This is an interesting one because the situations are so different from high school to summer ball. I can really only speak on how I approached the past season in high school and summer because I really am not sure what to expect of the team this coming year.
In regards to high school:
Since it is the beginning of the general baseball season (high school and summer) I like to pick 2-3 things that I want to improve. That can be a pitch, hitting in certain situations, or fielding techniques, etc. Here are some things I wanted to improve this past season: hitting (especially with runners on third), lateral movement in the field (mostly to my right), from that lateral movement-being able to plant and release faster with adequate velocity, and improve general speed. Along with my hopefuly improvement, I like to set goals as related to my team. My general thought on this subject is hope for the best, be ready for the worst, and expect something in the middle. Going into my first season on varsity I didn't expect to make playoffs because I knew we were in a tough district. But don't get me wrong, I expected to win every game. Baseball can be a rollercoaster, I try not to get too high or get too low. Losing was tough, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, and it was unfortunately something I became all too familiar with. The thing I did expect though at the beginning was for the team to fight their hardest, and we did. We came back and only missed playoffs by 1 spot (and I THINK 1 game). That struggle to come back was one of those "smaller" battles. We knew we were mathematically out of it, but we fought and it shows character. Overall my HS season was a positive one. I know I preached learning how to win, but one must learn how to lose. I firmly believe there is a right and wrong way to lose a game. Learning to lose means learning to hate it, yet at the same time learning to take the mistakes made in the game and improve upon them. Some kids will be on a loser team and blame eachother, blame umpires. Here's a famous quote for ya: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but rather within ourselves." I heard of that in a class, but I apply it to every loss. It's normal to be frustrated with a bad call, or disapointed that Johny couldn't make the play, but they were trying to do the right thing. I know this is cliche, but the only true loss in a developing players carreer (which is always) is a loss not learned from.
Summer ball:
Expectations for the Tigers are always high. I extend my pre-season goals. Sometimes the biggest struggle with summer ball (for me) is not winning, is not playing well, but is remembering I'm a kid. The expectations can get so high that the pressure overwhelms at times. The things any kid ballplayer is expected to do day in day out are the same things the pros struggle with. Nowhere else in society do people get mad if a kid can't throw it into a tiny zone. Summer ball is the more competitive season-for me-but it is necessary to remember that it's for fun.