We asked current college coaches and former college players and here are their answers

The biggest thing to set yourself apart in college is to learn how to hit every pitch and
to every part of the field. Focus on hitting the ball where it’s thrown. A hitter in college
has to be able to hit to all parts of a field

Dallas Baldwin / Coker University / Former Student-Athlete

Hit, hit, hit. Face as may good pitchers as possible.

Gage Hutchinson / Florida State University / Former Student-Athlete

A high school hitter should be watching college hitters all the time. There is so much that you can learn from an experienced college hitter. Also, they should work on pitch recognition. College pitchers have better off speed than a high school pitchers. If a high school hitter can pick up on this they will be successful in college. Finally, I think a high school hitter should find their strengths and weaknesses. Work on the weaknesses but find the best ways to exploit their strengths. They need to learn their game and be the best at it.

Dawson Posick / Southern Wesleyan University / Former Student-Athlete

Get stronger. Strength will help an athlete in the long run more than they can imagine. This does not mean they have to do bodybuilding or powerlifting, but developing full body strength through consistent training is key. This will prevent injury, improve performance, and allow them to have a long career.

Alan Burnsed / Florida Southern College / Former Student-Athlete

The best thing a high school hitter can do is to begin treating the game like a job and to commit to enhancing their skills daily. The best way to do this is to do tee work every day with the goal being to produce 50-100 quality swings. The biggest difference between high school and college is that in college everyone has raw talent, high school players who learn how to work hard and be disciplined at craft their skills become successful college players.

Jarred Boyer / Iowa Wesleyan University / Former Student-Athlete

Focus on becoming really good at doing the normal baseball things that make winning players. Swing at strikes, take balls, be on time to the fastball all the time, see every pitch clearly. If you can do these simple things everyday, you’ll be a consistently productive high school hitter and this will allow for your best natural swing to come out. Develop a routine in BP that keeps your focus on these things and it will slow the game down for you. If you can do these things, you can be a great college and professional hitter. The game doesn’t change that much as you move up ladders, but guys become better and better at these simple things and it separates them.

Robert Emery / University of San Francisco / Former Student-Athlete

Good grades. It’s not just about having good grades to get in school. You can lead the
universe in batting average and HR’s, you can throw 107 mph across the diamond but if
you have a 1.4 G.P.A, not only will you not see the field because those grades won’t cut
it in college but what does that say about your character? What does it say about what
you’re willing to sacrifice to be the best teammate you can be? It shows a lack of work
ethic that won’t transpire at the college level.

Justin Lawrence / Colorado Rockies / Former Student-Athlete

When you’re taking BP rounds, train with a purpose. If you’re swinging at balls in the cage you’re going to swing at them in the game.

Tyler Reichenborn / Tennessee Wesleyan University / Former Student-Athlete

Without a doubt hammer the gym as much as possible. Look the part.

Zach Bryant / Jacksonville University / Former Student-Athlete

Have a consistent swing, that consistently gets the barrel to the ball with some bat speed. It is easy to adjust hitters swing here in there. It is tough to teach a guy how to get the barrel to the ball. Hit with a purpose and full speed every time. 30 purposeful swings at full speed beats 150 swings at half speed just swinging. Have plate discipline and KNOW THE STRIKEZONE. The actual strike zone, not what you think the strike zone is.

Kyle Brooks / University of North Florida / Assistant Coach

The best advice I could give a hitter transitioning from high school to college is to flatten your launch angle and focus on making solid barrel contact. I see a lot of good high school hitters that get away with hitting the ball in the air too much because outfield defenders at that level are not to the caliber of college athletes. Simply put, many balls hit with too much launch angle in high school end as hits but are caught for outs in college.

Ryan Suttenfield / North Central Missouri College / Assistant Coach

Learn to have an approach at the plate and be able to realize what the situation in the game is telling you to do. Being able to handle the barrel and be good at situational hitting always provides use in any college lineup.

Matt Saliba / Webber International University / Assistant Coach