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quote:
Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
...My personal take on it was that it was foolhardy and dangerous to put more and more big kids on that diamond, with baseballs whistling around faster and faster off kids' bats, etc. Everyone else at that age level was in the process of moving to 50/70 dimensions, but for some reason LL went the opposite direction.



That is the single biggest reason that I did not have my son play LL this Spring, though he is 12u eligible. 13 year olds and soon-to-be 13 year olds should not play on a 46/60 field. It is very dangerous.
quote:
PIS said...The debate is still out there though...would you let your 2015 grad make a college commitment?


No. I think it is a ridiculous idea for a high school freshmen to know anything about life, college athletics, and college academics. They are not equipped to make that decision or understand the consequences of such a commitment. It is difficult enough for high school juniors to grasp this.

In the words of Groucho Marx....“I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member”.
The question was would I allow my 2015 grad to commit now. I would not because there is no way I would feel comfortable that he knew what he was going to want by the time he started college. In addition - too much could change between now and then and I would not want him locked into a decision that he regretted. We talked quite a bit about the issue of verbals and decided that although they are not legally binding our family would treat a verbal as if it was. I am not saying there is anything "wrong" with a family making that choice - just that it is one my family would not be comfortable with.
This is one of those deals where if there is a family tradition or some particular school that has a hold on a family or player that it might make sense. If you are from Texas and your family is a UT family (Mom, Dad, Grandpa Uncle Buck etc. are graduates), you live in a burnt orange house, drive a Caddy with Longhorns on the front and JR gets the offer from the school it's sort of like a dream come true. Absent that kind of kinship with a school I think it's much harder to know what the best choice is as freshman. Coaches change, options change and if you are visiting multiple schools with an open mind anything could happen.
quote:
"Another Prospect commits...Congrats to Thomas Szapucki (2015 LHP). He has committed to Univ of Florida. Last night at West Boca


He is throwing in the low 90s this spring as a freshman, he is left handed and U of Florida is about as good as it gets these days. The head coach there is one of the best recruiters ever. They know what they want and they don't care about grad year.
PG -

There was never a doubt in my mind that the kid is legit.

The debate is more about the timing.

This is a no risk move for UF. Kid blows his arm out etc, no skin off UF's back.

But from the families prospective, some on here might say its a bit rushed.

Do you think a 9th grader has ever sat in on a college class? Do you think he knows what he wants to major in? I doubt it considering most college kids change their minds 5 times before deciding.

Obviously I'm just playing devils advocate. There is no doubt that UF is THE choice from baseball perspective. For every kid throwing 90 playing on TV there are 100's that never made it. Good friend of mine was mid 90's from the left side and he can't even pay his cell phone bill now. Should have picked a better academic direction.

The "what if" game is fun. Not a lot of families get put in this situation. Hope this college choice works out for them in 4 years.

Rich
www.playinschool.com
quote:
Originally posted by PIS:
Do you think a 9th grader has ever sat in on a college class? Do you think he knows what he wants to major in? I doubt it considering most college kids change their minds 5 times before deciding.

. . . There is no doubt that UF is THE choice from baseball perspective. For every kid throwing 90 playing on TV there are 100's that never made it. Good friend of mine was mid 90's from the left side and he can't even pay his cell phone bill now. Should have picked a better academic direction.

The "what if" game is fun. Not a lot of families get put in this situation. Hope this college choice works out for them in 4 years.

Rich
www.playinschool.com


Ok, playing "devil's advocate" with your comments.

I don't see the point in whether a freshman has sat in on a college class. I bet many entering college students never sat in on a college class before entering college. Between my spouse and three children, we have seven degrees and currently are enrolled in three more degree programs. None of us sat in on a college class before entering college (and none of us transferred institutions, either.)

You state that most college kids change their minds 5 times in deciding on a major. Well, by that time they are IN college. If the kid is most likely to change his mind anyway 5 times AFTER he arrives at the college, what difference does it make when he selects the college? He is going to change his mind.

You highlight UF as a good BASEBALL decision. From what I have read, about the number of Florida residents with 4.0 GPAs who cannot get into UF, a state supported institution, it also is very strong academically. Baseball might just be the entry key.

And for the friend who made the wrong academic choice, was that choice in the college he chose to enroll in or in the choices he made once he got to that college?

Finally, if the performance of the referenced player remains as PG reported, or improves, the discussion of the college choice most likely will be moot. He will play for MLB instead of UF.

Face it, I imagine that many parents who read this board would love for their player to have the skills and opportunity to play baseball at a college with the baseball AND academic reputation of UF.
Well put WB.

The entire conversation is really based upon a million "what if's" that 99.9% of families wont have to worry about.

Still fun to toss around the topic.

To expand upon my comment of sitting in a class room...

College is often times the largest investment a family will make outside of property. Seems like a logical decision to do some research beyond what is written on a website or told (sold) to you by a coach that is recruiting your kid and your money. Some things that some families might consider doing prior to sending a check might include...
- multiple visits. Not just on Saturday night (haven't heard of a college thats not fun on Saturday night!) What is campus like on Tuesday?
- Speak to as many student athletes as possible. Get the behind the scenes.
- Speak to as many non students as possible. Just 1 rolled ankle from being a non athlete.
- Speak to as many professors as possible. They are what you are paying for!
- Check out the dorms. That is where you will live.
- Check out the library. That is 2nd home...ever heard of study hall?
- Dining halls. Hopefully better then the 3 squares at the local pen.
- Sitting in on classes. Does the recruit prefer 300 person lecture or 20 person classroom.

