Athletic ability used to be the main ticket into playing a sport at the college level, and certainly the main factor in getting a scholarship at the same time.

Times have changed, rules have tightened, and more than athletic ability is required if your student-athlete wants to play college ball—and the process begins for all young men and women in the 9th grade.

9th and 10th Grade (Freshman and Sophomores)

At that age through their senior year, all students need to complete either 16 or 14 "core-course" requirements depending if they are seeking to participate in a sport at a Division I or II college.

For Division I, students need the following 16 requirements before they graduate from high school:

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
• 2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by the high school)
• 1 extra year of English, math or natural or physical science
• 2 years of social science
• 4 years of extra core courses (from any category above, or foreign language, non-doctrinal religion or philosophy)

Plus, the student must earn an overall minimum GPA in these courses, and attain a minimum score that combines GPA and SAT scores. The example given by the NCAA is a 3.0 GPA and student must have a SAT score of 620 or higher.

For Division II, students need the following 14 core courses (after August, 2013, rules for Division II change):

• 3 years of English
• 2 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
• 2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if offered by your high school)
• 2 additional years of English, math, or natural or physical science
• 2 years of social science
• 3 years of extra core courses (from any category above, or foreign language, non-doctrinal religion or philosophy);
• Earn a 2.000 grade-point average or better in your core courses; and
• Earn a combined SAT score of 820 or an ACT sum score of 68.

11th Grade (Juniors)

The 11th grade is a pivotal year, because many of the hardest classes in high school are taken during this year, and, GPA scores really start to affect your final high school GPA score.

Moreover, all students must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at this grade.

This is a key point, as all athletes must register with the Eligibility Center in order to be considered for college sports. Here is a checklist for all high school juniors:

• Register with the eligibility center.
• Make sure you are still on course to meet core-course requirements (verify you have the correct number of core courses and that the core courses are on your high school's 48-H with the eligibility center).
• After your junior year, have your high school guidance counselor send a copy of your transcript. If you have attended any other high schools, make sure a transcript is sent to the eligibility center from each high school.
• When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores are sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
• Begin your amateurism questionnaire on the Eligibility Center web site.

12th Grade (Seniors)

Seniors can continue to take the SAT or ACT and submit the scores to the Eligibility Center, and they finalize their Eligibility Center requirements during this year. Here is the high school senior checklist:

• When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores to be sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
• Complete amateurism questionnaire and sign the final authorization signature online on or after April 1 if you are expecting to enroll in college in the fall semester. (If you are expecting to enroll for spring semester, sign the final authorization signature on or after October 1 of the year prior to enrollment.)
• Have your high school guidance counselor send a final transcript with proof of graduation to the eligibility center.

The NCAA allows each division I college baseball program 11.78 scholarships and each division II program is allowed 9. NAIA colleges can offer a maximum of 12 scholarships.

Not all college athletic scholarships are full ride like, for example, basketball. Most are equivalency sports like baseball. This basically means that a coach can divide his 12 scholarships between a larger number of players. This could mean 25 partial instead of 12 full ride scholarships. If you are a top player then a full ride baseball scholarship is always a possibility.

There are 287 division I and 227 division II colleges that offer NCAA baseball scholarships. That's a total of 5,423 in the NCAA alone.

What Athletic Departments Need To Know About Recruiting Foreign Athlete Students

Collegiate and university recruitment of foreign athletes is more vigorous than ever.. Whether it is a nationally ranked Division I basketball program trying to gain a competitive edge in the NCAA Tournament, or an Ivy League institution seeking to bolster the roster of its heavyweight crew team, institutions often recruit from abroad.

After the recruitment has concluded and the athlete has been accepted, the complex process of obtaining a student visa begins. Athletic department officials must work collaboratively with their institution's foreign student office to understand the institution's policies and procedures to ensure their foreign student athletes maintain compliance with immigration regulations. A student athlete being out of compliance will result in that athlete being unavailable to participate in their selected athletic endeavor. For example, if the athletic department withdraws a grant of financial aid to a foreign student athlete, the student would fall out of immigration compliance and may be removed from the country.

