@Francis7 posted:How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player? 2019What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else? D3
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend? If he switched schools, why did he switch? N/A
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it? He was playing regularly until covid cancelled the season.
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year? Having to manage his life (losing wallet, breaking phone, getting sick, figuring out meal schedules, etc.) in addition to his classes and baseball.
Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent? From my point of view, it seemed to be going great for him, and having it cut short due to covid was devastating. For my expectations - I had read a lot on this site, and wasn't sure what to expect, except that he better show up in good shape. He got mono the summer before and barely played, couldn't do the workouts for much of the summer, I was worried that would cause him problems in the fall. But apparently he worked hard and made it up.
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent? There's plenty of good advice about players; something I read on here once, figure out which upperclassmen on the team are good role models and follow their lead. About parents, be prepared for crises that you don't expect, figure out how to identify your son on grainy video broadcasts (that's what D3 has) so you know what he's doing during games.
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why?
What a great thread. Thanks, Francis7.