2025 High School Baseball Season

We won't have tryouts until mid March. Winter workouts are just starting here. Son's currently trying to juggle the overlap between a winter school sport and off season baseball training for school and travel for the first time ever as a sophomore. I hope the overlap of the two sports did not put him behind as far skills development. He been lifting and doing sprint training so I think he's good there. But I'd be interested to hear other parents experiences with whether or not they felt playing another sport and doing very little off season baseball training helped or hurt.

Unsure if he will remain on JV or get moved up to Varsity. He will likely sit on the bench on varsity so perhaps JV is a better option for playing time

I do wonder since the competition is so weak in JV if it hurts more than it helps as far as seeing good pitching. He would start there at his primary position like he did last year. He's gained about 20 lbs of muscle since last spring and most likely will remain average in height and statue.

I am definitely proud of the young man he is becoming. Doing very well in school too.

Bb, my son benefited tremendously from jv last year.  Jv competition wasn’t the best, but it helped him with hitting slower pitchers and helped with his confidence.  While he had the ability to play varsity last year, in hindsight I am glad he didn’t.  

winter training is starting here as well, teams announced the 10th or so of March.

it is going to be tough.  We are in the best/hardest division.  We have some good pitchers, but we don’t have that ace throwing in the 90s.   I think it is going to come down to our defense and how well we hit the ball.  We have the potential, it will be fun.  They are taking spring trip this year too, so he is pumped about that.

I can not remember the last time son's high school had a starting pitcher in the 90s. Seems like every year they have two starters that are low to mid 80s that could throw strikes and had solid offspeed pitches. They have had two "closers" that could touch 90, but were not as accurate.

As Area champs the last three years there has been one consistent. His HS teams have had really good hitting. Even games they lost they still out hit the other team. Last season they outscored their opponents 123-19. 

TX, interesting.  We have a couple of pitchers in the low to mid 80s.  They too have good off speed.  Last year we only had one that could throw strikes consistently.  This year we should have at least two.  Probably 3.  I am hoping our hitting can do what yours has done.

Our HS team had a really good 2024 class that my oldest was the offensive leader of for 4 years.  His brother, my middle son, is a 6'6 205# 16yo sophomore stud RHP.  His 2027 class is also very good.  It was a really fun 2024 season with them playing together.  This year they are young, but 2026 and 2027 springs will be very exciting. 

Winter ball up is up and running here. (No freezing weather to deal with). Our regular season starts late Feb. I think our team will be good this year.

My son is a Senior throwing 92-94, T95 and committed. Most of the other pitchers on his team are high 80s which is pretty good.

Our team last year won many games 1-0, but also lost many games 1-0, as our pitching was and still is solid.  I think our hitting will be better this year. Hopefully they make playoffs for my son’s final year. Good luck everyone.

I love reading these posts.  You folks don't know how lucky you are to be watching your son(s) play high school baseball.   Enjoy your time together now, and every minute until graduation.   It goes by very quickly.   

Best of luck, and stay healthy! 

@fenwaysouth

Even though my son is sophomore I feel it already. He is really on the fence about wanting to play in college after feeling really burnt out after this summer. So he's trying another sport for the winter.

Because we have a very close knit baseball community in our town. It seems that the baseball gods have come calling anyway to pull him back in with opportunities to help coach the little guys in our community and to guest play with the older school ball kids on a local summer team for extra reps as well as doing some tournaments with a more serious team.

My kid is all about his community and loves all his coaches and all the social interaction from school ball. We don't have the most intensive program like you southern, Cali or Texas folk but there is a lot of love and passion for the game in our community starting at very young age.

So I will try to soak it all up for however long it lasts.

Agreed, I was just thinking how little time I have left to watch my 2027 in HS.  I am excited about the team, worried about what the culture will be like.

@BB328 my son played basketball through his junior year in HS. It helped him a great deal with athleticism, not getting burned out, etc.

Official practices/tryouts start Friday for Texas. Let's get this show on the road!

Enjoy the high school season!  It goes too fast.

@Master P posted:

Enjoy the high school season!  It goes too fast.

It does go by fast. This being son's last HS season, I bet it will go by even faster (Sadly).

First day of tryouts start tomorrow at our HS.  Should be an interesting season in 6A ball!

Vero beach in less than 60 days.  I’ll have to watch livestream, but that’s better than not watching!

