Measured numbers matter a lot. A radar gun is the first filter.

1. Velocity first: a pitcher's fastball, a position player's exit velocity and throwing velocity, measured at a showcase or by a neutral source.
2. A 60 yard time that fits the position, under about 7.0 seconds for most college middle infielders and outfielders.
3. Exposure at showcases and travel tournaments where coaches see verified numbers.
4. Grades that clear the NCAA core course rules. Academics widen D3 and NAIA options, where athletic aid is limited or absent.

ProvenPlayer's summary of the sources on this page.

At each level

• Division I

  Roster up to 34 at schools that opted in; 11.7 equivalency scholarships at schools that did not

  • Exit velocity, hitters: 93 to 97 mph (D1 Power 4, recruiting services)
  • Fastball, pitchers: 84 to 95 mph (D1, recruiting services)
  • Infield velocity, SS and 3B: 85 to 95 mph (D1, recruiting services)
  • Outfield velocity, outfield: 87 to 95 mph (D1, recruiting services)
  • Catcher velocity, catchers: 78 mph or more (D1 Power 4, recruiting services)
  • Pop time, catchers: 1.95 s or less (D1, recruiting services)
  • 60 yard, middle infield: 6.5 to 6.8 s (D1, recruiting services)

• Division II

  Up to 9 scholarships a team, often split

  • Exit velocity, hitters: 88 to 92 mph (D2, recruiting services)
  • Fastball, pitchers: 82 to 90 mph (D2, recruiting services)
  • Infield velocity, SS and 3B: 80 mph or more (D2, recruiting services)
  • Outfield velocity, outfield: 80 mph or more (D2, recruiting services)
  • Catcher velocity, catchers: 72 mph or more (D2, recruiting services)
  • Pop time, catchers: 2 s or less (D2, recruiting services)
  • 60 yard, middle infield and CF: 6.9 s or less (D2, recruiting services)

• Division III

  No athletic aid

  • Exit velocity, hitters: 85 to 90 mph (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Fastball, pitchers: 77 to 82 mph (D3, recruiting services)
  • Infield velocity, SS: 78 mph or more (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Outfield velocity, outfield: 80 mph or more (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Catcher velocity, catchers: 70 mph or more (D3 and JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Pop time, catchers: 2 to 2.1 s (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • 60 yard, middle infield: 7 s or less (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)

• NAIA

  Up to 12 scholarships a team, may be split

  • Exit velocity, hitters: 85 to 90 mph (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Fastball, pitchers: 77 to 82 mph (NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Infield velocity, SS: 78 mph or more (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Outfield velocity, outfield: 80 mph or more (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • Pop time, catchers: 2 to 2.1 s (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)
  • 60 yard, middle infield: 7 s or less (D3 and NAIA, recruiting services)

• Junior college

  Up to 30 a team

  • Exit velocity, hitters: 85 to 92 mph (JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Fastball, pitchers: 80 mph or more (JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Infield velocity, middle infield: 78 mph or more (D3 and JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Outfield velocity, outfield: 78 mph or more (JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Catcher velocity, catchers: 70 mph or more (D3 and JUCO, recruiting services)
  • Pop time, catchers: 2.1 s or less (JUCO, recruiting services)
  • 60 yard, middle infield: 7.1 s or less (JUCO, recruiting services)

Each range is the first one a source gives for that level; the full table with every source is below.

No governing body (the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA) publishes a number by division that a player must reach. A range is guidance, and no number promises a roster spot or a scholarship.

Since July 1, 2025, Division I schools in the five defendant conferences or that opted in to the House settlement follow a roster limit instead of a scholarship limit, and may fund any or all of the roster. Schools that did not opt in keep the old scholarship limit. Division III gives no athletic aid.

• Official: NCAA Proposal 2026-73, Bylaw 17.2 roster limits (Adopted August 25, 2026)
• Published data: ScholarshipStats, NCAA Division I scholarship limits (Page dated 2026)
• Official: NCAA Division II athletics scholarships (Page dated 2026)
• Official: NAIA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, aid limits table (March 2019)
• Official: NJCAA 2026-27 Sports Procedures Chart (October 27, 2026)
• Official: NAIA financial aid (Page dated 2026)

High school counts leave out club only athletes, so the real odds may be lower. No official odds exist for the NAIA or junior colleges.

Other levels

• Division II: Calls, texts and email at any time (since August 1, 2024). In person contact off campus and official visits from June 15 before junior year. Official: NCAA Division II Manual 2026-27 (Printed October 30, 2026)
• Division III: No time limit on recruiting materials. In person contact off campus after sophomore year. One official visit per school from January 1 of junior year; unofficial visits any time. Official: NCAA Division III Manual 2026-27, Bylaw 15.01.3 (Printed October 30, 2026)
• NAIA: Few restrictions on contact between an athlete and a coach. Official: NAIA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (2026)
• Junior college: Letter of Intent signing from November 1 (February 3 in football). We have not researched a contact start date. Official: NJCAA 2026-27 Sports Procedures Chart (October 27, 2026)

When athletes commit

In a 2017 NCAA survey of recruited Division I athletes, those in baseball who committed early did so in grade 11.2 on average, where 11.0 is the start of junior year. The survey came before rules that pushed contact later, and athletes who committed before 11th grade were less likely to enroll where they committed.

• NCAA Division I

  A 2.3 core GPA in at least 16 core courses: 4 English, 3 math at Algebra I or higher, 2 natural or physical science, 1 more English, math or science, 2 social science and 4 more academic. 10 of the 16, 7 of them English, math or science, must be done before senior year, and those grades lock when senior year starts. A 2.0 core GPA allows aid and practice but no games in the first year. No test score is required.

  Official: NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27 (Printed October 30, 2026)

• NCAA Division II

  A 2.2 core GPA in at least 16 core courses.

  Official: NCAA Division II Manual 2026-27 (Printed October 30, 2026)

• NAIA

  Graduate from high school with a 2.3 GPA or higher, or meet two of three: an 18 ACT or 970 SAT, a 2.0 GPA, the top half of the class.

  Official: NAIA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (2026)

• Junior college (NJCAA)

  A high school diploma or a state recognized equivalency.

  Official: NJCAA Bylaws 2026-27 (October 27, 2026)

The scholarship roadmap turns this into a year by year plan from your child's age to senior year. See all sports for the money, the odds across sports and the scholarships families do not know about.