Dadof3 posted:In hs, do they try out by position? IE does coach ask what 2 positions do you want to try out for? My son will be in hs next year and his current coach told the kids if a coach is to ask you what position do you play, your reponse should be,”anywhere you need me coach.” Which I thought was good. But that might not be applicable if they have to try out by position.
Dad, this is another one of those questions for which the answer can vary widely. The length and nature of tryouts differs quite a bit as well. For example, as a small/medium school with a lot of multisport kids and overlapping seasons, we will conduct tryouts, squad splits and practices over an extended period of time with a fair amount of overlap and various cut points. Some schools will conduct a single tryout on a single date. Regardless, I think most will at least make an attempt to look at a player as either an IF, OF, P, C or combination of. You are likely to see something similar to a showcase environment. A player is likely to get sent to a group taking ground balls and making throws, taking similar OF reps, possibly throwing a pen and possibly catching a pen (if there is some indication they may contribute as a P or C). This, combined with some cage or on-field hacks and maybe some form of running typically make up the basic groundwork for a tryout. From there, some programs have the luxury of more extensive looks and some do not.
So, I think the answer his current coach suggested is a good starting point but it will likely benefit him if he also shares where he has played the most, whether IF, OF, P or C. With incoming freshmen, HS coaches are generally more interested in determining whether a kid is a player or not as opposed to making specific determinations on where they will fit in. That's not to say that it isn't part of the equation.
Honestly, a decent HS coach can watch the first part of the first day of practice (playing catch after warming up) and pretty much tell by throwing motion and athleticism which kids are going to be good players and whether they are more likely to be IF, OF or P's. Of course, it is tougher with big schools with large pools of talented players, but coaches of those programs usually have a pre-read on the better incoming players. Just have your kid be himself, be respectful and play hard. The rest will take care of itself.