With the fall signing period passed, many of the remaining unsigned seniors are still trying to decide their future college destination. With most Division I programs having their recruiting classes set for the Class of 2013, players are focused on marketing their attention to Division II, III, NAIA, and JUCO programs. At the same time, prospects in the Class of 2014 are at the beginning of the recruiting cycle and identifying potential colleges of interest.

Brian McGee is in his sixth as the head baseball coach at Lake Erie College. He oversaw the program's transition from the Division III level to the Division II level. Prior to coaching at Lake Erie College, he had coaching stops at Greensboro College (NC) and the University of Toledo. He played four years at Tiffin after graduating from Toledo St. Francis DeSales. 

Recently, he sat down with PBR Ohio Scouting Director Chris Valentine to talk about his program, the recruiting process at the Division II level, and the difference in the level of play between Division I and Division II programs. Earlier, PBR Ohio broke down Lake Erie's 2013 recruiting class. 
 

PBR: As a Division II program, what is your approach to recruiting? What type of player are you looking for?

Coach McGee: My approach to recruiting is simple….you have to outwork the competition and be a road warrior.  I can honestly say that I work my tail off recruiting.  I am everywhere in the summers.  You have to get out there several times and see the talent, as well as be seen yourself.  We try to go after the best, and get there before anyone else.  I refuse to compromise the chance to recruit the best players around just because we are not a Division I program.  First of all, I truly believe that it is an honor to be in our program.  This is a privileged place to play and anyone getting that chance should be excited.  Secondly, we understand and realize that the Division I programs have the advantage tag but we don’t let that defeat us.  If we are recruiting a player who is also making visits to Division I schools, we don’t stop at that and say, “Well, we aren’t going to get that kid." Instead we get more creative with the selling of our program because we know we have a good thing to offer too. I know as a coaching staff we have the ability, the knowledge, and the work ethic to find the top performers who fit into our particular program. 

We also take a great deal of pride in being fair, honest, and upfront with our recruits and their families. 

As for the type of player I am looking for, it is the same player everyone else wants, the best ones…..but to us, the best ones come with character and emotion. 

PBR: Obviously, many kids have the desire to play at the Division I level. How do you help them understand the advantages of playing DII baseball at Lake Erie?

Coach McGee: We just make sure they are educated on the fact we play at 90 foot bases too. It gives them the idea it’s still baseball and once you are out there on the field you won’t care as long as you are having fun and getting the chance to contribute to the team.

If you are looking for more of an answer, there are many advantages depending on how you look at it.  The one fact we stress the most would be the opportunity for playing time earlier in your college career. It’s the whole big fish, small pond type thing.  For the guys with draft dreams, I always tell them, “If you want to be drafted, you have to be seen, and to be seen you have to be on the field, and we can give you a better opportunity to be seen over a full four years”. 

You can also say we are the best of both worlds in Division II. We can make mom and dad happy. Mom gets the education she wants for her son, the private school, small class room settings, etc. Meanwhile, Dad gets to see his son compete at the scholarship level and see a high level of baseball play. 

PBR: What is the biggest difference between Division I and Division II programs?

Coach McGee: The financial situation is going to be the biggest difference. The Division I schools just have deeper pockets to work with when it comes to just about anything: facilities, scholarships, staffing, etc. All of these can be at an upgrade from the Division II level due to the larger budgets they generally have to work with. So, that plays a hand into everything……more scholarships equals higher talent/competition level, larger budget equals better facilities, and so on.      

PBR: What is the difference between Lake Erie and the other Division II programs in the state?

Coach McGee: I can not speak about the other programs in the state from a professional standpoint and honestly I don’t know anything about those programs because I am just a guy from the outside looking in.  What I can say however is something about our program.  Of course we practice hard, push our guys in the weight room, schedule good competition, have talented players, and instill structure and discipline in the program, etc…..but those are the typical ingredients for any successful Division II program.  What I do feel separates our program from the others is one single word…..LOVE.  Here at Lake Erie College we play for “someone” instead of “something”.  We preach the importance and power of love within our program.  My guys love deeper, care longer, and play harder than most teams around.