College Route

THE COLLEGE ROUTE

The College Placement process is an important part of the Oshawa Legioniares Elite Baseball programs. Over the past several years we have seen a number graduating players move on to a scholarship opportunity at the collegiate level. The process begins at 14U and continues as a player develops as apart of the Oshawa Legionaires. Our program relies on our program Director and coaches as well as incorporating "Field Level" to assist in the college connection and placement process. Players will also be provided all the tools on how to promote themselves to college coaches. Assistance is provided to all players who wish to explore the college baseball scholarship route. Regular one on one sessions to determine and monitor players individual goals, baseball ability, and academics, as these areas all help determine possible post secondary opportunities for the player both north and south of the border. We will also provide assistance in creating quality recruiting videos for each player to send to potential colleges and also add to FIELD LEVEL.

Players at the Legionaires Elite 14U & 15U levels will begin to learn about the college pathways, and through an education consultant we provide, they will be educated about the academic necessities of all levels of collegiate baseball. As a player gets closer to the 18U level they will become more involved in the full College Placement process. Our Education Consultant will assist with the college academic process that also includes ACT/SAT and GPA calculation. An annual seminar is provided to all players and parents in order to educate everyone on the entire "COLLEGE ROUTE" process.

Please find below some helpful information for players and parents with respect to the college route. Whether it’s a dream to become pro, play NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA or stay in Canada to play OUA or OCAA, we are here to help you accomplish your goals.

EXPLAINING COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY LEVELS

NCAA Division I

· 11.7 full scholarships
· Scholarship monies can be divided
· 50% Athletic scholarships are considered good.
· Some lower level Division I schools do not fully fund all 11.7 scholarships
· Combining athletic and academic scholarship monies is permitted

NCAA Division II

· 9 full scholarships
· Scholarship monies can be divided
· Full scholarships are very rare
· Combining athletic and academic scholarship monies is permitted

NCAA Division III

· 0 athletic scholarships available
· Many Division III schools do a very good job of finding the players academic bursaries.

NAIA

· 12 full scholarships
· Scholarship monies can be divided
· Combining athletic and academic scholarship monies is permitted

NJCAA Division I

· 24 full scholarships including tuition, room and board books and fees
· Combining athletic and academic scholarship monies is permitted

NJCAA Division II

· 24 scholarships including tuition and books. No room and board or fees.
· Combining athletic and academic scholarship monies is permitted

NJCAA Division III

· 0 athletic scholarships
· These programs are able to field very competitive teams because they are typically very inexpensive to attend

OCAA/CCAA

· Athletic scholarships are available. It is up to each college to determine.
· There are academic bursaries available at most colleges.

OUA/U-SPORTS

· Athletic scholarships are available. It is up to each University to determine.
· There are academic bursaries available at most university's.

SOME KEY INFO RE: OFFICIAL OFFERS

· A 50% offer is considered a “good offer”. More than 50% is outstanding.
· Most Scholarship money goes to “up the middle” players (Pitchers, Catchers, SS/2B and Centerfielders)
· Understand what the offer covers– full tuition, books, room and board, student fees, etc.
It's ok to ask coaches questions and ask about athletic and academic scholarship opportunities.

CHECKLIST

OSHAWA LEGIONAIRES ELITE "COLLEGE FIELD LEVEL SEARCH AND CHECK BOXES TO CONSIDER"

TEN TOPICS TO FOLLOW WHEN EXPLORING A COLLEGE BASEBALL OPPORTUNITY IN THE USA.

We use FIELD LEVEL as a program to support our College Placement goals. We strongly recommend FIELD LEVEL with their monthly PREMIUM program as the best way and most affordable way to connect players with schools. Here is a checklist of things to follow when checking out possible colleges.

Go to the school’s athletic website and check out their home playing park and any other baseball facilities. Is the park on campus or off. Being off campus should not be a stopper if it is a great facility. If the park is nice, it means they care about their program.
Browse through their baseball page and check out their roster. Any Canadian kids? How many players do they carry? How successful is the program W-L records the past 5 years? Do they have a new coach and are they turning around a program. Is the program successful. Watch for a program with the same coach for a number of years and no upward climb of success. Avoid that.
Move to academic section of school main website and investigate possible academic programs that fit your goals. If no academic programs then move on. Academic requirements?
If items 1-3 are good, then go on their Athletic Website under baseball page and locate the potential recruit link and complete their on-line recruit questionnaire and submit.
Then go to the coaches page and find the Head Coach e-mail and recruiting coach e-mail. Then send them an e-mail explaining your interest in their school and that you would like to discuss opportunities and scholarship potential. Add some video clips and the link to your FIELD LEVEL page. You will also send a note thru Field level site as well.
Seek out on their main website or on YOU TUBE campus tours and video that will show you what the campus looks like. Layout, dorms, food, facilities, etc. Also check out the town the school is in. Distance from home etc. Check out student housing options. On campus residence in first year is preferred but many schools have off campus housing with players assigned. Be sure to find out as much as you can about student housing for athletes.
Continue to keep your FIELD LEVEL page updated with new video and stats, places you are playing, showcases you will be attending and then summaries and showcase updates afterwards.
Keep a log book of what schools you have connected with and then note each of the items completed above. Useful tracking system.
When they request responses or video, be sure to respond quickly. They see a lot of emails and video. Promptness is always welcomed.
You can see a school is interested in you if they view a number of items and videos of you on Field Level Activity. Usually means they see something they like. Then target that school for further review and the steps above.

We will promote you extensively to colleges that we have connections with and also utilize FIELD LEVEL to support your college athletic and academic goals.