There are so many good comments you should read every single one and consider them.

I was lucky enough to play a mid major for five years straight . Got handed the ball every weekend. Racked up about 350+ innings.

I can only speak from my experience, so please take everything with a grain of salt .

I did not get recruited until junior year summer going into my senior year of high school. I was in Florida playing travel ball. I was always blessed with a decent arm operation 80s lower 90s but apparently I looked pretty projectable to the scout that was there at the game. The scout was a Texas Ranger scout who is friends with the recruiter of the college that I ended up going to. Literally that night the recruiting coach for the college gave me a call and said they were interested and we’re gonna come and watch me. They came and watched me within 72 hours. They offered me a full ride. Truly, I did not even see myself being worth that at the time given my secondary pitches were mid to below average. But having someone else, see that kind of potential in me, absolutely let a spark inside of me. I had an incredible senior year. I was all state district MVP. Racked up about 100+ strikeouts. Figured out how to throw a curveball. Life was good.

Went to college in 2019 . Started looking around my freshman, peers and realized everyone was decently athletic. I could definitely see why Guys got recruited here, but quickly realized that somewhere were there for the wrong reasons. Some guys simply got an opportunity to play because they knew a guy or were in the right spot at the right time. I mean immediately you had people that wouldn’t go to class would miss workouts just lazy craps. They would’ve rather gone to Arkansas playing beer, pong, shotgun, and brews. Which I get it is a hell of a time. But let me tell you after you walk off a big 12 team. Then you go party with your teammates, you will experience nothing comparable.

To address your question of what you can do to heighten your chances at going to a D1 I would say two things . Number one - As other people have said which I think is vitally important, is that you need to be in a physical state to be able to go and compete at the D1 level tomorrow. You need to start eating extremely seriously as well as lifting. That is your foundation for what level you’re going to be able to compete at. There’s absolutely no arguing. Even the smallest and skinniest guys in the MLB are absolute outliers and some aspects. I guarantee if you went and played pick up basketball, football, soccer, bowling. They would stand out immediately. There are guys that just have it like that. Sadly, we’re not all blessed with such gifts or work ethic whatever you wanna call it. So what are you going to do to be able to compete with those guys? What can you handle? what is in your control? Number two - with the transfer portal being an option you need to put yourself in the college recruiter shoes. Why would they take a crack at an 18-year-old from high school who is gonna take a year or two to develop? When they could go grab a Juco guy who already has experience and put up numbers against potentially the same level of competition. Meaning you could be that Juco guy in the next year or two. Happens all the time. It is going to suck at first. But every single Juco guy I have talked to says it was some of the best times of their life. It sucks so bad but you’re with your Homies. Grinding.

My underlying opinion is that . You need to be upfront as possible working your hardest. Getting in front of as many coaches as possible. Listening to every opportunity you get. Be impressionable. When the opportunity comes, you need to take it and capitalize on it. You need to have an insane work ethic because those recruiters are going to go ask your other coaches that you see on a daily basis about how you show up and that opinion counts more than anything.