High Academic Baseball Recruiting with Jonathan Grosse — Grades, Roster Spots & the Ivy League | Ep. 192
by Keith Glasser on Nov 06, 2026
Many families believe strong grades will open the door to high academic baseball programs. Grades help, but you still have to be a good baseball player. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith are joined by Jonathan Grosse of Elite National, who spent five years at Brown University, to talk about what high academic recruiting really looks like — from the limited number of spots coaches can support each year to how rule changes, the transfer portal, and the fifth year of eligibility play out at these schools.
What we cover:
- The myth that having good grades will get you recruited — and why you still have to be a good baseball player
- How competitive the high academic world is for student-athletes
- Why there are limited spots where coaches can support a student-athlete through admissions
- Roster construction when a program can only support 6–8 student-athletes a year, and why how you build the roster matters
- Why recent rule changes have less effect on high academic programs, which do not deal in the transfer portal
- How leagues like the Ivy League restrict student-athletes to four years
- How a fifth year of eligibility can help players pursue a graduate degree and give D1 players new options for whatever they choose to do next
- How a degree from a high academic institution, paired with playing college baseball, can change your life and put you on a different trajectory after graduation
Whether your son is targeting the Ivy League, the Patriot League, or top academic D3 programs — this episode gives you an insider’s view of how high academic baseball recruiting really works.
New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting intel straight from the coaches that could change your player’s future.
📞 Book a FREE 30-minute recruiting call with EMD Baseball: emdbaseball.com
