@Francis7 posted:How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player? 8 yrs ago
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else? JC, then D2, NAIA
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend? No. 4!
If he switched schools, why did he switch? First it was Injury, then graduated from JC and went on to D2, killed it in the Fall, climbed depth chart to earn regular playing time in the Spring, then at some point, kept hitting it hard but right at guys for too long. First year coach rightfully had to go another direction after that season, so transferred again and had a great year at his final school.
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? Injury late Fall - out for the yr, told by ortho he'd likely not be able to hit again, so tried coming back as a P at another JC the following yr. He ended up as a position player again for his "second" freshman year, worked his way into playing time second half of the season after a starter screwed up. Ended up all conference as a soph and went on to the D2.
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year? He learned that most college coaches want your school schedule to be about fitting the baseball program, not your academic aspirations. He learned that most college programs rely far more on players being able to step in and contribute than they do via any further development. But the biggest surprise came with the injury when, suddenly, it looked like he would never play again.
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? Overall good experience. As with most college athletes, the first year is an advanced class on how to live on your own and hyper multi-task. Beyond what I said above, he probably expected that more things would be funded. Many public schools have this challenge.
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? Take care of school. If you win the job on Monday, the slate is cleared on Tuesday and you have to win it all over again. Embrace that mentality. Regarding baseball, before you step on campus, remember and clarify in words to yourself why you love playing and competing. There will be times when it will be very helpful to replay those words to yourself as reminder
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why? Yes