The athletic department, as part of the recruitment process of foreign student athletes should ascertain whether that athlete has any prior visa refusals or prior "poor choices" that could result in that student athlete being inadmissible to the United States without a waiver of inadmissibility being filed on behalf of the student athlete. Certain types of criminal convictions, for example, could bar a student athlete from entering the United States and thus be ineligible for the visa. Advanced knowledge of any potential issues is the key to avoiding visa problems.
Athletic department staff also should work closely with their foreign athletes to ensure that the athletes rigorously maintain their academic eligibility. The failure to maintain status as a full time student can affect a student athlete's immigration status and, ultimately, can lead to removal (deportation).

NCAA Rules for College Baseball Scholarships

Colleges must follow rules when they offer scholarships to prep athletes.

Each year, thousands of high school athletes seek baseball scholarships from more than 500 colleges and universities. Scholarships offer benefits such as free tuition and paid room and board, and schools compete to land the best prospects. The schools and the athletes, though, must follow several rules set in place by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body for college sports in the United States. Failure to meet these regulations can lead to serious penalties, including fines and sanctions.

Scholarship Caps

NCAA rules limit the number of scholarships colleges can award to players. The maximum is different based on whether the school is a Division I member or a Division II member. According to CollegeScholarships.org, Division I schools are allowed to grant 11.5 scholarships each year for the entire team. Division II schools are limited to nine scholarships. Because teams have more players than the number of allowable scholarships, teams often feature some non-scholarship and partial scholarship players. Partial scholarships allow schools to pay half of one athlete's tuition and half of another athlete's tuition. It is common for coaches and college recruiters to split the 11.5 Division I scholarships between as many as 20 players. Coaches sometimes leave a few full scholarships for top athletes, whose superior skills lead to more competition for their services.

Recruitment Rules

College recruiters are limited in terms of when and how they can recruit athletes. NCAA rules forbid recruiters from sending recruitment materials to athletes before Sept. 1 of their junior year in high school. Telephone recruitment and in-person recruitment is not allowed until July 1 after the student has completed his junior year. The rules also apply to contact with students' relatives. Division II NCAA rules allow in-person and telephone recruitment to being two weeks earlier, on June 15 prior to the student's senior year in high school. The NCAA produces a calendar annually which limits the dates on which recruiters are allowed to approach seniors. The calendar features quiet periods during which no recruiting is allowed to take place. The calendar for baseball differs from some other NCAA recruitment calendars.

Eligibility Rules

NCAA baseball scholarship rules require all players to register with the NCAA's Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. The NCAA then verifies that athletes are eligible for scholarships using various rules criteria. These rules include a requirement that students graduated from high school with a grade point of 2.00 or higher in certain courses. The requirement for Division I is for a core curriculum of 16 academic subjects. Division II rules require 14 classes. The Division I requirement includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of science, two years of social studies and four years of additional core courses.

How to Get Recruited for College Baseball

These Recruiting Guidelines have been compiled using direct feedback from college coaches, NCSA's experience of evaluating and helping thousands of baseball recruits find the right college fit, and analyzing college rosters at all levels of competition. Please keep in mind that there are many factors used while evaluating student-athletes. Also, keep in mind that each level of college baseball (Division One through Junior College) includes high levels of competition.
Baseball players are evaluated by five tools:

• Arm Strength / Throwing Ability (Arm Speed, Exchange, Release, Throwing Accuracy, etc.)
• Range / Fielding Ability (Body Control, Double Play Skills, Footwork, Quickness, etc.)
• Speed / Base Running Ability (Footwork, Overall Speed, Quickness, etc.)
• Hitting for Power
• Hitting for Average (Balance, Bat Speed, Explosion, Hitting to All Fields, Length of Swing, Power, etc.)

