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Reply to "2022 College Season"

@RJM posted:

Several years ago Harvard opened with a schedule that could only be called dunning a gauntlet. It was a lot of ranked and all top fifty teams. They opened 0-20.

I asked a Harvard dad if it made them tougher and ready for league play. He said the schedule and getting hammered only demoralized the team.

Not unheard of.  There are lots of examples like this.   The 2010 Princeton team went 5-15, and were Ivy League champs in 2011.   The 2011 Cornell Big Red started 3-17, and were Ivy League champs in 2012.   

When you play for Ivy teams (that a lot of times lack depth), you learn to take the good with the bad or the bad with the good as the case may be.   I guess, I'm saying "it comes with the territory".  Possibly getting hammered and demoralized has a long term positive effect of toughening up the team because they know they have to step it up.  The only time I ever saw my son nervous on the mound was his first college appearance against a loaded Virginia team in 2011.   Once he got over that hump, nothing bothered him or intimidated him.   Additionally, I think a lot of Ivy HCs  put their freshmen in these situations to see how they handle it.   Fast forward 10 years later....there was one freshman Cornell player (his parent is a HSBBWeb member) that had a tremendous weekend against Virginia.  I think his first at bat was a 2 RBI double.  I didn't see it, but I saw the box scores.

I guess it is just a different coaching philosphy that they are used to, and the rest of us don't understand.  Their focus is on conference play because it is a 21 game sprint under the new format.

As always, JMO.

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