While many consider community colleges to be a step down from a four-year university, for baseball players, the opportunity can be perfect.

Lately, some players have been committing to community colleges out of high school. Although they may wish they would have gotten better offers in high school, they hope that the two extra years will give them more chances to be seen and recruited to a higher level university for the final two years of their education.

Blake Van Hercke, senior, is one of those players, and is committed to Highland Community College in Highland, Kan., for next year.

“I like how community colleges are smaller, so you get to know everybody better,” Van Hercke said. “I would like to [eventually] go to a university and study engineering, and if baseball can help me do that, that would be great.”

Attending a community college first can also save student-athletes a lot of money.

“It is much more affordable to attend a community college since baseball scholarships are typically not full ride offers,” Josh Perkins, head baseball coach, said.

Perkins also noted that players at community colleges get much more time to practice and get better than those at four-year schools as they do not have the same practice restrictions as NCAA schools.

Overall, community colleges offer many advantages over four-year schools, but both Perkins and Van Hercke agree they are not for everyone.

“If you’re trying to aspire more educationally, go to a four-year university first. But, if you’re not quite there yet, community college is a better option,” Van Hercke said.