Well first few practices went well. Only one major hiccup. Due to an injury of the stating centerfielder my son may have to start in center field this season. He was told he would have the opportunity to get back behind the plate this season. But with the injury, the coach may have no choice than to put him in center. Son is disappointed but, is of the mindset he needs to do what is needed to help the team. Hopefully, this will not hurt his recruiting. He has a couple coaches that are making plans to come see him this spring. The coaches are recruiting him as a catcher. Guess he will be able to show them his versatility.

He is just sticking to the house saying “everything happens for a reason, make the best of every situation”.

Always loved these stories.  I come around once in a blue moon now.  I cleaned up the forum so this 2025 version is featured and will feature college 2025 when someone starts one.

On a personal note, I shared this privately with a friend as well, my grandson has chosen a local community college here in Cleveland known as TRI-C (Cuyahoga Community College).  They have a good baseball reputation.  All are happy with the decision.  We are also looking forward to the 2025 high school baseball season.  Obviously, all practices are indoors right now.  Best wishes to everyone!

@ClevelandDad aka CD

Can't believe that your Grandson will be in college in another year! 

Thanks for stopping by. I will pass on the info to Marla!

Enjoy the moments!

Stay warm!

@TPM posted:

@ClevelandDad aka CD

Can't believe that your Grandson will be in college in another year!

Thanks for stopping by. I will pass on the info to Marla!

Enjoy the moments!

Stay warm!

For those unaware, Marla's son is Brad Goldberg (can't remember her hsbbweb moniker).  He started his career at Coastal Carolina and finished at Ohio State.  Was drafted by the White Sox and pitched in the Big Leagues.  He is now the bullpen Coach for the Cleveland Guardians who had the best bullpen in baseball last year.  He will be coaching another hsbbwebster son (Trevor Stephan) belonging to JucoDad.   You can't make this stuff up!

CD, Brad is now the assistant PC for the Guardians. He was promoted end of last season.

I have mentioned Brad's journey starting from transfer from Coastal to Ohio State, to MLB to volunteer assistant then to the Guardians, his hometown team! Those were the days when you had to sit out.

Waiting for JucoDad's son to make his first appearance this year!

Well as we thought, 4 scrimmages in and son has started in center in all of them. Has made some really great plays. Guess the coach was right, that he needed him there. He has had no time behind the plate.

One surprise, they are going to need him to pitch. He has pitched in 3 of the 4 scrimmages. He is doing okay. This is new for him. I think he has pitched in less innings in the past 5 years then in these scrimmages.  I think the last time he has pitched this much was when he was 11 or 12. We will see how it goes.

TxballDad –

There are not a lot of catchers who can be called on to play CF. College coaches will appreciate his versatility and will likely see this as a positive. They may look at him as a catcher who can fill in in the OF if needed, or they may see him as an OF (or P) who can also fill in as the emergency backup catcher. I think all coaches want that guy.

Embrace it – these opportunities are making your son a better, more valuable player!

@TxballDad posted:

Well as we thought, 4 scrimmages in and son has started in center in all of them. Has made some really great plays. Guess the coach was right, that he needed him there. He has had no time behind the plate.

One surprise, they are going to need him to pitch. He has pitched in 3 of the 4 scrimmages. He is doing okay. This is new for him. I think he has pitched in less innings in the past 5 years then in these scrimmages.  I think the last time he has pitched this much was when he was 11 or 12. We will see how it goes.

My son has a current teammate who he played summer ball with.  He was a catcher in the summer and now catches in college.  He played short and pitched in high school and was their conference player of the year.

@Texas posted:

TxballDad –

There are not a lot of catchers who can be called on to play CF. College coaches will appreciate his versatility and will likely see this as a positive. They may look at him as a catcher who can fill in in the OF if needed, or they may see him as an OF (or P) who can also fill in as the emergency backup catcher. I think all coaches want that guy.

Embrace it – these opportunities are making your son a better, more valuable player!

Son has been an OF forever.

Last seriously caught in 7th/8th grade.  Did it for fun during some summer games in HS.  Zoomed me from his D1 the other day showing me his new C gear.  Starting OF, and 3rd string C. 

"hit and you won't sit" they always say.

A little less than a month before the season officially starts here.  Weather is still miserable, with no end in sight.

Same thing here. The indoor facilities are absolutely buzzing with activity since no one can really get outside yet. Less than an month before first scheduled scrimmages.

