Dr. Christopher Parker has led the National Junior College Athletic Association since 2017. Before that he was a junior college coach, athletic director, dean, and vice president. On Episode 42 of the Baseball Forward Podcast he made the case for junior college baseball to families who still think of it as a fallback. Here are the takeaways.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube
Is junior college a fallback for players who can't handle school?
Parker hears this assumption from parents all the time, and he answers with numbers:
- Junior college programs are running midweek starters who throw 95.
- More than 7,000 NJCAA student-athletes a year carry a 3.5 GPA or better.
A two-year school is a different experience from a four-year university, he says, but it is a fully viable option for a player who wants to save money, get on the field, and make an impact.
Why do four-year coaches recruit junior college players?
Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello once joked that four-year colleges are "nothing but two-year colleges anymore." Parker's explanation is about the kind of player junior college produces. These players have lived with the lower end of travel, uniforms, and facilities. When a batting glove rips, they do not go looking for someone to hand them a new one. They want to play.
"They're not walking in and saying what can you do for me. They're walking in saying what can I do for you."
He also cites research from the COVID season finding that roughly 85% of the three, four, and five hitters in the SEC that year were NJCAA alumni.
Why do players choose junior college?
Parker described the most common reasons:
- Draft eligibility. A junior college player can be draft eligible after his freshman year.
- Time to mature physically. Some players need another year or two to fill out.
- Playing time math. Some would rather be a weekend starter right away than the fifth starter throwing once a week on a Wednesday.
- Cost. Two years at a junior college is often far less expensive.
If one of those describes your son, junior college may be a first choice, not a backup plan. Coaches like NOC-Tonkawa's Jonathan Monk and Blinn's Dusty Hart explain how their programs move players on to four-year schools.
What do two years at a junior college build?
Parker told one group of junior college players what he believes those years are worth. Not every teammate becomes a lifelong friend, but the ones in the trenches with you become the people who show up for your biggest moments. And the grind changes how a player sees everything that comes next. When he gets to an SEC school and finds all the extras waiting, he appreciates them.
Parker's own story fits. He was cut from the JV team as a ninth grader and again as a tenth grader, started as a junior and senior, played Division III, walked on at Virginia Tech, and built a career from there. Junior college alumni he named in a keynote include Kirby Puckett, Albert Pujols, Mike Piazza, Jim Thome, Roger Clemens, and Bryce Harper.
Where does junior college fit if eligibility rules keep changing?
At the time of this February 2025 conversation, eligibility questions were unresolved, including whether the NCAA would move to a five-years-in-five model. Some of those rules have changed since. Read our guide to the NCAA 5-for-5 rule for the most recent recruiting impact.
What Parker was sure of is the role junior college plays no matter how the rules shift:
"We are the ecosystem in college athletics that supports and withstands all."
Players can move from the NJCAA to Division I, Division II, Division III, the NAIA, the pros, or the workforce, and can come back to a junior college if they need to.
Parker's advice for young players
- Two ears, one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk. There are seasoned people around you worth learning from.
- Stay humble, even when someone calls you the best player they have seen.
- Sort the advice. Some of what you hear will be bad. Learning what to keep is part of the job.
- Find a mentor who cheers for you and is not afraid to tell you when you are wrong.
Keep researching
- Browse junior college programs in the school directory.
- Map out your timeline with our complete college baseball recruiting guide and the Game Plan.
- Ready to contact junior college and four-year coaches directly? Become a Prospect List Member.