@BB328 posted:My son is a freshman and I am new to this. I am wondering why and how the hs teams play in tournaments. To my knowledge neither our JV or varsity plays in anything but league play. Our program seems much less intense than others. Even winter workouts were basically about 6 weeks once or twice a week in the gym. Does it depend on the coach whether they are willing to put in the extra time? Or the school budget?
My son played in one of the most competitive districts in the HS baseball hotbed of southern Texas. There were perennial powerhouse schools and schools that gave baseball very little effort. It's hard to know much about your son's program from the info provided, but I would just say HS baseball should be fun for the athlete and parent. IMO if your son projects to play beyond HS, the growth will likely come from activities outside the HS program (unless your son is in an elite HS program).