Yup, March 10th, first scrimmage.  Teams are scrambling to find indoor facilities

Lefty is starting off the pre-season strong on the mound.  His bat has been quiet though.  I’ve missed watching him play, so regardless it is good times.  

First week of games went really well. One game against a top ranked team and a three day tournament. Son ended up with 1.000 fielding and was on the top 5 hitters of the week for South Texas 4A/5A/6A. He has been working on his consistency at the plate. Seems like what he has been doing is working.

I was on the road scouting in Oklahoma this weekend and saw Stillwater HS play Piedmont HS. We have a couple of commits from Stillwater and are recruiting some players from Piedmont. That’s why I was there. But the most interesting thing about that game was getting to see ‘25 SS Ethan Holliday, who plays for Stillwater. If you don’t know who he is, do a Google search. Not only will he be a 1st round pick in this year’s MLB draft he may go #1 overall. Simply put, he is the best HS position player I have ever seen. He is big, physical, and carries himself like a man. But the thing that immediately caught my eye (and everyone else’s) was the way he moved his body. He already plays the game like a pro. The bat speed and arm strength are pretty obvious. But he made difficult plays in the field (that only a great SS would make) look routine. The difference between him and every other kid on the field was as big as the Grand Canyon. I wish that every HS player, and their parents, could see someone like that on a HS field next to ordinary kids. It would be a great reality check.

@adbono posted:

I was on the road scouting in Oklahoma this weekend and saw Stillwater HS play Piedmont HS. We have a couple of commits from Stillwater and are recruiting some players from Piedmont. That’s why I was there. But the most interesting thing about that game was getting to see ‘25 SS Ethan Holliday, who plays for Stillwater. If you don’t know who he is, do a Google search. Not only will he be a 1st round pick in this year’s MLB draft he may go #1 overall. Simply put, he is the best HS position player I have ever seen. He is big, physical, and carries himself like a man. But the thing that immediately caught my eye (and everyone else’s) was the way he moved his body. He already plays the game like a pro. The bat speed and arm strength are pretty obvious. But he made difficult plays in the field (that only a great SS would make) look routine. The difference between him and every other kid on the field was as big as the Grand Canyon. I wish that every HS player, and their parents, could see someone like that on a HS field next to ordinary kids. It would be a great reality check.

You feel the same way about Jackson Holiday?  The Holiday you just described sounds like Bobby Witt Jr which is saying a lot.  High School Bobby Witt would be my "gold" standard for young high school players right now.  Of course, I have not seen Ethan up close and personal like you have.

@ClevelandDad posted:

You feel the same way about Jackson Holiday?  The Holiday you just described sounds like Bobby Witt Jr which is saying a lot.  High School Bobby Witt would be my "gold" standard for young high school players right now.  Of course, I have not seen Ethan up close and personal like you have.

I saw Bobby Witt Jr quite a bit in HS. He is a local kid, the same age as my youngest son, and they played with & against each other in numerous events. I have only a small sample size on Ethan Holliday but based on yesterday alone I think Holliday is better as an 18 year old than Witt Jr was.

Biggest thing they have in common is MLB bloodlines

Tryouts start tomorrow.  My 2027 broke his finger the other day but has still been practicing.  Going to the ortho tomorrow, they think he will need surgery.  It is his pinky on his throwing hand. I think they are worried about infection, it is a clean break, not a fracture

Corona High School in California has three projected 2025 first round picks. If they do all end up being first rounders, it will be the first time ever a high school has had three players selected in the same first round. Especially interesting given it's a public school.

Well son did it again. Second week in a row to make the SouthTexas Hitters of the week list. I think a big factor in his success so far this season is, he has changed his hitting mindset. He has tried to stop worrying about the overall outcome. He is counting every time he puts the ball in play as a win. He saw some good videos that seem to help him relate. As a catcher, he can catch all speeds and types of pitches. The videos he saw said, if you can catch the ball with a glove just think about catching the ball with the barrel. (I think the first person he saw that said that, was Barry Bonds). When in the box he just says over and over in his head, catch the ball.

@Dadof3 posted:

Tryouts start tomorrow.  My 2027 broke his finger the other day but has still been practicing.  Going to the ortho tomorrow, they think he will need surgery.  It is his pinky on his throwing hand. I think they are worried about infection, it is a clean break, not a fracture

So sorry to hear this, bad timing to say the least.  I hope he recovers quickly.

