As the end of high school nears, it's fun to look back....

Great story, thanks for sharting it with us.

WOW.....amazing that those kids will soon be playing college ball (or pro!). Time flies! Thanks for sharing the article with us.

Jemaz....I just sent you a PM, before I read this thread. Should have known you would have seen this article.....

red, you have a reply. By the way, congrats to your son. He is an impressive young man and a very, very good baseball player.

Good story...I like this line:

"Chaparral junior pitcher Charles Brewer, who is 6-0 this season, was one of the smallest players on that undersized team.

He's now the biggest, at 6 feet 4.

"He was a location pitcher," said Robert Brewer, Charles' father, who was the North Scottsdale All-Stars' manager in '99. "He didn't throw the ball hard at that age. Now he's hitting at times 90 (mph). He's definitely a late bloomer."

It is a great story. Charles might turn out to be the best of all of them. He was 11 that year, which makes him a junior now, and he is being recruited most heavily by UCLA, Texas, Arizona, Pepperdine and San Diego, with strong interest from Arizona State, Southern Cal and Stanford. And, if he continues to develop, he might become a high-level draft pick. Even better, you could hardly find a more impressive young man.

By the way, Robert coached his 15U Storm team to the USSSA national championship last summer in FLA. His younger son, Chase, was among that group.

Great story thanks for shareing it with us. My 10u State Championship AAU team guys are now Freshman and two are Sophs . 3of them play for us in HS and 7 are playing at other High Schools in the area. Only two of 13 are not playing HS. One is actually a poster on the HSBaseball Web. I am so proud of everyone of them. They all are making a big impact at the HS level and are outstanding players. I would like to share who they are and where they play.

Nash Blackley 6'1 200 RHP OF Kerr Vance Academy - Nash is a Freshman and starts on Varsity. He pitches and plays the OF. Nash is 81-83 and max is around 85. He runs very well and is a very humble kid that works very hard. When he played for us as a 10 year old he was a sub. He played first and never pitched. He was not a very good hitter at this age. He was a good player but not one of our studs. Now it doesnt matter. He continued to work and is going to be very good. By the way he is mashing in HS this year.

Sam Delaria 5'11 190 OF Fuqua Varina HS - Sam is a Freshman and starts on the JV in the OF at one of the strongest 4-A programs in the state of NC. Sam has hit by last count four HRs this year and I hear is really playing well. Sam started in LF for us as a 10 year old and hit in the five hole. He had power and was solid in the field.

Craig Farmer 5'9 170 SS RHP Hillside High School Durham NC. Craig is the starting SS for Hillside as a Freshman. Craig is hitting around .500 on the year. Craig started at 2b for us as a 10 year old and is a very heady ball player.

Sean Madden 6'4 155 1b RHP Durham Jordan High School Durham NC. Sean is the starting 1b as a Soph and as a Freshman at Durham Jordan which is a 4-A program. Sean is a upper 70's low 80's guy on the hill that can locate with the best of them and change speeds very well. He is outstanding on defense and his hitting very well on his HS team. Sean played 1b for us as a 10 year old and was our #1 pitcher he hit in the 6 7 or 8 hole.

Steele Myers 5'9 165 SS RHP Freshman Durham Jordan High School Durham NC. Steele is the starting SS on varsity at his High School and is used as a closer on the hill. Steele is very talented and a very good baseball player. Steel is 82-84 and can bump it up to 85-86. He can flat out play the field and runs well too. He has hit 2 HRs this year and I hear is around .330 on the year. Steele started at SS and CF for us and was used as a closer. He hit in the lead off posistion for us.

Travis Horn 5'11 150 2B OF RHP Freshman Southern Durham High School Durham NC. Travis is playing 2b and OF and starts for the varsity at Southern Durham one of the best 3-A programs in our state. Travis is hitting outstanding this year around .340 and is according to his coach doing and outstanding job. Travis was a sub on our team and was very small. He had a good arm but was a little physically weak for his age. Now he is a good sized kid for his age and taking care of business. Travis is a gritty tough kid that can flat out play.

Kahlin Villines 5'8 160 Freshman Riverside High School Durham NC. Kahlin is playing JV at 4-A Riverside High School. Kahlin was our #3 pitcher and started at SS and OF for us. He hit in the three hole on our team.

Brice Hursey 5'8 145 Freshman South Granville High School Creedmoor NC. Brice is currently on our JV and plays OF SS and pitches some. Brice is probaly going to pulled up to varsity for the playoffs. Brice is 76-79 on the hill. He is a tough smart player and he can hit. He played OF 2b 3b and pitched some on our team. He hit in the two hole.

Pratt Maynard 5'11 175 Freshman South Granville High School Creedmoor NC. Pratt is our #2 pitcher on varsity this year with a 5-1 record 3-0 in conference. He starts at 3b and hits in the 2 hole. He has two hrs this year and is hitting around .350. Pratt is 83-85 and max is around 86-87. This kid can flat out pitch and play the field and yes he is a hitter from the left side. He started at 3b and OF for us and hit in the 3 4 5 hole. He is a hard worker that loves the game.

Jeff May 6'0 205 Freshman South Granville High School Creedmoor NC. Jeff is starting on varsity as a catcher. He has done an outstanding job this year behind the plate. In 17 games 7 base runners have attempted steals he has thrown out 5. He has not given up a stolen base in 8 conference games. He has had one passed ball. His pop time is 2.1 2.05 he recorded a 2.0 last night during the game when he threw out the only guy that ran. He hits with great power 2hrs this year and 9 doubles. Jeff is hitting around .315 for the year. Jeff is 82-84 from the hill and max is around 85 but he does not pitch. Jeff caught and played 1b on our team and hit in the 4 5 hole.

Douglas Dalley I have not seen him and Im not sure about his size but he is a big kid 6'0 plus. He plays Varsity as a Soph at Hillside HS in Durham. He pitches and plays 3b but other than that Im not sure. He played 1b OF and pitched some for us as a 10 year old.

I was very fortunate to be able to coach all these young fellas. I am so proud of all of them and the way they have continued to work hard at the game and progress. I guess by looking at where they are now and how good they are doing there was a reason we were 38-2 and State Champs that year.

Great stories.

My son was a member of a 2001 representative in the Western Regional LL World Series. Maybe in a year or so, when everything shakes out, I will post their, "where they are now" account.

One thing that is great to see is how many continued on in baseball. In our case, almost half are no longer involved in HS baseball. It is also interesting to note how the pecking order changes as the kids matured.

jemaz,

Thanks

Great story and great memories I'm sure. If like my experience, there's much more that will unfold in the future.

The only youth team I coached will never be forgotten (by me).

There were many players who went on to good high school and college careers. A couple even played pro ball with one making it to the Big Leagues. A couple others are now college baseball coaches. And a couple work for us at Perfect Game.

I tried to talk one of our young players into concentrating on baseball, but he decided to play football in college. Probably a good thing “Kurt Warner” (2 time NFL MVP) didn’t listen to his old baseball coach.

It is always fun to reminisce. Don’t be surprised when one of your former players, that you least expect, ends up being one of the best.

I also have fond memories about the players I coached in College. Several played professional baseball with one making it to AAA and one to the Big Leagues. From a pride standpoint, I really am proud of those who are in coaching. Our small college produced players who went on to coach at DI schools, small colleges, Juco’s and High Schools. One of our former players sits in the Chicago Cubs dugout. He is the Cubs strength and Conditioning coach. Many others are still involved with baseball in some way.

Makes me feel good to know, in some small way, we helped create or continue a real love for the game in some people. I think that is what best determines success in coaching.