If you have a son who wants to play college baseball, the Arizona Fall Classic in Peoria is a great event to attend!
I went with my twin boys, Tommy and Philip, who are high school seniors this year.
Tommy is a left handed pitcher that bats right handed. 
Philip is a right handed middle infielder that bats left handed - yes, mirror images of each other!
We stayed at the La Quinta Hotel, which I recommend because it is within easy walking distance of the Peoria Sports Complex. As a matter of fact, we did not even rent a car because we didn't need one. The boys were perfectly happy because there is every type of food venue right here - In n Out, Red Robin, Chick Fil A, Circle K, etc. The cab ride form the airport was $75, so I saved a few bucks vs. renting a car (I got started late, so the rental car prices were pretty expensive. If you start early, it may be cheaper to rent a car than to take a cab).
This event is a showcase attended by hundreds of college coaches and pro scouts. You can easily tell who they are. Most are wearing shirts and hats with their school or team logos. They are usually located behind the plate. Many are measuring the velocity of the pitcher's fastball with their "gun".
There were 63 teams competing here from throughout the United States and Canada. Each team plays four or five games. Each game is 2.5 hours long. There are no scores kept! This event is strictly about showcasing the talents of the boys in front of the coaches and scouts.
The games are played on the spring practice facilities of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. The fields are in very good shape. You have to be alert at all times - with games going on next to each other there are always yells of "heads up" for foul balls coming from other fields!
The level of play is excellent! While waiting for my boys game to start, I saw a player hit one out with a wood bat, and another player throwing 90 plus on another field.
We were real lucky this week. The weather has been mostly in the 80s with a slight breeze. It has been great baseball weather - warm but not overbearingly hot!
How does your son get on a team, you may ask. Well, there are at least a couple of ways that I know of. First, he may play on a summer team that qualifies to play by winning something, such as a tournament.
If that is not the case for your son, they need to be pro-active. Tommy and Philip contacted coaches stating they would like to play. They were accepted by Team Mizuno out of Arizona. Baseball is a sport that is played pretty much the same everywhere, so it has been easy for them to fit in with a group of kids they have never met.
It is a good idea to find out how many boys are on the team. There are only so many innings in a game. Smaller rosters mean more playing time, and vice versa.
As the games are played I am hoping the boys play well. However, playing well may mean something different to the college coaches and scouts. I think about playing well as going three for three, or not giving up any runs. The coaches and scouts may not be looking at that, from what I have been told.
They may be looking at the way a boy swings the bat. Or the mechanics of how a pitcher throws a pitch. That's the antagonizing part for me as a dad - I just don't know. The best I can do is help my boys be in the right place at the right time, and let the chips fall as they may.
If you have boys that want to play at a higher level, I highly recommend the Arizona Fall Classic!
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