FYI:

@Master P posted:

FYI:

Ben Bizier

@TheTruthFromBen

According to the NCAA, the average age of a college baseball player is 21.9, up from 20.1 in 2022. The 2025 class is on its way to becoming the most underrepresented group in the history of college baseball, at least in terms of ratio of HS to available college roster spots.

I’m not sure that the actual average age isn’t higher than 21.9 because I don’t trust the NCAA to be truthful about it. But even with what they have stated, the message to HS players should be :  1. Don’t even think about trying to go to a competitive D1 program right out HS unless you have draft talent. FWIW, the people that determine if you have draft talent are MLB scouts. Not your private instructor, not your HS coach, not a social media scouting service, not a parent, etc.                                                     2. If you aspire to play D1, the most logical route is to go to a competitive JuCo and put up good numbers, take care of your grades, and transfer after 2 years. The same could be accomplished (theoretically) in other ways but the JuCo route is designed for the purpose of advancing players.             3. If you are a true HA player (and do not have draft talent) go D3.                      4. IF you can find a D2 school that has a major that will qualify you to get a job in your desired industry AND they play good baseball, take a good look at it. D2 is currently the only classification that allows freshmen to play in up to 30% of their games and still claim a redshirt. This is especially attractive for pitchers.    5. There are many good NAIA baseball programs and some of them are at schools that offer a quality education. Not all of them - but some of them.      
   What it boils down to is that the dream of playing Division 1 baseball has become MUCH more difficult for all but the most elite HS players. Those that recognize that reality, and adjust their strategy accordingly, will end up having a better experience than those that don’t.

This is good stuff.  And it reminds me why HS baseball can be so great.  There was a kid from our town who went to a very high-level baseball school, he never played much.  He taught lessons on the side, including to my son.  One day he asked how the high school season was going, and my son said "fine," and he said "enjoy high school, it will be the best baseball time of your life."  It was really kind of sad, and this was well before the pandemic (fortunately, that turned out not to be true for my son).

HS has its own frustrations, I know.  But still, HS parents, enjoy your season!

My son is a freshman in college playing baseball and my daughter is a senior in high school.  Our family mantra for the last 2 years has been "Be Where Your Feet Are."  Enjoy the next few months!

@BB328 posted:

We won't have tryouts until mid March. Winter workouts are just starting here. Son's currently trying to juggle the overlap between a winter school sport and off season baseball training for school and travel for the first time ever as a sophomore. I hope the overlap of the two sports did not put him behind as far skills development. He been lifting and doing sprint training so I think he's good there. But I'd be interested to hear other parents experiences with whether or not they felt playing another sport and doing very little off season baseball training helped or hurt.

Unsure if he will remain on JV or get moved up to Varsity. He will likely sit on the bench on varsity so perhaps JV is a better option for playing time

I do wonder since the competition is so weak in JV if it hurts more than it helps as far as seeing good pitching. He would start there at his primary position like he did last year. He's gained about 20 lbs of muscle since last spring and most likely will remain average in height and statue.

I am definitely proud of the young man he is becoming. Doing very well in school too.

I just started reading this thread. Freshman year son played varsity soccer, JV basketball and JV baseball. He knew he would be playing varsity baseball soph year. As basketball season came around people were asking if I thought my son would be the starting varsity point guard.

I came home from work after trying to a kid slouched on the sofa looking like someone shot the dog. He not only didn’t make varsity he was cut from the program. He said he would talk to the coach the next day.

A half hour later I ran into the varsity basketball coach in the grocery store. The look on his face was I was the last person he wanted to see. He was also a friend. So he was honest about something he normally couldn’t say. It was against the rules even though everyone knew it was true.

The coach didn’t like multi sport athletes. He wanted kids committed to basketball. During my son’s high school days the only two sport athlete on his roster was 6’7” 220 and all state in two sports. He’s now a veteran NFL edge rusher.

The coach cut my son for never attending off season “optional” workouts and not playing on his summer team. My son was busy playing travel baseball in the summer and other sports in the basketball offseason.

I’m finally getting to what getting cut did for him. Once my son got over the shock he was happy he didn’t have to get up at 5am anymore for the 5:45 before school off season baseball workouts for athletes playing other sports. Baseball and basketball made for a long day.

