Best high school for teenage boy interested in baseball and baseketbakk (Eagan: top, drive)

[cdubs3201]

Originally Posted by A Delaney

Not tied to a job, but do have family in Eagan. The program wouldn't have to be the best but strong. Baseball is his better sport.

I'm a product of the Eagan High School varsity baseball system....it's very competitive. If he's 14 he's a freshmen and he will have to compete with roughtly 50-100 other boys to make 1 of 2 teams (freshman A and freshman B). Sophomore year he has one team he can make, then JV and Varsity.

However, despite the school only being around since the 90's, there's been a decent number of players to have been drafted out of high school there. I personally saw 5 players drafted in my 4 years in the program.

I was a good player, but I was lucky to make varsity, and sat half of my senior year until I got a chance midseason and kept my starting spot the rest of the year. Your son, unless he's a stud at the sport, will be forced to play a position that they feel is his best fit, and then his movement up the chain in the program will be dependent on the talent of all other players within the program from senior to freshman. Basically, there were a number of fellow players I played with for 10 years who saw zero time on varsity because of the one position they had been forced to play, there was a freshman who was more talented and projected to have a better future who got playing time over him. If your son plays multiple positions, try to find out his best position and work with him on that position only.

Lake Conference is also the toughest baseball conference in Minnesota. He'll be playing against 9 or 10 other very large and very tough schools with good programs and players.

If I had a choice, I'd rather have went to a smaller High School where I'd get 100% playing time. Baseball is a sport where playing time is more essential to development as a player rather than the competition you face (hence why the MLB has 3 levels of minor leagues and takes typically a few years to reach the major league level).

Good luck!

[cdubs3201]

Another example/reason why I'd rather play at a smaller school: I played freshman football, and there were two teams, A and B.

I was small then, so I played on the B team....football doesn't cut anyone. I only got to play defense and I had to rotate one position with 2 other guys. that's essentially 1/6th of a game I got to play every week and that was a similar case for many others on the team.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by cdubs3201

I'm a product of the Eagan High School varsity baseball system....it's very competitive. If he's 14 he's a freshmen and he will have to compete with roughtly 50-100 other boys to make 1 of 2 teams (freshman A and freshman B). Sophomore year he has one team he can make, then JV and Varsity.

However, despite the school only being around since the 90's, there's been a decent number of players to have been drafted out of high school there. I personally saw 5 players drafted in my 4 years in the program.

I was a good player, but I was lucky to make varsity, and sat half of my senior year until I got a chance midseason and kept my starting spot the rest of the year. Your son, unless he's a stud at the sport, will be forced to play a position that they feel is his best fit, and then his movement up the chain in the program will be dependent on the talent of all other players within the program from senior to freshman. Basically, there were a number of fellow players I played with for 10 years who saw zero time on varsity because of the one position they had been forced to play, there was a freshman who was more talented and projected to have a better future who got playing time over him. If your son plays multiple positions, try to find out his best position and work with him on that position only.

Lake Conference is also the toughest baseball conference in Minnesota. He'll be playing against 9 or 10 other very large and very tough schools with good programs and players.

If I had a choice, I'd rather have went to a smaller High School where I'd get 100% playing time. Baseball is a sport where playing time is more essential to development as a player rather than the competition you face (hence why the MLB has 3 levels of minor leagues and takes typically a few years to reach the major league level).

Good luck!

The "Lake Conference" has changed as of this year-just so there isn't any confusion for the OP. Most of what was the Lake Conference is now the South Suburban Conference. Eden Prairie, Chaska and Chanhassen are in other conferences and we picked up Prior Lake. The new South Suburban Conference is one of the most competitive conferences for ANY sport really.

[A Delaney]

What's considered a small school? My son's school now has 600+ kids in each grade. He's made the rising ninth grade basketball and baseball spring teams so is used to tryouts ect.

