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"Todd Goodson remembers that as a Poquoson High senior in 1999, when he signed to play for Campbell University, he was the only Bay Rivers District baseball player to earn a Division I scholarship.  When his nephew, Poquoson High third baseman Tee McConnell, committed on Wednesday to play for No. 1 Arizona State, the number of current Bay Rivers players headed to D-I swelled to eight.  This year&#039;s Bay Rivers recruiting bonanza comes on the heels of 2008, when six district seniors signed to play D-I baseball.  Just why has a district nestled in the state&#039;s mid-sized schools classification, Group AA, suddenly become a recruiting hotbed?  Goodson and several district coaches list a number of factors — a traditionally high talent level in the district and the area&#039;s increased visibility among recruiters, along with increasing opportunities to play year-round and be seen by recruiters.  &amp;quot;Honestly, I don&#039;t think there&#039;s more talent in the district than there was 10 years ago,&amp;quot; said longtime Tabb coach Doug Baggett, whose ace pitcher, Patrick Corbett, recently committed to Radford University. &amp;quot;I think we&#039;ve always had this kind of talent, but a lot of kids came through the district who didn&#039;t go anywhere.  &amp;quot;Evidently this area is being recruited heavier than it was years ago. I think it has a lot to do with (South Hampton Roads major-league products) the Upton brothers (B.J. and Justin), David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Cuddyer.  &amp;quot;Recruiters are going down the road just a little further and finding there are some others who can play, too.&amp;quot;  Grafton coach John Hammons thinks the Bay Rivers is fortunate to be fed by communities that love baseball and take the game seriously. He added that it helps the players that most of the district&#039;s programs are coached by baseball-knowledgeable veterans.  &amp;quot;Every year since I&#039;ve gotten here, the district has gotten deeper and deeper and it gets harder to compete,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;The past four years, especially, things have turned up a notch.  &amp;quot;When you have quality coaches and programs on the high school level, and kids and parents who emphasize the sport in the off-season, it makes sense the kids will be recruited.&amp;quot;  Poquoson coach Ken Bennett, who has three players going D-I — McConnell, Kyle Crockett (Virginia) and Chad Pinder ( Virginia Tech) — agrees with Baggett and Hammons that Bay Rivers players improve because they cut their teeth in a competitive environment.  &amp;quot;I&#039;ve always said this is a hard district to play in,&amp;quot; Bennett said. &amp;quot;Competition breeds success and, as our district becomes more and more competitive, people work hard to keep up with that competitiveness.&amp;quot;  Much of that work is done in the summer and fall these days, for showcase teams like Canes Baseball. Such teams are a recent phenomenon, mushrooming in the past six years or so, providing opportunities for elite players to hone their skills against other elite players in front of college scouts.  Goodson said the proliferation of showcase ball is the primary reason more Bay Rivers players are going D-I, because it gives the opportunity for more scouts to see them.  &amp;quot;Back when I played, the (state) Commonwealth Games was the only showcase for the summer, unless you went to some college camps,&amp;quot; said Goodson, who coaches the under-17 Canes Baseball showcase organization that includes Corbett, McConnell, Pinder and Crockett.   &amp;quot;A kid can showcase himself on a weekend in front of 30 to 40 schools.  &amp;quot;Now, if you&#039;re playing on one of the top showcase teams in the country, you&#039;re going to play Division I college baseball. No doubt if some of the kids had showcased back when I was playing, they would&#039;ve played Division I.&amp;quot;  Some coaches cite a downside to the year-round baseball. A concern is that recruiters who bypass high school coaches get less insight into a player&#039;s character than of his talent.  But there&#039;s no question that increased playing opportunities are helping recruiters discover Bay Rivers talent they missed 10 years ago. The district&#039;s 16 D-I commitments the past three seasons are proof.  &amp;quot;A few years ago, people thought the Beach was the place to recruit,&amp;quot; Bennett said. &amp;quot;I think people realize now there are a lot of good players in the Peninsula and Bay Rivers districts.  &amp;quot;I think this shows how strong our district is.&amp;quot;"
<https://www.dailypress.com/757teamz/dp-spt_bayriversrecruits_0404apr04-story.html>