Agree with fc v dad...you can still work hard as an upper classman....and make a favorable impression...but for young players reading this thread now.......it's great to come off your freshman year with a good GPA...it helps a lot. Work in a high school doing transcripts...and think entering freshmen forget that unlike middle school, your high school GPA sticks with you.....
Son's experience with his high GPA and SAT's...the academic/merit money being offered by schools far out weighs any athletic money......also son has a lot more "academic" school coaches looking at him...they are more confident that he can make the grades, get the merit money, and play ball too....he now has several choices.....and....if the stats are to be believed....only 5% of high school players go on to the next level......you need to have as much going for you as possible.
We lucked out several years back....son had a private instructor who worked at the college level and eventually went on to coach at the professional level. He stressed from the beginning the importance of academics...would call when report cards came out and ask son for his grades....he just kept reiterating over and over that there was little baseball scholarship money to go around....and son had to work as hard at his grades as he did at his baseball......in retrospect....we think Coach knew that we did not have a pitcher.....but....whatever the reason....we are grateful for his emphasis on grades. Or-ee-gun put it well.....it seems to always sounds better to them.... when someone else is saying it.......