How Tough Is it To Walk On To D1 College Baseball Team?

[@briangulley6027]

Well, there goes my dream. My chances were slim anyway as an out of shape 63-year-old who hasn't swung a bat in 35 years. Thanks Matt, dream killer.

[@Briansgate]

hey, the Savanah Bananas had a 70 year old on the mound last year. Anything is possible.

[@Jackmerius_Tacktheritrix5733]

@@Briansgate The FerryHawks signed a girl. She’s terrible.

[@TwoPyramid]

There's a chance your skills could transfer over to your next reincarnated life; so keep practicing.

[@steezjsk]

This better be comedy.

[@baseballbatbros]

1000% right on - college baseball is an absolute log jam right now. Thank you for all you do for the baseball community Matt!

[@jgoo1373]

I walked on d1, went to a really good CA JUCO also walked on as a pitcher there, than transferred academically to my dream school after 3 semesters of JUCO. Got to my new school knocked on the coaches door in the gym, said I can pitch, he was former catcher, took me to the gym for a bull pen, I hit all my spots, made me do a tough agility drill style cardio workout to watch how I moved. Made the team on the spot, cut somebody at practice that afternoon. all happened in late January and games started real quick.

[@brucepoole3654]

I played for Eddie Stanky at the University of South Alabama in the early to mid-70s. Such a different time in college baseball than it is now. We had a no cut policy on our team, so we ended up with close to 50 guys on the team. We actually had guys on the team that barely played in high school. We were ranked in the top 25 in D-I at that time, even being ranked as high as #1 in the country for a few weeks. The walk-ons rarely played, but they all wanted to be a part of a great team.

[@TwoPyramid]

It's sounds like that provided a really nice experience for the walk on guys.

[@brucepoole3654]

It took a special kind of person to be a walk on on our team. The long hours, the physical side, and the knowledge you may never play in a real game. I just went back to a baseball reunion a couple of weeks ago and there were guys at the reunion who were walk ons during my time. We have a beautiful deck in left field known as Kit's Korner (named after Steve Kittrell who won over 1,000 games at South Alabama) that all former players can use during the games. I talked to one of the walk ons who was a pitcher on our team and he discussed his time on the team with me. He said he figured he would never see the field during a real game, but felt his job was pitching the best batting practice he could to prepare the starters for games. He said he gave up massive home runs to Pat Putnam and Dave Stapleton during BP, but that probably gave them confidence when they faced the opposing pitchers. He is proud of what his role was and still cherishes the time he was on the team. What a great attitude he had about the experience and I'm not sure that I could have done what he did. Typically, Stanky would take 1-2 walk ons to away games just so they could experience what it was like. This pitcher talked about the time he went on the road to Auburn and Alabama. It was kind of cool to see how his eyes lit up when he was sharing the story.

[@TwoPyramid]

@@brucepoole3654 wow, that's interesting... Your comment made me think about what it would have been like if the university I went to in the 90's allowed all walk-ons to join the basketball team in some limited fashion. It's seems like pure fantasy now, but your comment illustrates that it wasn't completely inconceivable during the relatively recent past.

[@magicmike9532]

Possibility of a success for a walk on is limited but not unreachable. My nephew was a walk on for the University of Arizona in 2018 (red shirt his first year) played sparingly his second year, played 8 games before covid cut their season. 2021 their coach "Jay Johnson" played him second base all year with great all around numbers, also reaching the college world series and drafted in the 13 round by the Houston Astros....Always have a positive vibe and work hard if you decide to play in D1 baseball....

[@swiftone7212]

Wow anything is possible. May I ask how much experience your nephew had? I’ve only played for 1year in HS, but I’ve been doing other sports for the rest of my life and been pretty athletic. Major problems I have is getting into shape because I’m on the bigger side trying to play 2B, as well throwing mechanics and velocity not that well, and batting mechanics and strength aren’t that great. What’s keeping me going is realizing my passion for this sport b/c I’ve been thinking about baseball everyday throughout school.