If I'm a parent about to invest $100,000 (public school plus beer & pizza for 4 years) to $250,000 (private school plus bourbon & steak for 4 years) seems like a lot of research would be wise.

Maybe I'm way off the reservation here. Seems like I hear more about researching BBCOR bats then the ins and outs of the college their kids might or might not be going to.

The point of mentioning my bud is that throwing hard does not guarantee any sort of income.

I might have just sent this topic into a totally different direction. Oh well.

You may be right that this kid may be a future MLB. Its fun to look through PG's data base to see what the current MLB guys were like when they were in college.

It would also be very educational for us all to see if PGStaff or someone else could crunch the numbers to see all the 90+ guys who have never played on TV. I have no idea what that would look like, but I have a sneaking suspicion it would be a long list. Making it to "the show" requires so much more then velocity or power, etc. There are very limited jobs with a lot of candidates all competing for the same thing.

Man I can't wait to see some baseball!
quote:
It would also be very educational for us all to see if PGStaff or someone else could crunch the numbers to see all the 90+ guys who have never played on TV. I have no idea what that would look like, but I have a sneaking suspicion it would be a long list. Making it to "the show" requires so much more then velocity or power, etc. There are very limited jobs with a lot of candidates all competing for the same thing.


For sure there are many 90+ high school pitchers that never make it to the Big Leagues. However, nearly every 90+ high school pitcher that qualifies for college entrance will get a chance to play college baseball... If they want to!

In the case of the kid commiting to Florida... If something happens he can change his mind, just like the school can change their mind. If nothing serious changes their minds, the school has a kid they definitely want and the kid has a school he definitely wants. If he gets much better, there might not be any college baseball for the kid.

I'm not saying that this is the right thing for young kids to do. But, for sure he is a high profile player for his grad year. This will keep his life a bit more controlled and quiet for the next few years. After all, it is the high profile types that everyone goes after. And believe me when I say, Florida is not the only school that would make him a big offer.

I look at it like this... If it works out everything will be fine for everyone concerned. If it doesn't work out, chances are it will still be fine for everyone concerned. If he is seriously injured next year, is that any different than being injured his junior year or senior year after having signed a LOI?

Surely there are kids out there that would gladly commit to playing for the NY Yankees in 4 years. Others that would commit to their favorite college if offered. U of Florida is about as good as it gets. If the kid lived in Texas, maybe it would be U of Texas.

If they made a bad choice in committing too early, it's not the end of the world!
Last edited by PGStaff
While perhaps not a favorite topic for all around here, a couple of weeks ago a freshman (yes Class of 2015), had this outstanding performance!

Freshman JB Bukauskas pitched a no-hitter for Stone Bridge HS in their home opener against Thomas Jefferson. He struck out 8 and walked 1 in the 10-0 five inning contest.

The Bulldog offense was led by the Kuzbel brothers (Josh 3 hits, Jake 2 RBI), Orrison and Mocabee with 2 hits each, and Hough, Schreiber, and Sachs each with one hit.

Let us know about your freshman's (yes- Class of 2015) top performances by posting them here, or emailing us at VaPreps@aol.com)

Thanks!
Patrick Jackowski (Hampton), Doug Gressly (O'Connell) and Brady Fox (North Stafford) are all making significant contributions to their varsity teams as freshman.

IMO - Reid Leonard is best overall 2015 talent in VA right now.

Illig is very good as well. Bukauskas is gonna be a big time arm in the 2015 class year in and year out.
Last edited by coach2
quote:
Reid Leonard is best overall 2015 talent in VA right now.


I would rate Enright above him as a pitcher, Leonard the better defender and offensive player.

Also, one concern, Leonard left the mound earlier this week pointing to his elbow. Hope all is well there. He uses a very high stress delivery that could use a makeover from a good mechanics instructor.
Here is a freshman playing some very good varsity baseball in the Evergreen District:

Liberty baseball opens district play with 9-4 win over Fauquier
Sports | A freshman righted the ship Wednesday for a Liberty baseball team that hasn’t often faced choppy waters this season. The Liberty Eagles fell behind by three runs against the Fauquier Falcons, but rallied to win, 9-4, on the road in Warrenton during the first Evergreen District game for both teams. Fauquier (3-4 overall, 0-1 district) took a 4-1 lead in the first inning by drawing five walks and getting two hits against Liberty starting pitcher Chris Vorrath. Freshman Brock Smith replaced Vorrath at the start of the second inning and he held the Falcons scoreless while also fueling the offense for Liberty (9-1 overall, 1-0 district). At the plate, Smith finished with two doubles, two runs scored and a RBI, including a hit in the third inning that helped the Eagles build a four-run rally to take the lead for good, 5-4. On the mound, Smith shut out Fauquier by allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out six over the final six innings to get the win. Fauquier starter Garrett Croson took the loss by allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks over three innings. Liberty added its final four runs in the seventh inning against reliever Brad Smoot, who otherwise pitched well over four innings. Five Eagles finished with a pair of hits, including Derek Dueling (double, stolen base, two runs), Quentin Rodney (double, stolen base, run, two RBIs), C.J. Lindsay (double, RBI, two runs), Ryan Ramirez (triple, two RBIs, two runs) and Smith. For Fauquier, Robby King went 2-for-4 with a run, while Kyle Higgins went 1-for-3 with a RBI and run

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