Getting It Right the First Time - Part 4

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

If you are just checking out the blog, take a look at Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this discussion. Let’s jump right back in and cover the last two criteria players should consider when evaluating the baseball program at colleges on your target list.

• Academic Support & Graduation Rates – Baseball players at the collegiate level play more games and spend more time on the road than any other student athlete. Without a doubt, 56 games a year adds up to a lot of time spent on the road and in hotels and not in the library and the computer labs. If you don’t have the grades, you will end up watching from the stands! When looking at schools you are interested in, it is important to evaluate the structure of academic support the Athletic Department provides for the team. Staffing and resources can make a big difference in the academic career of any baseball player.
  
  
• Conditioning and Athletic Training – Back when I was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Maryland, when my players signed their Letter of Intent the first thing our staff sent them was our strength and conditioning program, which they were to begin immediately. Players need to look into the type and amount of training the baseball program requires of its players, as this can be a major jump from your own regiment. You are playing at a much higher level, and you will need to get bigger, stronger and faster. Training and medical facilities are also an important component to consider, as bruises and injuries are a part of our game. Does the school provide you with the means to get yourself back on the field when the injury bug hits? To evaluate this criterion, players should look at the size of the training staff, and whether or not they work across multiple sports.
  

One out of every 250,000 amateur baseball players eventually makes it to the Major Leagues. For the 249,999 other players, the degree they receive in college will assist them in being successful in life after baseball. Some of the best advice I can give prospective athletes is to set baseball aside for a moment; at the end of the day, your overall happiness is most important. This alone shows how important it is to evaluate a college as a total package. Most college athletes will be professionals in something other than sports. Plan and prepare yourself today to be successful tomorrow.

Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.