[knke0204]

Small School: 1-200 kids per grade
Semi-Small: 200-300 kids per grade
Medium Sized: 300-500 kids per grade
Semi-Large: 500-700 kids per grade
Large: 700 +

Of course, a more accurate measure would be total enrollment 9-12

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by A Delaney

What's considered a small school? My son's school now has 600+ kids in each grade. He's made the rising ninth grade basketball and baseball spring teams so is used to tryouts ect.

600+ would put his school in the top 10 or so schools for size in MN.

Here is the info from the Pioneer Press talking about adding another class to Football next year-these are the biggest schools in MN. Really though, from this list, any schools besides Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka will have options for him--mainly because the other schools are just small enough that the participants spread out through all the various sports through each season. Some of the schools, like Champlin Park, surprise me. I thought that school was smaller than that. Rosemount comes in as 18th but I still consider us a "small" school for the metro area. These are 9-12 enrollments so divide by 4 for "average" class size.

1. Wayzata 3,060 2. Eden Prairie 3,007 3. Minnetonka 2,750 4. Stillwater 2,670 5. Champlin Park 2,571 6. Blaine 2,551 7. Burnsville 2,530 8. Anoka 2,521 9. Edina 2,436 10. White Bear Lake 2,257 11. Prior Lake 2,154 12. Eagan 2,147 13. Maple Grove 2,142 14. Coon Rapids 2,120 15. Hopkins 2,070 16. Eastview 2,056 17. Centennial 2,017 18. Rosemount 2,013 19. Osseo 1,996 20. Forest Lake 1,952 21. Roseville 1,840 22. Elk River 1,792 23. Robbinsdale Armstrong 1,789 24. Lakeville South 1,774 25. Minneapolis South 1,744 26. Shakopee 1,736 27. Woodbury 1,715 28. Lakeville North 1,711 29. Brainerd 1,685 30. Mounds View 1,671 — North St. Paul 1,671 32. Park 1,656

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by A Delaney

What's considered a small school? My son's school now has 600+ kids in each grade. He's made the rising ninth grade basketball and baseball spring teams so is used to tryouts ect.

That's a large school in MN. He'll do fine if he's making the team at schools with 600/class

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Here is the info from the Pioneer Press talking about adding another class to Football next year-these are the biggest schools in MN.

What? Seriously

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by golfgal

600+ would put his school in the top 10 or so schools for size in MN.

Here is the info from the Pioneer Press talking about adding another class to Football next year-these are the biggest schools in MN. Really though, from this list, any schools besides Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka will have options for him--mainly because the other schools are just small enough that the participants spread out through all the various sports through each season. Some of the schools, like Champlin Park, surprise me. I thought that school was smaller than that. Rosemount comes in as 18th but I still consider us a "small" school for the metro area. These are 9-12 enrollments so divide by 4 for "average" class size.

1. Wayzata 3,060 2. Eden Prairie 3,007 3. Minnetonka 2,750 4. Stillwater 2,670 5. Champlin Park 2,571 6. Blaine 2,551 7. Burnsville 2,530 8. Anoka 2,521 9. Edina 2,436 10. White Bear Lake 2,257 11. Prior Lake 2,154 12. Eagan 2,147 13. Maple Grove 2,142 14. Coon Rapids 2,120 15. Hopkins 2,070 16. Eastview 2,056 17. Centennial 2,017 18. Rosemount 2,013 19. Osseo 1,996 20. Forest Lake 1,952 21. Roseville 1,840 22. Elk River 1,792 23. Robbinsdale Armstrong 1,789 24. Lakeville South 1,774 25. Minneapolis South 1,744 26. Shakopee 1,736 27. Woodbury 1,715 28. Lakeville North 1,711 29. Brainerd 1,685 30. Mounds View 1,671 — North St. Paul 1,671 32. Park 1,656

Hopkins High School is only 10-12. I'm sure that's true for others.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Hopkins High School is only 10-12. I'm sure that's true for others.

Most of the high schools are 9-12. This is the 9-12 enrollment--according to the State High School League website Hopkins is at 2190 9-12. Even if they only have 10-12 at the actual high school the State High School league still tracks school size by 9-12th grades.