Rather than running off pounds playing basketball he bulked up doing more weight lifting after school than he had time for in the morning. He also did baseball skills and agility training. He lived in the gym after school. He got himself from 135 to 160 over four months. He was eating a lot too. He had just grown seven inches. I believe the weight and strength had him driving the ball harder. He knew he was going to start varsity. He made all conference soph year. I believe the vast improvement was the focus on the off-season preparation for baseball. Heading into junior year his off-season workouts with  a top hitting instructor turned him into a D1 prospect. I paid to have an instructor tell my son what I had been telling him for two years. But he was tuning me out.

He also played in the town rec basketball league. It was a very competitive league. An all star team would have been good enough to win a 2A or 3A conference.  Our high school was 6A. A lot of talent got cut from the basketball program. The high school coach allowed JV and varsity non rotation players to play. My son enjoyed outplaying them.

The local team might be pretty good this year. They've got some good returning arms and are getting a little bit more attention in the local media. My son's "mentor" looks like the likely ace of varsity.

@RJM posted:

I just started reading this thread. Freshman year son played varsity soccer, JV basketball and JV baseball. He knew he would be playing varsity baseball soph year. As basketball season came around people were asking if I thought my son would be the starting varsity point guard.

I came home from work after trying to a kid slouched on the sofa looking like someone shot the dog. He not only didn’t make varsity he was cut from the program. He said he would talk to the coach the next day.

A half hour later I ran into the varsity basketball coach in the grocery store. The look on his face was I was the last person he wanted to see. He was also a friend. So he was honest about something he normally couldn’t say. It was against the rules even though everyone knew it was true.

The coach didn’t like multi sport athletes. He wanted kids committed to basketball. During my son’s high school days the only two sport athlete on his roster was 6’7” 220 and all state in two sports. He’s now a veteran NFL edge rusher.

The coach cut my son for never attending off season “optional” workouts and not playing on his summer team. My son was busy playing travel baseball in the summer and other sports in the basketball offseason.

I’m finally getting to what getting cut did for him. Once my son got over the shock he was happy he didn’t have to get up at 5am anymore for the 5:45 before school off season baseball workouts for athletes playing other sports. Baseball and basketball made for a long day.

Rather than running off pounds playing basketball he bulked up doing more weight lifting after school than he had time for in the morning. He also did baseball skills and agility training. He lived in the gym after school. He got himself from 135 to 160 over four months. He was eating a lot too. He had just grown seven inches. I believe the weight and strength had him driving the ball harder. He knew he was going to start varsity. He made all conference soph year. I believe the vast improvement was the focus on the off-season preparation for baseball. Heading into junior year his off-season workouts with  a top hitting instructor turned him into a D1 prospect. I paid to have an instructor tell my son what I had been telling him for two years. But he was tuning me out.

He also played in the town rec basketball league. It was a very competitive league. An all star team would have been good enough to win a 2A or 3A conference.  Our high school was 6A. A lot of talent got cut from the basketball program. The high school coach allowed JV and varsity non rotation players to play. My son enjoyed outplaying them.

So the winter sport is over and I think it was an ok experience. Alot of kids on the team got sick including my son and passed viruses back and forth missing multiple practices and competitions. He struggled with a tight hip flexor.

I am not sure he will do it again but enjoyed the weight room workouts and found a new gym buddy with a similar work ethic. He did have a bit of trouble maintaining his weight with all the practices.

We are reaching a point with hs that as a sophomore baseball has been all encompassing for years so it was good that he was able to try something new.

Not sure how the experience impacted baseball just yet. Our season doesn't start for a few weeks.

Lefty has been used only in relief so far.  His bat is livening up a bit too.  Saw his most innings tonight with 3 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB , 6 K.  But the best (maddening) part was he plunked the first two batters he faced but got out of that unscathed, so he did have 2 HBP.  But what on earth are you doing son?  🤣.  I guess it’s preseason still.  

Well tournament season is over. First district game tomorrow. Son is still hitting well. This past tournament he said, "I struggled with pitch selection a bit, need to swing at pitches I can do damage with". Not sure if that came from him, or if that is what a coach told him. LOL At least he is thinking about his approach.

Love that the coach sets up a tough pre-district schedule with higher division tournaments. Did the same thing last year. It made district games seem easier. Not sure if they will go undefeated in district again this year, but I am sure they will do well. We have 3 state top 25 ranked teams in our district this season.

Son's hitting line going into districts.

.538 AVG / .600 OBP / .846 SLG / 1.446 OPS