[@maligatorbaseball2789]

A while back when I was at that age, I was able to walk onto a D1 team. My circumstances were discussed by you though as the school I was committed to wasn’t one I actually wanted to attend. Very late my senior year of HS I found a school I just liked in general so applied and got in. All their money had been given out already so I tried out and made the roster. That being said it wasn’t a high profile d1 team or conference. It was in the MAAC.

[@timwauman]

Great, honest advice. Your college degree will always outlast your athletic career. It's important to find the right college for yourself first.

[@Nihilianth]

That's always been true for all sports. I walked on at a DIII school. I made the roster. That was difficult. Obviously, I wasn't a top play by any stretch of the imagination. But I wasn't terrible either. But I knew I had 0% chance of playing beyond college, so I just had a lot of fun with it, and focused on my studies.

[@pete7504]

Thank you Matt for giving a kid an Avenue as to what to do if they choose to walk on. Real life advice, priceless!

[@shankster0170]

College ball is tough in general, I attend a D3 as a first year and the only action I’ve gotten was pitch running. It wild how we still see low 90s at the D3 level, such as like Chicago, and North central got some ballers. It was very humbling and this explanation is no surprise!

[@SchroederN8]

Also, my brother had a verbal agreement from the HC that he would be a walk on at Coastal Carolina. After he enrolled that coach got fired. Unfortunate situation

[@mcleananderson4948]

When was this? 1932? Gary Gilmore has been the coach at Coastal since 1996

[@ryanfigueroa9862]

Here I am, a 3-year club college baseball player looking to play at the NCAA level for my final year of eligibility 🙏🏻

[@LFGVBE]

If I could fo college all over again today, I'd put my efforts into walking on... as a team manager. It seems like the perfect path for some who is deeply passionate about the game, but mature enough to recognize if/when their remaining playing days are limited or over. Seen lots of managere from our local D1 basketball & baseball programs also continue on into careers within those sports at the college & pro levels. I never even knew this was an option when I was an 18 year old kid stepping onto a college campus.

[@Rich-od8bs]

I walked on to a DI school once and was quickly escorted off by campus police.

[@fxlonewolf779heinen8]

Can you walk on to a d2 or d3 schools? Also are your chances better than d1?

[@tommyjessup1366]

Theoretically yeah but same stuff applies. The school i go to is d3 and nobody made the team as a walk-on even though one guy touched 90. They are always going to favor the kids that they have already recruited no matter what

[@kennethbailey3043]

My son and I watch this video and appreciate the honesty. We do have a question. If you were recruited as a preferred walk on(no money to give) and all the coaches left. What is the beat course of action? Go or look around?

[@dann7528]

Thank you matt

[@lynnkurumaji2478]

I known maybe 30 yrs ago, colleges at one time had winter ball with maybe 4-6 teams. Created an in school league with maybe a local JC teams. What happen to that process? This was a way a non-recruited player could be seen in game conditions. Some walk-ons were then given a chance to try out.

[@Nihilianth]

That's still the case in some areas, but that process has mostly been replaced by all these flashy "showcases." I'm not at all a fan of these showcases. They seem....I dunno....sterile, I guess you could say.

[@1cocrazy]

What about the mlb?

[@mobogdan4683]

