2023 High School Baseball Season

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

NFHS rules state that your foot can't be touching the ground outside of the chalk box. On the line is ok, but not over the line. Like @adbono says, maybe the box was so poorly placed that the ump let it go... or maybe he just didn't care.

Any part of the foot on the line is considered in the box.   The location of the line - correct or not is not addressed in the rules other than the field set up.  If that is not addressed before the start of the game, then the lines are official as they lay.    Its a stradegy some use to make the pitcher uncomfortable and make him throw balls.  If the pitcher isn't comfortable busting the batter inside, then a lot will likely be off the plate and called a ball.   Keep in mind - a batter hit by pitch that is in the strike zone is a strike, the batter is not awarded 1st.  Gotta have the right ump behind the plate to make that call. 

Son's team clinched the district championship Friday night and finished out district today with a W. Finished district at 14-2. One more non district game left on the schedule next week and then playoffs start May 4th.

First playoff game on Thursday. Team had a better regular season then many thought for the young team. Now we just see how far they can take it. Finished second in the district.

Team is Bi-district champs (won last 2 of three), now moving on to Area. Heard they will be doing a coin flip to see if Area will be one game or best of three. Should find out today.

Not looking good for games this week in Texas. We had some pretty hard storms roll through the Houston area last night and this morning. I know that the teams were scrambling trying to find turf fields for the games this week. Even with turf, not sure if these storms are going to allow for games to be played. Not sure what UIL will do. Hopefully not make everything a one game series.

@ARCEKU21 posted:

Not looking good for games this week in Texas. We had some pretty hard storms roll through the Houston area last night and this morning. I know that the teams were scrambling trying to find turf fields for the games this week. Even worth turf, nut sure if these storms are going to allow for games to be played. Not sure what UIL will do. Hopefully not make everything a one game series.

Turning a series into a one game playoff, for the sake of convenience, sounds exactly like something the UIL would do. The only place you can find more clowns is at a circus.

We had to do a coin flip to get a three game series. Think it would be bad for us to go to a one game. The other team wanted the one game, because they have one really strong pitcher. It would play right into the other teams hands. We were able to get a turf field (local-ish JUCO). We play Friday and Saturday if weather allows.

I'm impressed you have turf for high school fields...we had plenty of those in travel, but so far all high school fields have been grass (and soggy after storms) and NO lights (yes, I guess we were spoiled in travel), so games called for darkness.  Hope you can get those games in!

@ARCEKU21 posted:

Not looking good for games this week in Texas. We had some pretty hard storms roll through the Houston area last night and this morning. I know that the teams were scrambling trying to find turf fields for the games this week. Even with turf, not sure if these storms are going to allow for games to be played. Not sure what UIL will do. Hopefully not make everything a one game series.

Consider yourself lucky.  Here in Kansas we play 20 regular season games.  Then regionals and state are one game win and continue.  The most games any team will play is 25.

Has anyone ever had to deal with a horrible coach at the High School JV level?  As of now everyone is kind of ignoring it and telling their kids to keep a low profile, work hard and not call attention to themselves in order not to be on the receiving end of the coaches tirades at games end.  Not that it's working because coach has to find someone to yell about every game.  But I guess that's really about the only thing you can do, but man it sucks to watch.  Just seeing the kids not want to be there (they all want to be there, just not at the moment), not playing as a team because they are made to look over their shoulder, making errors because they're so tight as a reaction to the coach, pressing at the plate.  It's just so hard to watch.

That's his personality, the baseball side is lacking equally, but the berating, gaslighting, and pitting players against each other is just unfathomable in a JV baseball program.  Especially one where they can't keep kids playing long enough to stick around through their senior year on varsity.  Toxic is the term used to describe it.

I have had tough coaches before, some real bastards, but honestly I never thought of them as mean.  this guy is mean, this is more like it's forced for the purpose of trying to be the "tough guy" coach?  It's one sided, all the time, gets personal, negative, never anything positive, even after a win, never, it's almost a running joke with the players, just to deal with it.   Just not good.

And I'm the guy who is always working on the things that need improvement and rarely mention the positive stuff, one of the reason I backed off of coaching or training my own son, but this is,,, just,,, omg, type level.

