There are many current and former student athletes that were left undrafted and unsigned during the 2020 MLB Draft. It looks as if this may be the new normal for many young players with dreams of playing in the Big Leagues.
For those that don’t know, Junior College is often times referred to as JUCO and there are many schools that provide student athletes the opportunity to continue their playing career after high school. It provides student athletes a chance to not only continue their career, but also to get an education that they can use in their future for whatever path they choose. There are many advocates for students to go play at JUCO and have a chance to go play for a top performing University or even a chance to play pro baseball for a shot at the Major Leagues.
There are many accounts, coaches, and players that advocate the “JUCO Route” which is something that one coach capitalized on, even beyond the diamond.
High school baseball coach Bob Hlavac created a website and social media account dedicated to student athletes that were deciding to go to Junior College. When asked about how the idea came to be, he stated “When my son was coming up through high school, I would work with him and his buddies on hitting a lot. They kept saying they were going the “JUCO Route” and then I heard it on the radio a couple times, so ultimately I decided let’s put this thing on a shirt.”
This led Hlavac to promoting student athletes that were committing to Junior college to further their development and education. It also led to showcases and helping student athletes not only in the United States, but international athletes are also recruited in the hopes of building their future in the sport.
“I think expenses, playing time, and opportunities to get down the road to potentially fulfill a dream of playing division 1 baseball.” These are what Hlavac believes are the determining factors that lead young athletes down the “JucoRoute”. And there shouldn’t be any shame in going the junior college route for these players as Hlavac mentions the competition level at some of these schools. “I think it’s going to be incredibly competitive, this year with the condensed draft you’re going to a lot more talent in Junior college baseball coming into 2021.”
You can check out the full #JucoRoute website here: https://jucoroute.com/
Brian Sakowski is another coach and scout who also believes in the development at the JUCO level. Sakowski strongly feels that student athletes that don’t have other options, should see JUCO as another shot. “There’s quite a few JUCO’s who have as much talent if not more than a lot of good college teams. Look at the JUCO’s who have their coaches hired away by major league teams.”
It’s not just individual coaches that Sakowski highly regards, it’s also the process associated with that level of play. He mentions that JUCO’s are often times at the forefront in technology as he states “We saw a lot of people using DriveLine at Junior college before it got super popular. The player development game at a Junior college is really high level because that’s what its about.”
From a player’s perspective, LSU Baseball commit Jason Bollman also supports the decision to go JUCO like he did. When he explained how he went to go play at Junior college, he said that it was his only option, but it definitely helped him grow. “I’ve heard great things about it, I’ve heard so many pro guys and former college players talk about how its such a launching pad into development. I just knew that with a strong mindset, sticking to it would work out.” His hard work at the Junior college level earned him a place at LSU as a pitcher and he definitely has the coaches and staff to thank for that as he was extremely grateful for the opportunity the school gave him.
He understands that there might be a certain stigma that high school baseball players put in their heads about playing at the JUCO level. Instead, Bollman was able to see JUCO as a opportunity, and as he mentioned before, a launching pad for his career. This opportunity came to fruition as Bollman now finds himself with a spot in LSU’s highly touted program. “I want to be that Friday night guy, I want to be an SEC pitcher of the year type guy and go get drafted.”
All of these stories help blend an incredible history with JUCO Baseball and with this year’s draft being cut and the future of the draft in jeopardy, student athletes need to see JUCO as a gateway to their careers. There should be no shame, guilt, or anything that student athletes may develop in their minds negatively affecting their decision to not play at JUCO level. It helps them grow and develop as people, students, and athletes. It also helps them financially, which is just one of the many factors that come into play for players and their families, and the competition is clearly there.