Also this is something maybe not everyone wants to hear, but honestly playing club baseball as a good player is a lot more fun than playing as a fringe D1 player. Sure being able to say you played D1 college baseball sounds flashy but the time commitment it requires really takes a lot of time away from academics and can be very draining. Also if you aren't good enough to actually get recruiting offers at a D1, but you're serious about playing at that level at some point, playing at a Junior College is honestly a better option for most people than just trying to walk on. There's a much higher chance you will get playing time in your first year or two and the coaches will be paying much more attention to you to the point you can actually progress as a player to the point where you are good enough to actually play at a D1 level. I decided trying to play high-level college baseball wasn't for me and played club baseball at a D1. I had a great time doing that but maybe I would have tried a year at a JC just to save some money and see what happens but I was also okay going to the school I went to immediately. Also once you aren't in the "competitive" baseball system anymore, it doesn't mean your time with the game has to be over. There are tons of men's leagues everywhere and a lot of them have a lot of very good players and you can have a ton of fun. I think it's important to set realistic goals for yourself and choose what you want in life because I think a lot of high schoolers have the mindset of "college baseball or nothing" and I was like that for a while and put a whole lot of pressure on myself due to my own ambitions and also the pressure of all the time and money my parents had spent on baseball over the course of my youth. A lot of ex-players always talk about how sad it is to play your last game, but your last game doesn't have to be your last game. Baseball is a game and it's played all over the world, you can find somewhere to play no matter where you live or how good you are. I moved to France for University this year and I ended up joining a club here, it's been a ton of fun and I've got to meet some really great people, and it has been so interesting to play with all these players who have had a completely different perspective of baseball than me. If you want to play college baseball, you can, but it's important to be aware of the other options available to you also in order to continue playing. It's a game and it's supposed to be fun, just something to keep in mind.

[@manager4409]

You're missing the perk of D1 players getting the hottest girls on campus. But other than that I guess club ball is fine lol

[@robertrobert2584]

As someone who is a D3 level player and turned down D3 offers to go to a better academic school that’s D1 this upcoming year (I’m not close to a D1 player); this is a great comment and I look forward to club ball at U Florida

[@carriewingert3188]

As a mom of a HS senior who is waffling, and discouraged…I appreciate this comment. I think he’s about to switch to simply looking for a D1 school (ie SEC) to go have fun (and learn😂) and forget baseball. I have very limited knowledge of club ball so we’ll start researching….any other tips you can share are welcome! I found this video b/c I have limited knowledge of walking on too!

[@mobogdan4683]

​@@carriewingert3188 I think for a lot of athletes it's scary and discouraging to "give up" and stop trying to compete like that just because of stigma from their friend groups as well as their peers who have been trying to accomplish playing in college for the last 4-6 years. Club baseball gives a really good outlet to make friends and compete at a decent level where you have a lot more freedom playing the game. I'm not sure about the costs wherever he would be going but I think for the club I was in it was $300 a year for club dues which really isn't that bad when you factor in the year-round practice field time and travel costs which are then paid for by the club. It's definitely worth looking into if he wants to keep playing baseball.

[@iplayallday_4383]

Thanks for this video 😊

[@Mitten4371]

Yea I pitched in highschool and I also pitched in little league and in youth baseball and I started playing travel baseball at age 13. I was fortunate to play for coaches that played pro or college and I'm 45 now but my baseball knowledge is rich from learning from them. So at the end of my junior year in highschool and I live in Georgia north of Atlanta but MLB had tryouts at Emory University and so I went to it. They had scouts I think from all over the country but they told us that if they were interested in you that they would give you a call so I got the call. The Florida Marlins which now is the Miami Marlins were interested in me and they wanted to see me pitch again but I don't think that I could. Because I was playing for my highschool and while your playing highschool baseball you couldn't play for anybody else and I think I had a game when they wanted to see me pitch again. Well one time I was playing ball in a fall league in somewhere in Atlanta and there was a scout from the Florida Marlins that was the game. So he wanted me to come see me throw a side session at my highschool and after it was over he said. Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it and so when he said that it made my confidence I think go out of control. So during my senior year in highschool I got cut from my highschool team and it devastated me because I was thinking if I make the team then there would be scouts from everywhere to come and see me play. So after highschool I wanted to play college baseball and I was planning on going to Andrew college which is a junior college close to the Florida border. But it ended up that I didn't go there because I was a special ed student highschool and basically baseball is all I know but at the time they didn't have the resources that I needed. So my dream playing baseball came to an end and I tried to play after highschool but my velocity started to go downhill and I couldn't get anybody out anymore. I never made it to the college level or made it to the major league level but I have played against colleges but what you thought was good enough to make it in highschool might not be good enough to make it to the next level. Because I know in highschool you have to pass to play but in college you have to have a very good grade point average if you want to play at major universities and committed to your studies. When I went to tryouts for MLB I couldn't count on how many was at the tryouts. But if your planning on playing college baseball or even at the next level there is a lot to consider. See I never had a backup plan if baseball didn't work and so always have a backup plan if baseball doesn't work

