors who are about to get some calls come july 1st, give the dollars to the schools who seem to show the most interest and no others. i can tell you even though danny got recruited heavily by il st, we went there and still paid our monies. and it did nothing but make a better impression on the coaches that we showed up and paid our money. so if someone calls on july 1st and REALLY seems like they want you, go there and let them see you in they're environment, it will show them that you really want to go there. good luck to all the juniors in the recruiting process. it can be great and it can be quite a nightmare. don't believe everything you hear at first. take a wait and see. then decipher before paying any money. play ball , thanks. it was quite a nice ride senior year. our family was extremely proud of all his accolades. all the travel ball and all the hitting with hayward and the best coaching via sorce has all been worth it....

Hey guys,
Thanks for passing the info on to us who need it. I really don't want my son to duplicate what I went through at Arizona, and seeing that was 30 years ago, I'm sure things have changed.
We appreciate everyone who has offered advise! This ain't easy.

My experience, as an observer who didn't have a son (younger brother) at the camp, was that it was almost like a showcase with a little bit of coaching and a little bit of exposure.

The little guy was told that they ONLY recruit SS and some CF, then convert them. Take that with a grain of salt, but they were heavy with those 2 spots last year and the games didn't really follow a pattern .. it was more like take a few swings and get back in the field.

To be fair, summer league playoffs started that day so the camp was suffering from that aspect.

Also, Courtwright from Lincoln Twnshp was there and the coaches had clearly established a relationship with him and Cales had just enrolled -- so "we" weren't really expecting too much. For $50-$100, it is nice to see some good pitching and get someone else's opinion.

Iowa, on the other hand, seemed eager to talk to kids in this area and they have a few camps on their campus at the end of the summer.

I'll back up Sweaty's comments about ISU -- their coaches were very honest about their intentions and followed through on their promises. Maybe Dan put in a good word!!

You have to be kidding, the Missouri Camp only cost $65.00. It takes more to fill up your SUV then to go to this camp!

To those that are interested, Coach Cullen responded to my email this morning within a few hours, so feel free to contact him for addtional information.
I have no reason to promote this camp, maybe I just didn't agree with the negative remarks made earlier about this baseball program.

folks...Having spent my share of dollars at such camps and feeling it was worth it, please don't attend these college camps with the belief that you are some kind of "recruited" athlete.

You should go to see how you stack up to the competition at your position at this particular college camp...no more or no less.

I agree with the poster, that you can spend $65 for a fill up.

If you can't spend $65 for your son, folks, consider how much you spend on beer and cigarettes yearly!

Go for the experiences that you can share with your son.

It is your son, after all!

Gees.

My son attended the Notre Dame All-Star Camp (or whatever it was called) Before the practice, 60's and games started Coach Manieiri spoke to the kids and the parents (including a couple of blue chippers) and told us all that if we were there to try to get a scholarship to play baseball at ND we were there for the wrong reason. He said that although some kids who attended the camp did in fact play for ND, you should be there to: Play with some other fine ballplayers. Play on a very nice field, instructed by high-level coaches. Visit a very famous school and campus.

I think all the coaches should say as much, even up front. I will say though that several coaches told my son that if he was interested in playing for them, he should attend the camp they had. It does make sense...if you want them to want you, let them see you.

$65.00 isn't much to spend for a day or two of baseball. Like Beenthere said....use it as a measuring stick.

ahhh, the key words of the topic. "if" the coaches would just be upfront with the large group who usually attend these camps thinking, oh i'm in, i'm better than those guys. the reality is the coach should tell everyone upfront and say if you are here for a scholarship, you are at the wrong camp. but....maybe just maybe they will see something in you that sticks out.....i can also say get your grades in order too. they all ask that ??? and your ACT or SAT score. they have to know if you are a good student and a good player. they can sell a scholarship to the AD alot easier if you have the grades. trust me on that one....im not bad rapping Mizzou, i'm bad rapping the system. cullen, nice guy, system ******. how's that sound? better, i hope. just watch where you go. the camp at op-rf is only 65 yes but if you go to the schools, which by the way mizzou is in the middle of bufu. you have to stay overnight and drive 7 to 8 hours...lets see at 3 per gal and 80 mph (oooppss) 60 mph it'll cost you a heck of alot more than 65 bux. just be careful, that is all i'm saying. don't be conned into thinking your a wanted man...i firmly believe thay have they're man already. that is my fatherly advice to a few. i went thru this and it was helllllllo. there is only so much room...11.7 scholarships ain't alot when you see 30 or more on a roster....but then again, be happy you are on someones radar. it's cool.

I guess ultimately your son has to realize, one way or another if he is a D1 ball player. My son will play D3 ball at Rochester. We know he is capable of playing D1, but his physical size and the college major he is interested in, stopped him from pursing D1 schools just for baseball. This is why he chose a school where he wiil follow his career path, and where he will play baseball.

There are kids that all of us know, where in the last four years they have virtually stopped playing ball altogether. Riding the bench, waiting for their chance, only to find it doesn't materialize, or they get bored waiting, or they were lied to!!!!!

I guess my point is that if your son wants to play in college, a particular college, then he had better be prepared to spend time, money, work hard and then hope that coach has a need for him on his team, let alone in his lineup. Nobody said it would be easy, but I think that he has to evaluate his talents continuously to be sure about playing in a D1 program.

Fortunately enough, my son realized that his height would hurt is opportunities. It really doesn't matter, in probably 99% of the cases, how good you might play, and that someone who is 5'9" and under, doesn't stand much of a chance at playing D1 ball. D3's play a schedule similar to high schools, 35 to 45 games. Almost half of D1 programs. My son knows he will probably play right-away. He didn't know if he would play right-away, or at all in a D1 program. "Just apply to our university, and we will see how things go" is what he was told by several D1 coaches. Sorry, but he wants to play baseball in college!!

I don't know if my comments have helped, I'm just trying to have you put things in perspective before you spend too much time and money going in the wrong direction. JMHO