Adam Smith On College Recruitment

From the end of our sophomore years, we are inundated with information about college. “What do you want out of a school? Are your grades good enough? In state or out of state?” are just a few of the seemingly unanswerable questions being thrown at 15 and 16 year old kids. College seems to have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, from our jobs, to the necessity of volunteering, to our extracurriculars. I sat down with Adam Smith, class of 2020, to ask him about how playing baseball is impacted by his impending college decisions.

Adam has been playing baseball for almost 13 years, and he doesn’t intend to quit any time soon. In 7th grade, he realized that his dreams of going pro probably weren’t realistic but that he could play during college.

At his first game this summer, Adam noticed college scouts sitting in the stands for the first time; he was overcome by nervousness, but the thought that such prestigious colleges would come to watch his team also gave him a boost of confidence. These scouts hailed from the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State, and Duke. Although they came to the game because of Adam’s teammate, any time there is a scout in the stands, there is potential for any of the team members to get recognized.

When I asked Adam how his college application process was impacted by playing a sport, he said, “If you can only reach halfway to a college, baseball will get you the other half. … I have a buddy with a 3.2 [GPA] going to Georgia Tech.” Colleges that have well-developed sports teams or up-and-coming teams will accept varsity athletes with lower GPAs than applicants who don’t play a sport. Students who spend all of their time out of school playing a sport and may not have enough time to study or do all their work now have a better chance at being accepted to a prestigious school.

For his summer team, there is no grade or GPA requirement to continue to play on the team. Galloway has a loose GPA requirement. Adam says that while a high GPA isn’t required to continue playing on his teams, an impressive GPA is “obviously helpful.” Over a dozen schools have reached out to Adam to invite him to their campuses, including William and Mary, the University of Miami, and Presbyterian College.

None of these schools fit Adam’s ideal college: a southern state school like the University of Georgia, Auburn University, or the University of Alabama. He’s looking to continue playing at an SEC or ACC school.

By Caroline Parrish