[@leftysidewinder]

NCAA D1 teams will need to carry 35-40 total players on their overall roster for depth, as there’s always turnover due to players dropping out/failing to meet minimum academic GPA requirements/transferring due to lack of playing time and cost of higher education, and injuries. A 40% scholarship at a private institution is irrelevant if you’re not getting enough playing time or you’re struggling academically. On $80k/year tuition and fees, that’s still $40k-$50k/year that the student athlete will need to pay for college. With average skills, you’ll probably have to do something extremely weird to standout in a walk on tryout. That could mean developing a funky pitching motion, or arm slot (side arm, submarine), or converting to a full-time knuckleballer. If you’re a good athlete, you can consider trying out for another sport if baseball doesn’t pan out.

[@iz630]

Can you make a vid about playing at different altitudes?

[@Jackmerius_Tacktheritrix5733]

I know a guy that walked on at the U and ended up pitching in the NCAA post season.

[@markquinn1216]

Was he a preferred walk on?

[@mariocasarez3896]

Thank you coach.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Anytime, glad you enjoy it!!!!

[@brandonian6940]

What if you never got to play in high school? Are walk ons still possible? Great video and thanks for the info

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Sure you don’t technically need to play in high school to play college ball

[@brandonian6940]

@@AntonelliBaseball oh ok great! Thanks for the response. I appreciate it brother

[@benjaminlyng8269]

Can you discuss the amount of scholarships available across the various tiers of D-1 baseball, and how they are allocated among players. I find this a very misunderstood topic - not just for baseball, but broadly misunderstood among parents who did not play college sports.

[@Jackmerius_Tacktheritrix5733]

Matt, you complete me.

[@SophiaElibaby]

thanks matt

[@franc587]

For you to walk on D1 is highly unlikely But it can happen. You will need to be a super 🌟 and have tremendous abilities. If that's you, we'll, you can try

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Absolutely!

[@jeremy454]

When I played in D3 some of the players who didn’t make the roster were kept around for part of a practice squad. If you do eventually make a D3 roster you Have a good chance to transfer to D1 as a preferred walk on.

[@koifishsports]

Loved the video! I have a question for a video. Minor League teams tend to have funny or goofy names. What is the weirdest minor league baseball team name you have seen/heard of? The team in my area is called the Trash Pandas.

[@americanhistorywithty3337]

What if my High School doesn't have a baseball team (I go to a small private school) and I don't play travel/summer ball because it's too pricey. Would I still have a chance to walk on at a D2 or D3 team having not played organized baseball since 8th grade?

[@blankname6629]

So basically you need a 100 mph fastball or the ability to launch the ball 500 ft right now to walk on

[@royalryanmusic]

Could I still walk on to a smaller school even as a 25 year old? I just really want to play college baseball & I’m in excellent shape.

[@alexwakely9544]

Do mlb managers yell at players when they make errors or mistakes like in high school or college?

[@JackSparrow-xw7ls]

No. But if you make it habit they’ll just sit you down and let the next guy have his shot. And they’re always recruiting your replacement. In my personal experience the overwhelming amount of people who think their coach is yelling becaue of the error, when in reality they’re upset that you didn’t apply the coaching they gave.

[@markquinn1216]

Depends on the manager.

[@alexwakely9544]

@@JackSparrow-xw7ls makes sense. I look back and realize they get more upset with the mental mistakes and not so much the physical ones.