So how did you deal with your bad coach situation, as player or parent?  did you ignore and hope days ahead are better?

He is supposed to be an educator first I presume.  No one would tolerate their kids getting verbally abused in any other class.

@HSDad22 posted:

Has anyone ever had to deal with a horrible coach at the High School JV level?  ….

So how did you deal with your bad coach situation, as player or parent?  did you ignore and hope days ahead are better?

In our area (and probably most of Texas), HS baseball is considerably less competitive and a small component of a player’s development compared to the coaching and competition the players get outside of HS teams, on club/travel teams or other training.  I’m Not saying there aren’t awesome HS teams, but I’d wager those players didn’t develop into studs because of their soph, JV, or V coaching.  So in my area, I’d say JV doesn’t matter and I’d recommend just taking it as a learning experience for my son in coping with one of the many a-holes he will encounter in his lifetime.  It’s actually a very valuable skill set.  

I’m also not saying it wouldn’t bother me to be in your situation, but I would have to personally observe the ‘abuse’ to say anything - and I would approach the administration or district if I thought it was warranted.  

Son’s team won the Area Championship, moving on to Reginal Quarterfinals. We were all surprised they were able to get in the games with all the bad weather we had in Texas, but all our games were played. Time to get ready for the next round.

@TxballDad posted:

Son’s team won the Area Championship, moving on to Reginal Quarterfinals. We were all surprised they were able to get in the games with all the bad weather we had in Texas, but all our games were played. Time to get ready for the next round.

Same here. On to regional quarterfinals this week. Hopefully the umpiring gets better or please don't let us have the crew from last series. One of the umpires wanted to be the main attraction. It was bad. I have never seen an umpire so worried about what is going on in the dugouts more than what was going on in the field. I don't know how many umpire time outs he had so he could assert himself to the coaches and players and make sure everyone knew he was in charge. I had people who were watching remotely on Gamechanger messaging me asking why the umpire thinks he needs to be the focal point of everything. The same guy switched to the field the next day and he was just as bad. If there was something that could draw attention to him, he made sure he was involved in it.

Sounds like the crew we had in Bi-Districts (very inconsistent at the plate).

Two out of the three plate umpires we had at Area were probably the best (most consistent) we have seen all season. They were consistent with not giving more then half a ball off the plate (Best we have seen keeping strikes in the strike zone). I think there was also only one call that was questioned on the base path by the coaches combined, and it was a really close call. The third plate ump needed to watch the other two more to see what they were calling. He was giving 2 balls off the plate strikes on the outside. Luckily the other team didn't make adjustments with there outfielders so, our team just kept hitting the ball down the right field line.

2024's team knocked out the #10 ranked team in the class today, and will play the #2 ranked team tomorrow for the district championship. They were swept in conference play by both teams, and he held today's rival to one run in 5+ innings and exited with the lead. Game went to extras -- won it in the 9th. Other team and its coaches were very gracious to 2024 and his teammates after the game -- they knocked him out in 4 innings a couple of weeks ago.

Game was held at the #2 team's field where they won their game in 3 innings and stayed to watch. Many clapped for him when he came out of the game, which was nice as he had a pretty rough outing against them on the same field.

Good luck to those still playing!

Son's team playing for state championship this weekend!  Graduation ceremony same weekend.  It's going to be a crazy and emotional weekend...

Well Son's HS team had a great season for such a young team. Only 1 SR starter so everyone else is coming back next year. They surprised almost everyone with how well they played. They lost their last game in the Reginal Quarterfinals to a very evenly matched team on Saturday and Son's summer ball team started on Sunday. First tournament is the first weekend in Jun with a new team, after watching practice/team selection yesterday, looks like it will be a great summer. 

Son's team advanced to the regional semi final. Going to be a really tough match up. The teams remaining in our region are really good. No surprise teams there. Going to be a tough road to try to get through to state.

Son's team was bounced in the district championship game the other day. Graduated 2 seniors, and have have 10 juniors coming back plus some other great kids, so a lot to look forward to next season!

Again, good luck to those still playing!