incoming freshman position player concerns

The team had a brutal season last year. The coach is in his first year. I would say the generic response to all your questions is, all options are open. He's a first time head coach. There isn't a track record to know what he's doing.

For future reference you only have to post the same question once. They all show up in the column of the right. When you create multiple posts responses can be all over the place. By asking once all the responses are in one place with everyone seeing them and bouncing ideas off each other.

Welcome to the board.

Honestly, I've got a pretty generic answer but ton of truth to it.  Assume that any of these guys can and will take your spot.  If the coaches think one of these new guys will perform better than you then they will play.  It's up to you to prove everyday in practice that you deserve to play the most.

Control the things you can control.  These coaches have proven they know how to win and they win with talent based on all the guys they are bringing in and lost.  Look over your shoulder and bust your butt everyday.  

Truthfully, no one can answer any of your questions except for the coaches themselves.

The questions you asked were very specific questions related to specific players at the school. They can't really be answered in generalities because they aren't general questions. Sorry.

Nope, can't answer those questions.  Sounds like the coach has a lot of options   My advice would be to put all your focus & energies toward being one of his options. 

Good luck.

This would be my own advice to my son if he was in your position.

I am not nearly as well versed as the others who have responded to your question. Heck, my son is only a 2017.  But I have met your coaches and can say they are no nonsense men.  They will play the best players.  

You have to believe in yourself and your abilities.  You're going to have to work VERY hard to make them believe you are the right player for that position.  Do everything possible to win that position.  As I've told my son at times, don't be that guy that wakes up 10 years from now and says "if only".  If only I had worked harder, if only I had controlled what I could control.  Right now you are thinking about transferring, already preparing yourself for failure.

Don't do that.  They could have picked from hundreds, if not thousands, of players at your position, but they picked you.  And they picked you for a reason.  They saw something in you.

Last year your HC spoke about the players he loses to the draft and the ones that come to school, realize they aren't the king of their HS anymore, and don't work as hard.

Don't be that guy.

I think these questions go through a lot of player's heads about now, including incoming freshmen.

I once heard this quote from a frustrated D1 coach of a top-25 program in the midst of a down year, 'You guys are so bad that no one wants to come here now and I can't even recruit players to take your jobs from you.'

Kinda says it all.  Its a meat grinder and you'd better have some fire in your belly or you probably don't belong.

If the coach hasn't established his 35-man roster before the end of the semester, I suggest that a number of players should be having a serious talk with him before they head home for Christmas break.  Otherwise, they are at risk of enrolling and starting classes for the spring term, then finding out they are cut, and having no opportunity to transfer elsewhere for Spring, or to even practice with the team where they are.

Rick - This practice that you refer to is one of the most unfair results of the 35-man roster limit imposed 6 or 7 years ago.  I've personally know a couple of players negatively affected by this and its just devastating.

I sure wish the NCAA would get rid of this ridiculous situation.

Welcome to life, it just starts a little earlier for college baseball players. 

Here's my take, but nothing is guaranteed.  When it comes down to it, anything can happen.

1.  Not really.  My guess is the coach is filling up on players, creating competition so that he has a bunch of guys to choose from.  At the end of the day, at least 7 guys will be cut since D1 can only have 35 kids on the roster.

2.  I would say the playing field is pretty much even, however, the coach may see the JC guys as having more experience than the freshman kids.  They have been "battle tested" at the college level.  They have seen the next level pitching and next level hitters.  However, if a freshman shows that he is mentally and physically ready, he won't play the JC guy over the freshman guy if the freshman guy is better.

3.  I would think that the freshman scholarship guys are safe for the spring - as long as nothing drastic happens on or off the field.  Those scholarship guys count towards the roster whether they are on the roster or not.  So, if a scholarship guy got cut, the roster could only be 34.  I don't think the coach would want that.

4.  Coach might not have an actual depth chart, but you should know by the end of the fall whether you will be starting or not.  I would think that the coach would be playing the top tier guys together in the inter squads and games at the end of the fall.  Most coaches will have an end of the fall meeting with each player to let them know where they stand.  I would think the bottom guys will get cut.  He may keep one or two border line guys around to fight things out in January, but I think you can take that as bottom of the depth chart since you would basically be competing for that 35th roster spot.

5.  You should get a good idea at the end of the fall meeting.  Ask your coach where he sees you fitting in.  I would think most coaches will be pretty up front.

6.  I would say yes.  Coach probably isn't going to move a kid out of position if the coach still wants him there.  

Of course all of this is speculation.  I agree with what others have said.  These are all really things you cannot control.  What you need to worry about is your own performance.  As a position player, hit the ball and you will find a place in the line up.  If you're a pitcher, throw strikes first, get guys out and you will get some innings.

College ball, especially at the top D1 level is extremely competitive.  Every spot needs to be earned and the coaches job is to win, so the best will be on the field.  Do you believe you are one of the best?  If so, go show it.  If not, coach will see that and will not have confidence in you.  As a freshman, you will be competing against guys that are 2, 3, 4 even 5 years older than you.  You absolutely need the confidence to go up against those guys and believe you can hit them and believe you can out field them.

You seem to have a lot of doubt.  That needs to change.  Believe in yourself and your abilities.  As someone else mentioned, the coach recruited you because he saw something in you that he liked and thought you could help the program.  Show him he was right with his assessment.  Don't worry about all this other stuff.  You're on the team - go show them that you should be a starter.  That's all you can control.

Good luck!!  Let us know how things go over the fall.

NCAA and ridiculous? Never! 

I took a shot on where you play based on information in your profile. I thought it was UNCA

Recuit;

are you a position player or pitcher? When I coached SSU, I would stop by the batting cages during the weekends to observe who was taking extra hitting or practicing with a teammate.

During practice, I would listen to the discussions among the players - was it baseball, girls or books.

"Be prepared" You never know who is watching or listening!!!!!

Bob Williams

Goodwill Series and Area Code Baseball