MyNextPlay's 10th Grade Timeline for college planning and baseball recruiting

The MyNextPlay 10th Grade Timeline is a free tool you can use to help guide you through the college planning and college baseball recruiting processes.

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For each semester and summer during your sophomore year in high school, the MyNextPlay 10th Grade Timeline lays out the things you should be working on and paying attention to during your journey from high school to college – and finding your spot on a college baseball roster.

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In addition to using this MyNextPlay 10th Grade Timeline, you’ll want to create your own copy of the MyNextPlay Tracker – a Google Workspace or Microsoft OneDrive workbook that you can use to track all the information you’ll need as you move through your college planning and college baseball recruiting process. (Note: You can also check-out the complete MyNextPlay Timeline that covers all four years of high school).

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Let’s dive into the MyNextPlay 10th Grade Timeline so you can get started!

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10th Grade Timeline

Reminder: Check-out MyNextPlay's College Baseball Recruiting Guide, and set up your personal version of the MyNextPlay Tracker.

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FALL SEMESTER 10th GRADE

Academic to-dos:

❑ 10th grade is the first year that colleges really evaluate the grades you earn in your “core” courses, so make sure your schedule is set and that you keep developing your study habits as your high school classes get more challenging. You can use the MyNextPlay Tracker to make sure you are taking all courses you need to in order to be eligible to play in college.

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❑ Meet with your high school coach and high school counselor regularly to check in on your academics. If you’re considering high academic colleges make sure you’re on the path to take upper level electives, honors and AP courses your junior and senior year.

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❑ If you need academic support, talk to your counselor or advisor, and your parents about getting the help you need. Consider tutoring resources provided by your school.

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❑ Check in with your high school counselor about potentially taking the PSAT or PreACT at the end of fall semester or in the spring. Taking one of these exams will give you an early read on where you’ll want to focus study preparation for taking the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year.

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ Consider attending a baseball recruiting event that’s easy to get to from where you live. This will be a great experience and will give you an opportunity to receive an assessment and evaluation of your core baseball skills and tools. Talk with your high school coach if you need help picking an event to attend. MyNextPlay might be able to provide financial assistance; apply here.

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❑ Read MyNextPlay’s “What are the athletic requirements to play college baseball?” article to see what skills coaches look for in players at each of the different college levels.

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❑ Meet with your high school coach and your summer coach to discuss where they see you potentially fitting as a college baseball player, and get their feedback on what areas you should focus on as part of your training and development.

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❑ Develop and commit to your training program to improve your strength, speed, agility, and quickness (SSAQ), as well as your hitting, fielding, and arm strength. Your high school coach will be able to help you develop a plan.

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College planning and baseball recruiting process to-dos:

❑ This fall is a good time to begin researching and learning about different colleges where you might be interested in attending and potentially playing baseball. Schedule time with your high school coach to walk through the types of schools that are the best options for you both academically and athletically.

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❑ Check out MyNextPlay's College Baseball Recruiting Guide, and use the MyNextPlay Tracker to start developing an initial list of colleges where you may be interested in attending and playing college baseball.

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SPRING SEMESTER 10th GRADE

Academic to-dos:

❑ Keep up the hard work in the classroom. Stay on top of your time management now that you’ll be busy every day with baseball practice and games.

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❑ Check in with your high school counselor about potentially taking the PSAT or PreACT if you didn’t take it in the fall. Taking one of these exams will give you an early read on where you’ll want to focus study preparation for taking the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year.

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❑ Meet with your high school coach and high school counselor regularly to check in on your academics. If you're targeting high academic colleges, make sure you’re on the path to take upper level electives, honors and AP courses your junior and senior year.

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❑ If you need academic support, talk to your counselor or advisor, and your parents about getting the help you need. Consider tutoring resources provided by your school.

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ Focus on baseball season! Stay healthy both physically and mentally through the grind. As a 10th grader you may be getting your first experience on varsity, and either way, the season is tough, especially as you get into late April and May.

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❑ Meet with your high school coach at season’s end to discuss where they see you potentially fitting as a college baseball player, and to get their feedback on what areas you should focus on as part of your training and development.

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❑ Work with your high school coach and your parents to find a good summer baseball team to play on during the coming summer. Whether you play travel ball or not, try to get on a team that plays in a few tournaments where you’ll have the opportunity to face tougher competition and get some early exposure to college coaches who attend some of these tournaments.

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❑ Develop and commit to your training program to improve your strength, speed, agility, and quickness (SSAQ), as well as your hitting, fielding, and arm strength. Your high school coach will be able to help you develop a plan.

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College planning and baseball recruiting process to-dos:

❑ Consider attending a recruiting assessment event or a recruiting showcase camp event during the coming summer if you can fit them into your playing schedule. Attending one or two of these events will provide additional experience and exposure for you in front of college coaches, and will give you an update on where your baseball skills stack up.

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❑ Keep refining your college target list in the MyNextPlay Tracker.

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❑ Follow up by email with any college coaches you meet at your summer baseball tournaments or at recruiting events that you attend.

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SUMMER BEFORE 11th GRADE

Academic to-dos:

❑ Review your 11th grade fall semester schedule and make sure it aligns with the academic requirements for being a student-athlete. If you need to make any changes to your class schedule, reach out to your high school counselor to find out how to make these updates.

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ Have fun playing on your summer team, and enjoy the experience if you go to any recruiting showcase assessments or recruiting showcase camps. Be sure to update your MyNextPlay Tracker with any of the assessment and evaluation information that you get from attending a recruiting showcase event.

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College planning and baseball recruiting process to-dos:

❑ Before the end of summer, spend some time evaluating your target list of colleges, and take a look ahead to the 11th Grade fall semester for the list of items you’ll want to be pulling together soon.