Saturday, Oct 3 · 12:00 PM · The Lab — 4630 Easton Dr, Suite 7, Bakersfield

What College Coaches Are Actually Looking At

A live recruiting seminar with a former Division I head coach — answering the questions travel ball won't.

One ticket covers your whole family.

No showcase pitch. No promises about your son. Two hours on how the process actually works in 2026 — what gets evaluated, which levels fit which players, and what your family should be doing right now.

Saturday, Oct 3• 12:00 PM• Grades 6–12 & Parents

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15 years inside college programs

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One ticket covers your whole family

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Live Q&A — bring your questions

Most Families Find Out How This Works After The Window Closed.

They're told to play more, buy more, and wait. Then he's a senior with no offers and nobody can explain what went wrong.

What You've Been Told

Play more travel ball — the exposure takes care of itself
Buy another showcase. This one's the one coaches attend
Get a highlight video up and wait for something to happen
Don't worry about it yet, he's only a sophomore
If he's good enough, somebody will find him

What This Room Covers

What a college coach actually evaluates — from someone who did the evaluating
Which levels fit which players. D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, said honestly
The real timeline by grade, and what's already behind schedule
What the player controls: academics, film, numbers, and contact
Where recruiting money gets wasted, and where it doesn't

Nobody is going to find him. You run the process.

Get Tickets — $75 →

The Agenda

What You'll Leave With

How recruiting actually works right now — the timeline grade by grade, and what changed with roster limits and the transfer portal

What a college coach evaluates — what they watch, what they measure, and what they ignore

The levels, honestly — D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO, what each one requires and which one fits your son

Where the money goes — which showcases, camps and travel spend matter, and which are a tax on hope

How to contact a college coach without getting ignored — and what your son sends when he does

Live Q&A with the panel — bring the questions nobody has answered for you

You will leave knowing what to do next, and when.

Get Tickets — $75 →

Who's Speaking

Three People Who Have Been In The Room.

Not a recruiting service reading you a brochure. People who have sat on the other side of the table.

Justin Johnson

Johnson Baseball Advising

15 years coaching in college baseball
NCAA Division I, Division III and NAIA
Former Division I head coach
MLB Draft pick

Rene Leal

30+ Years Coaching

High school, junior college, NCAA Division II and national travel
13 players drafted to MLB
90+ players on to Division I
2023 NCAA Division II College World Series staff

Xabi Iparraguirre

Owner & Program Director · The Lab

College and professional baseball experience
Built The Lab in Bakersfield

Get Tickets — $75 →

Who This Is For

This Is You

Parents of high school players, grades 9–12 — especially if nobody has laid the process out for you
Parents of middle schoolers who want to know what's coming before it arrives
The player himself. Bring him — he's the one who has to do the work
Anyone who's been told "just keep playing" and suspected that wasn't a plan

This Isn't You

Looking for someone to get him seen. That's not what this is and we won't pretend otherwise
Wanting to hear that he's further along than he is. Everyone in this room will tell you the truth
Expecting a list of schools to hand him. You'll leave with a process, not a shortcut

One ticket covers your whole family. Bring both parents. Bring the player. Bring the questions you've been embarrassed to ask.

Get Tickets — $75 →

The Details

Saturday, October 3.

$75

Per Family

Both parents and the player. One ticket, one household.

One ticket, one household. It's a live room — there's no recording and no second showing.

Get Tickets — $75 →

One Thing, Up Front.

The Lab is under two years old. We don't have D1 commits yet — the 2028 class is where the first ones land. No big league players. We're not going to stand up there and claim otherwise.

What we have is people in the building who have been through the levels you're asking about, and a willingness to tell you the truth about where your son actually is. That's the entire reason this room exists.

Questions

Is this a sales pitch for The Lab?

There's an offer at the end for families who want to train here. You'll know it's coming and you can leave before it. The two hours in front of it stand on their own.

Should I bring my son?

Yes. He's the one who has to do the work, and it lands differently coming from someone who isn't his parent.

He's only in 7th grade. Is this too early?

No. The families who start early are the ones who aren't scrambling as juniors. Everything covered applies sooner than most parents expect.

What does the $75 cover?

A seat for your whole family, the full session, the live Q&A, and time with the staff afterward.

Do you have to be a Lab family to come?

No. It's open to any baseball family in Bakersfield and Kern County.

What if I can't make it?

Email us and we'll tell you when the next one is. This is a live room — there's no recording.

Saturday, Oct 3 · 12:00 PM · The Lab, Bakersfield

Get Your Seat.

Two hours that change what you spend the next four years doing. $75 for your whole family.

STEP 1

Grab Your Ticket

Takes about a minute.

STEP 2

Check Your Email

Confirmation and a reminder before the date.

STEP 3

Show Up Oct 3

Noon, at The Lab. Bring your questions.