Summer ball...

JH,
I think you already know this, but for DIII kids, so long as they believe in themselves and give 110%, it really does take one person to believe in them and give them a chance to prove their ability.
Hokieone stepped up in a very big way to provide that opportunity and to say "I believe in you."
Having read what you post, I have a feeling that next year about this time, we won't only be reading what you have written, even though it is clear we all love your writing.
Nope, I think next year about this time we are also going to be reading and enjoying what others are writing about you...as a baseball player, pitcher, competitor, and teammate.
Sometimes motivation comes as much from those who believe and provide a chance as it does from those who don't support a player and provide them the opportunity to compete.
I am reading you have a reason every day from now until June to do that little extra, and I am betting you do.

JH,

Congratulations!!!It was worth your patience and perseverance. Good Luck Kid!

RR23

Josh, great story and I'm very happy for you and the outcome. On the other hand I was disappointed that I wouldn't see you this summer since Michael will be playing for the Marlins this summer. Continued good luck and congratulations...

Merc

Merc- Mike will love the area. PM me if you head down at any point and I'll tell you some nice places to eat, etc. The ballpark is absolutely beautiful and the coaching staff is quality. Tell him he can Facebook me and I'll fill him in on some stuff

We're delighted to have Josh coming to Strasburg. While it's a nice story and we're thrilled to have him play for us, and I love his writing ability, over his last 17 innings last spring, he gave up 11 hits, 1 run, walked 1, and had 15 K's. And he is left-handed. And had a 2.50 ERA in the Coastal Plains League, after posting ERA's of 1.77 and 1.64 his first two years of college.

I'd be the dumbest guy in baseball if we didn't sign him!

Great job, hokieone, but I would expect nothing less from a True Hokie!

A Hokie love fest! I'll have to admit Hokieone is a very helpful guy and a solid VT grad.

Despite the fact that it is no longer summer (I am reminded of this everyday by the tundra that I seem to live in being in New York), I want to post an update on this thread since it has been a while.

First off, I haven't been posting as much on the site recently. My participation on this site during the offseason largely involves reading...whether the purpose is to learn techniques that others are doing, events that are taking place, or just fun little conversations back and forth through the cyber friendships I've formed here. Part of the offseason, I must admit, has been spent not even opening High School Baseball Web. I am truly one of the most baseball-passionate people I know, but even I need a break sometimes. My fall season was rather uneventful, being diagnosed with tendonitis of the UCL (the Tommy John ligament for those who aren't familiar with the medical term). I spent a lot of time running in the outfield and logging radar gun readings during intrasquad scrimmages- not exactly the most exciting jobs for a college junior to be doing- but some form of participation nonetheless. I found myself a new girlfriend during the fall as well, which isn't a subject I think I'll get into too much here (PMs are welcome I suppose), but that was a process in and of itself that took some time. The remaining time I took was geared towards rehab work on the elbow (I am fine now), weight room work and schoolwork (I posted the highest GPA I have ever received in college during this past semester).

As mentioned previously, I'll be playing for hokieone's Strasburg Express team out of the Valley League this coming summer. I am already really looking forward to the experience. There are a few familiar names on the roster and from the Facebook updates I receive from the team page, it seems as if the town is really embracing the existence of the organization. I'm sure my NoVa report date will creep up on me quicker than expected, and I look forward to it. I'll also be blogging a bit for the Northern Virginia Daily during the summer, and will probably think of some scheme to throw in a shout out to HSBBWeb at some point during that experience as well.

My writing here throughout 2010 and the reactions that followed have allowed me to be more confident with my abilities to write. I am currently majoring in Business Economics and minoring in Sports Management, but I have recently been exchanging e-mails with my academic advisor at school to see if it would be possible to pick up another minor in Business Communications. I am still not too certain as to what I'd like to do upon graduation and upon discontinuing playing the game, but the encouragement I have received from the members of this website have led me to believe that a different field of interest might have opened up for me in the future, and tacking on a minor in communications can only enhance the possibility of having well-rounded opportunities.

That's about it to report from this front. Once again thank you to all that have followed along in this thread. I'd love to hear some stories from other members about what you and/or your family members have going on in your lives, and I'm sure many other members would as well. Please feel free to post on this thread also, as it seems to have become somewhat of a J H preaching to the world type thread, which is obviously the last intention I'd have in this situation.

Happy holidays to all

Josh,

I'll see you in late May-ish, but I can tell you with 100% accuracy that communication skills are just huge, whether you have a degree that says so or not. My beloved older son has a wonderful job 2 years out of college, making more than I could have ever possibly imagined him making so soon, not because of his glittering 2.2 GPA,but rather because he has the gift of gab, and he is comfortable talking with anyone, anywhere.

If you talk half as well as you write, no worries.

Josh, as always anything you post I love to read. You have a real gift that I hope you will continue to use as you get older. Don't know what it is with you college juniors but my son also got his highest GPA as you did. Must be maturity! What ever it is it's great and can only enhance your worth after you graduate.

Happy holidays to you and your family. Keep us posted as your season goes along. Hope it's a great one for you and your team.

CaBB

I know its a bit taboo to resurrect a 2-year-old thread that's pretty much dead. However, I couldn't resist in this case.

For those who don't remember (I presume most don't), please backtrack on this thread to a post I made on page 3, on August 17, 2010. In that post, I discuss a young man named Aaron, a wheelchair ridden local resident of Morehead City, NC who has battled cerebral palsy his entire life. I have kept in touch with a few people from Morehead City, but I haven't heard from Aaron in a while. A few minutes ago I was spanning my Facebook newsfeed and saw a video that Aaron shared with a former teammate of mine from the Marlins, now pitching in the Reds organization. I clicked on the link and watched the video...and couldn't help but share it here with those of you who were kind enough to follow along with me in this thread as I participated in my first summer ball experience two years ago.

http://www.wcti12.com/news/Aar.../8irtit/-/index.html

Enjoy.

this is all good,...........thanks JH for bringing it back full circle.....im alwyas happy tpo see the healing effects of the good people in our game....