On the mound here are common fundamentals evaluated:

• Arm Speed
• Balance
• Each Pitch thrown for Consistent Strikes
• Movement of Pitches
• Overall Mechanics
• Velocity

Here are additional factors evaluated by college coaches and NCSA throughout the recruiting process:

• Athletically:
  • Accolades and Awards
  • Athletic Data (60 Time, Velocity, Pop Times, etc.)
  • Athletic History in High School and College (if applicable)
  • Feedback/Interest from coaches and contact thus far with college coaches
  • Height and Weight
  • Recruiting Guidelines (See Below per Division)
  • Statistics
  • Travel Team
  • Video (mainly area in which your five tools are evaluated)
• Academically:
  • Actual Grades in Individual Classes (Transcript Overview)
  • Class Load (AP and Honors courses)
  • Class Rank
  • Extracurriculars
  • GPA
  • SAT/ACT scores
  • Subject Test Scores

Additional information broken down by division level

Division I:

The typical Division I baseball player is ‘polished' and seems to already have all the tools necessary to be successful as a freshman. As opposed to the Division II baseball player, the typical DI player needs far less development, if any. The position players possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools. The pitchers display a command of at least 3 pitches with high velocities. On average, they have the ability to throw many innings, and most often they are only used on the mound and rarely as position players. Most DI players come from large high schools. Many of these programs are considered the best in their area or in the state. In addition, most DI players have been awarded accolades such as All-Area, All-County, or All-State early in their high school career. Lastly, most DI programs identify prospects their freshman and sophomore years, many of these recruits verbally commit junior year, and these programs mainly wrap up recruiting by the early signing period senior year.

Pitchers:

• Over 1 strikeout per Inning Pitched
• ERA below 2.50
• Velocity: As low at 84 MPH consistently and ranging to 95+ (Verified by a neutral source)
• 2 Additional pitches thrown to spots consistently

Catchers:

• Height: 6'1"
• Weight: 200 lbs.
• Pop Time: 1.95 and below consistently (Verified by a neutral source)

Middle Infielders:

• Height: 6'1"
• Weight: 190 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 6.8 or below (Verified by a neutral source)
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.2 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.1
• Velocity from the INF: 85+ MPH (Verified by a neutral source)

Corner Infielders:

• Height: 6'2"
• Weight: 200 lbs.
• Power Numbers: 8+ HR, 30+RBI

Outfielders:

• Height: 6'1"
• Weight: 190 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 6.6 (Verified by a neutral source)
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.1 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.0
• Velocity from the OF: 87+ MPH (Verified by a neutral source)

Statistic to Keep in Mind:

There are over 500,000 student-athletes across the country that play high school baseball and less than 2% of them will play at the Division I level.

If a student-athlete has not been in communication back and forth with division one level programs at the start of junior year, they must be open to attending a college at the Division II, Division III, NAIA, or Junior College levels.

Division II:

For some colleges, especially those in the southern states and out on the west coast, DII Baseball is an extension of DI. There are very few differences between the typical west coast or southern DII player and the average DI player. For the DII schools up north, the athletes may be a notch below the average DI and perhaps a little less polished. They may not throw as hard, play for the top high schools programs, or possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools. This is not always the case, as there are some very solid DII baseball programs up north. However, it is no secret that overall, the better baseball schools are those located in warmer climates. Student-athletes should be meeting the guidelines below by the summer before their senior year as many division two programs recruit student-athletes who may not have been picked up by division one programs after the early signing period.

Pitchers:

• Averaging about 1K per inning pitched
• ERA below 3.00
• Velocity: As low at 82 MPH consistently
• 1 Additional pitch thrown to spots consistently

Catchers:

• Height: 6'0''
• Weight: 180 lbs.
• Pop Time: 2.0 or below

Middle Infielders:

• Height: 6'0''
• Weight: 180 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 6.9 or below
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.3 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.2
• Velocity from the INF: Low 80's MPH from SS

Corner Infielders:

• Height: 6'0"
• Weight: 180 lbs.
• Power Numbers: 4+ HR, 20+RBI

Outfielders:

• Height: 5'11''
• Weight: 180 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 6.8 or below
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.2 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.1
• Velocity from the OF: 82-86 MPH

Statistics to Keep in Mind:

There are only 16 Division II colleges in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Student-athletes who want to compete at this level on the West Coast have a very limited number of opportunities to consider

Many junior college student-athletes transfer to the Division II programs creating even less opportunities at this level. (There are close to 90 junior college programs in California alone.)

