I am coming back from a recent calf tear and meniscus tear. I’m a junior in high school and going through a tough decision about college. I have the grades to go to a 4-year University but I’m thinking about going to a Junior College to get a better chance of continuing playing baseball. I was wondering what you think I should do. If you know any college coaches that can contact me I would greatly appreciate it.

Coach Swift answers:
I’m glad to hear that you are coming back from your injuries and looking forward to playing.

I need you to answer a question: Do you want to go to school to play baseball, or play baseball while at school?

If you are going to a school only for the chance to play baseball, then think seriously about Junior College. It has a lot of advantages.

If you have education as your primary goal, then go to the school you want and let baseball take care of itself.

We do have a book, High School Player’s Guide to College Baseball, written specifically for high school baseball players who want to compete on the collegiate level.

This book will give you a lot of tips and guidelines for choosing a school. Just as important, it lists information for every school and includes access to the Online College Directory, which has the contact information for each school’s baseball coach (name, e-mail address and web page link).

The High School Player’s Guide would be something that could go a long way in helping you choose a school that fits your goals.