[@louisgonzales9618]

I think its also important to remember that D1 doesn't always translate to powerhouse baseball or translate to players being the best of the best...

[@markquinn1216]

Better odds though.

[@SchroederN8]

I tried to walk on at Purdue in the late 90s. Got to take 4 ground balls from short. Apparently they weren't looking for undersized white kids that year bc I was not asked to take BP. 🤷

[@garyscamehorn1759]

I tried walking on to Purdue as well in the early 2000's. Ain't easy!

[@SchroederN8]

@@garyscamehorn1759 Damn straight! Not that I honestly expected to make it by any means, but that experience was humbling lol.

[@dfboiler]

You were a decade too late… you didn’t want to play for coach Green anyway… did u get the speech “if you think you are making this team as a DH, leave now… we are looking for defense and pitching out of a possible walk-on cause I got 27 scholarship player who can hit”

[@brodypimental187]

how do you get college scouts/coaches to recognize you and try to get recruited

[@JackSparrow-xw7ls]

Play games! Find every opportunity to get on the field. The more you play the better the chances. I got the D1 offer I accepted because I was playing for a travel club full of ballers and I had a game when they were they scouting a different dude.

[@philipramsden4975]

Play on a travel team that plays a lot of showcases

[@ryanm1732]

Also have someone film you playing and upload highlights of yourself on the internet.

[@markquinn1216]

Be good

[@NateDogMXtv]

It is easier to hit a big target than a little one. The school is the big target. The player is a small target. No school is going to come looking for you. Find a school you are interested in playing for based on the education you want and the entry requirements of the school. If the school is what you are looking for then go to them, attend one of their prospect camps.

[@Therealdeal4353]

Any chance you could tell us how it feels to break a bay ?

[@mobogdan4683]

It sucks, it feels like $150 down the drain mixed with the feeling of miss hitting a ball. There is nothing exciting about it at all. On the other hand as a pitcher, it's always extremely fun to break people's bats for the exact same reason.

[@stt5v2002]

I don’t think it is good planning to try to walk on at a D1. If you are playing that that level, you would have much better options via the recruitment process and via casting a wide net. Don’t get set on D1. There many many great D3 and D2 schools too, often with teams what will be a good fit. I walked on at my D3 school (not in baseball), made the team, made the starting lineup by the end of freshman season, competed for four years, and had a great experience both athletically and academically. I would have had approximately zero chance to even make the team at a D1 school. Of course it is also fine to choose your university for the academic / social factors, take your shot as a walk on, and just let baseball fall as it may. Your chances are slim but the last real game comes for everyone whether it be in junior high or the majors.

[@Science-bi8dp]

If you're good enough. You can walk on. But you have to have the grades to back it up to walk on to the school you want You can walk on or maybe not the school of your choice but you can choose a different school. But if you want baseball. Take your first offer you get. You're going for ball and school If you're good enough. You'll make it But it's worth a one day try out

[@WordMadeFlesh777]

What about walk on local mediocre HS?

[@luckysparrow777]

Bruh I don't even care I'm still going to try

[@BucaneerBri]

Mostly easy enough if you have great grades & don’t need an athletic scholarship

[@thanetsinchaothong6604]

I wonder how baseball players would like to be called by fans. Many people call the by their first name. I’m always hesitant to call them by first name because it sounds rude, but some people say they like it. Also, how do they feel when people ask them for a ball? Like it? Frustrated?

[@kauaifishing1365]

Easy if you crush the ball and don’t strike out

[@nicolasbitcoin2549]

I walked on at UNC and struck you out multiple times

[@AntonelliBaseball]

I raked against UNC

[@ObiWanKenobi]

@@AntonelliBaseball lol

[@ogdann3beats]

Can l am play baseball at 24 yeard old?

[@AntonelliBaseball]

For sure!!

[@big0514]

I guess my mentality is if your that good they’ll find you… so yea walking on is really unlikely