Division III:

Some DIII programs are stronger than others, but there seems to be more continuity with the physical characteristics of DIII players than there are for DII or NAIA. Certain DIII programs, such as Wisconsin Whitewater or George Fox recruit student-athletes who miss out on opportunities with the least selective DI programs. Student-athletes should be meeting the criteria below by the beginning of senior year when most division three programs start heavily recruiting players.

Pitchers:

• 1 or less than 1 K per Inning Pitched
• ERA below 4.00
• Velocity: As low at 80 MPH consistently
• 1 Additional pitch thrown for strikes consistently

Catchers:

• Height: 5'10"
• Weight: 170 lbs.
• Pop Time: 2.1 or below

Middle Infielders:

• Height: 5'10"
• Weight: 165 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 7.1 or below
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.4 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.3
• Velocity from the INF: Upper 70's MPH from SS

Corner Infielders:

• Height: 5'11"
• Weight: 170 lbs.
• Power Numbers: 2+ HR, 20+RBI

Outfielders:

• Height: 5'10"
• Weight: 170 lbs.
• 60 Yard Dash: 7.0 or below
• Home to 1st:
  • Right-Handed Hitter: 4.3 or below
  • Left-Handed Hitter: 4.2
• Velocity from the OF: 78+ MPH

Statistic to Keep in Mind:

There are no Division III colleges that offer baseball in Florida and only eight in the Southeast states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. This is one of the most saturated areas of baseball talent and this means there is even more competition for programs at other division levels.

NAIA:

The discrepancies in characteristics are very severe when it comes to NAIA baseball. Most compete at a division two level. The most selective NAIA programs are best compared to a low DI level program. The least selective are competing at a low DIII level.

Statistic to Keep in Mind:

There are only five NAIA programs located in the Northeast and New England area

Junior College Baseball:

Similar to the NAIA level there are many discrepancies in characteristics between the top level programs and the least selective programs. The most selective junior colleges in the country recruit mid to upper level DI student-athletes. Lower level JUCO programs recruit low level DIII players.

Also, unlike the NAIA, junior colleges do have 3 divisions for the purpose of separating stronger JUCO programs from the weaker ones. While there may be somewhat of a drop off in talent between Division III junior college and Division I and Division II junior colleges, there is little difference between DI and DII junior colleges. Many of the junior college players lack the ‘polish' to be considered DI players coming out of HS, but they already possess the necessary physical tools to be successful at high levels. Many times, these recruits need to harness and polish those tools. At times, the GPA's of some junior college athletes are lower than those attending four year schools, suggesting that these athletes need to two years to mature academically.

Statistics to Keep in Mind:

There are 88 junior colleges located in California alone

175 players were selected from the NJCAA in the MLB Draft in June, 2010

Additional Information to Consider:

• Utilize the College Search Map
• Use the "View Your Qualifications" feature and set those into the search feature for an "Advanced Search" You can tweak different searches for programs that you are athletically and academically qualified for that you would likely consider (you may also save these searches for future reference)

Here is a general guideline to what "Most Selective Colleges" look for in student-athletes academically:

• Mainly AP and Honors Courses
• All A's and B's on the Transcript
• GPA above a 3.5 GPA
• Top 10% and some want Top 5% of your Class
• At least (minimum scores) a 25 on the ACT or 1250 on the two-part SAT (1800 on the three part)
• At least two subject tests with a score of 600 on each of them
• Extracurricular Activities

Baseball by the Numbers