By Chris Valentine
Ohio Scouting Director

Previously, PBR Ohio discussed the nuts and bolts of JUCO baseball as well as the state of JUCO baseball in Ohio. In particular, we discussed some of the finer details with Steven Dintaman, the head coach of Sinclair CC in Dayton, Ohio. For the first part of our JUCO series, click here.
 

Where do JUCO players in Ohio come from?

Typically, the JUCO programs in Ohio rely on local talent. It is quite simple: JUCO’s are typically commuter campuses without on-campus housing. So, for a player that may be looking to live at home initially or save money in the initial years of college, the JUCO route becomes a relevant option.

For Sinclair, the composition of the roster has changed over time.

“Three years ago, we had 30 out of 36 players on our fall roster that required housing and over a dozen were from out of state,” Coach Dintaman noted.

But, he followed by saying, “A lot of time and effort was spent recruiting players from out of area and out of state and even with our first class facilities (baseball and academic) and winning tradition, we kept coming up short on big time talent due to the cost of out-of-state tuition.”

After adjustments to their recruiting strategy in 2011, Sinclair decided to focus on local talent, which includes players in Ohio and parts of Indiana that border the state. While Coach Dintaman will still recruit out-of-state, it is clear that there is enough talent in Ohio to fill his programs’ needs.

“This fall, around 33% of our players are from the Dayton and surrounding areas and that’s a good thing. These are some of the most talented players in the Miami Valley and I’m proud of that,” he concluded.

Playing Time at JUCO Program

Pending a player’s situation, the benefits can change. But, it is clear that specific perks include playing time and development.

When it comes to playing time, all you have to do is the math. At a JUCO program, there are only two classes of players, freshmen and sophomores, so there aren’t several classes of players ahead of a freshman competing for playing time.

Now, there will be competition no matter the level of a baseball, but take a look at rosters and statistics. Simply evaluate the number of at bats or innings pitched for younger players on a roster.

Coach Dintaman said, “A walk-on or small money player might get 10 at-bats during his freshman year at Division I program compared to nearly 200 at a junior college.”

Consequently, he said, “Once you have proven you can hit at the collegiate level, your recruiting value increases (after playing at a JUCO).  We see Division I arms every weekend and play some very good programs.”

The Cost of a JUCO Education

When student-athletes and parents begin to look into colleges, they begin to realize that there aren’t an abundance of athletic scholarships available.

Even more, college is expensive, and it isn’t getting cheaper anytime soon.

To help recruits, programs will package athletic aid with academic aid and loans to make the overall cost appear to be inexpensive.

As Coach Dintaman later explains, a loan, which has to be paid back, is the keyword in a financial package.

“Sure it’s only $8,000 a year to attend college XYZ, but that’s with a $10,000 loan per year.  College loans are a part of life for most people but if you can avoid them, it’s a good thing,” he said.

At a JUCO program, the cost is obviously substantially less than most DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA institutions.

For a year’s tuition, students that reside in Ohio pay less than $4,000 a year at Sinclair CC. This doesn’t include an athletic scholarship or financial aid, which is paid by the government based on need.

Because of these factors, Coach Dintaman explained, “A lot of times our student-athletes will attend college here for free. This makes things a lot easier when the next school they attend cost between $30,000 to $40,000.”

Furthermore, he concluded, “Remember this, it’s not where you start in college, it’s where you finish.”

JUCO and the MLB Draft

For many prospects in the southern and western parts of the United States, they choose the JUCO route because of rules related to the MLB draft.

As a JUCO player, one is eligible to be drafted every year. In addition, a player does not have to wait until he is 21 years of age, nor the conclusion of his junior year in college.

In Ohio and the Midwest, this isn’t a common reason for a player to choose a JUCO program, but it has applied to some.

Transferring to a JUCO from a NCAA Institution

Players are able to transfer from a NCAA institution to a JUCO institution without sitting out a year. However, a player must sit out a year when he transfers to a NCAA Division I institution from another NCAA Division institution.

There many reasons for a player to transfer: cost, lack of playing time, redshirted, the school wasn’t a great fit, or academic difficulties.

A player that redshirts his freshman year already sits out his first year and as noted above, if he transfers to a Division I program, he would need to sit out another year before playing.

Transfers tend to be a big part of Sinclair’s program.

“Each year we tend to get 2-3 Division I transfers … Some schools consider transfer to be a bad word but there are many reasons to transfer and we do our research anytime we are contacted by a player,” he explained.

He continued, “With Sinclair’s size and facilities, we tend to mirror that of a major college.  There isn’t a big drop in the quality of the experience, which can’t be said for all JUCO programs.”