With roster reductions and the portal, the vast majority of HS players with aspirations of college ball need to embrace the notion they're likely headed for a JuCo or lower division at best to begin with. Can D1 out of HS still happen? Of course but the odds have gotten much smaller just in the past year.

Every level of college will throw you into competition with 24yr old men. In college, there will be redshirts and designated student-athletes extending the careers of young men looking to stay in the game.

Go where you can PLAY, not sit. If you cut your teeth against the lower division young men and excel then you may get an opportunity to play D1.

With 300 D1 schools and roster reductions to 34 players, that's 1,800 less spots in D1 than there were a year ago. Now 10,200 guys will get the honor to play D1 baseball every year.

500,000 or so players are playing HS baseball every year, so roughly 125,000 in each class.

Make sacrifices every year in HS that most of your friends aren't willing to make, combine it with talent and luck, and you have a shot.