REVIEW THE TEAM ROSTER

As you begin targeting the schools you are considering attending, you need to get as much information as possible about their baseball teams. A good way to get information on the schools is to use the Internet. Most schools have an Internet site that provides information about the baseball team. Believe it or not, one of the best 'tools' to get information about a schools baseball program to see if you could be a good fit on the team is the team's roster

Here's what a team roster will tell you:

1. Where the players are from. This information tells you where the coach focuses his recruiting. At state schools and in terms of athletic scholarship money, an in-state student costs less than an out of state; therefore a coach can stretch his money further. Also it tells you the coach is happy with the area talent and does not find it a worthwhile investment to expand their recruiting area.

This does not mean that a coach will not recruit you if you make contact, are sincerely interested in the school and show signs of being a decent player on paper or on film.

2. How many players are at your position and what year are they. Most coaches recruit on need. If there is a logjam of underclass players at your position there is a strong chance they are not recruiting for that position currently.

3. Playing Time. Do underclassmen really have a chance of playing at a program? Check the roster and the stats to find out

4. Size - Do you fit the profile? Look at the height and weight of their players. For example, the two players listed at First Base are over 6'2" and you are 5'10" would the coach consider you too small?

5. Distribution of upper and lower classmen. Typically college rosters have more freshman and sophomores on the team than juniors and seniors because of attrition in the program. People drop out for a variety of reasons: injury, lack of playing time, academics, transfers, and poor relations with the coach, etc. But a solid program should usually have a strong core of players at all levels. Schools with very few upper classmen should raise concerns. If this is the case the questions to consider are:

• What's the graduation rate of the recruited athletes?
• What's the injury history?
• Does the coach bring in far too many underclassmen as recruits than is needed only to "weed" them out during their fall program?

6. How many Junior College players. While few teams are made up exclusively of Junior College transfers it is a good idea to know if they are Junior College friendly. Especially if you have plans to attend a Junior College before moving on to a four-year school.