Understanding Baseball Scholarships

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Undoubtedly, financial aid is one of the most confusing pieces of the college search process. Balancing college visits, letter writing, and applications can be a difficult task on its own, but trying to add the scholarship component without a full understanding of the process can be downright frustrating. There is no cookie-cutter system with differences among divisions, conferences and individual schools. I’d like to take this entry to address some common misconceptions and give you a coach’s perspective on the distribution of athletic scholarships.

Unlike football and basketball, which are allotted 85 and 12 full scholarships, respectively, Division I baseball only has a maximum of 11.7 scholarships at a time for the entire team. Rather than giving each player a “full ride,” baseball coaches are given the responsibility of dividing the total scholarships among their players, deciding how much and to whom. This makes baseball an “equivalency sport.” Given a roster cap of 35 players, a maximum of 27 players can be on scholarship, with the minimum athletic scholarship level at 25%. Typically, positions in the middle of the field get the most attention first: pitchers, catchers, middle infielders and center fielders with speed. These positions comprise 65-80% of a program’s scholarship budget.

One glaring misconception I need to point out is that not all Division I programs have the full 11.7 scholarships. In reality, only half are considered to be fully funded. This makes the concept of a full ride to play college baseball everything but a myth: baseball has the second-lowest average scholarship award at $5,806, leading only men’s riflery! Furthermore, there is no such thing as a guaranteed four-year scholarship. Coaches will evaluate the player’s performance on the field and in the classroom, along with their scholarship on an annual basis. In most cases, the scholarships will only go up, but I have seen and heard of player’s scholarships being reduced and/or taken away completely.

Parents, you need to be prepared to significantly fund your son’s college education. All coaches understand the financial burden families face to send their children to college. However, you cannot get caught up in the value of a scholarship--it is not a translation of your son's worth, nor does it dictate playing time! All coaches have the task of putting together the best team possible, many with limited funding, and have to address both priorities and depth. To put this in another perspective, a 30% or more athletic scholarship is considered a major commitment on behalf of the institution.

A while ago, I wrote a blog entry about how I put together teams at the University of Maryland and what I looked for in prospective players. In addition to the “Three Aces” that I mentioned, there is one critical “4th Ace” that I left out: affordability. In addition to finding ACC-caliber players that had the grades to be admitted to the University of Maryland, I also had to recruit players that had the financial means to attend! Not only was it extremely challenging to find players that matched all three criteria, but I considered myself fortunate to get two of three.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of other options out there for financial aid, including FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), academic scholarships, and grants. The key to securing these different packages is to be proactive and do your research. You’ll never know until you’ve applied, and you can’t afford to wait around!

As a wrap-up, here is the breakdown of each division’s scholarship allotment:

NCAA Division I: 11.7
NCAA Division II: 9.0
Junior College: DI and DII: 24 DIII: 0
NCAA Division III: 0
NAIA: 12


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. 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.

10 College Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid, Part 3

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

As I’ve written in my last two entries, there are plenty of ways for players to limit their college options. I’d like to close out this discussion with four final points:

#7) Not Understanding the Scholarship Process

The first thing to understand is that there are not many college baseball scholarships to go around. For example, a fully funded Division I program has 11.7 scholarships to award players on their team. This doesn’t mean 11.7 scholarships for the incoming recruits, but rather 11.7 scholarships to spread out between a maximum of 27 players on the team, from freshman to seniors. Most schools are not fully funded, so most programs will have less than the maximum amount of scholarships.

Because of these limitations, coaches have to be very efficient with their scholarships. They will spread out scholarships to players in their program such that, for example, one recruit is given a 33% scholarship and another player is given a 67% scholarship. Therefore, don’t expect to receive a scholarship, because they are rare. And if you are offered a scholarship, don’t expect it to be a “full” scholarship!

If you do receive a scholarship, keep in mind the scholarships are year-to-year. They are reviewed annually by the coaching staff and can be adjusted. You may be given a 33% scholarship your freshman year and a 40% scholarship your sophomore year. However, coaches can also reduce a scholarship or remove it completely.

#8) Relying on Your High School or Summer Coach to Find You a College

While there are numerous high school and summer coaches across the country that go the extra mile to help their players compete at the college level, it is important that you do not rely entirely on this source. It is rare that a high school or summer coach can pick up the phone and have direct contact with college programs across the country. In addition, keep in mind that a high school coach’s main job is likely as a full time teacher, and most all summer coaches have a full time job. While they may have good intentions, your college search may not be high on their priority list.

It is important that you take advantage of all of your resources. Use your high school or college coach as a reference throughout the process, but it is best to leave the true college search to the professionals. Also, make sure that you take the initiative throughout the process.

#9) Visiting Colleges That Aren’t a Realistic Athletic and/or Academic Fit

Lots of money and time can be wasted traveling around the country to look at the wrong schools. You need to be honest with yourself from both an academic and athletic standpoint. Concentrate your time, energy and money visiting schools that are academically and athletically realistic based on your ability. Do research to find out more information on each college’s academic requirements, and the level of competition on the baseball team. If you need help finding out schools that would be a good college fit, contact a Player Development Coordinator at Baseball Factory after your tryout is completed and our scouts have evaluated your skills.

#10) Letting Your Parents Do the Talking When a College Coach Asks you’re a Question

College coaches are recruiting YOU, not your parents. Thus, it is important that you are the one communicating with them throughout the college recruiting process. When you meet with coaches, you should be asking and answering questions. It is OK for your parents to participate in the discussion, but you should be taking the lead. It is important that YOU pick up the phone and call coaches- they want to hear from players and professionals in the baseball industry, NOT parents.

So, what to take away from all of this? Players that learn to take the initiative and keep an open mind in the college recruiting process will find themselves with better options, regardless of academic or athletic ability. There are many different ways for you to take your recruitment into your own hands on the field, in the classroom and in front of your computer. Be careful to avoid these common recruiting mistakes, and you will be able to find that perfect fit athletically, academically and socially!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. 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.