College First Semester

Well....my freshman.....think he was a little surprised at the competition he saw on the field. His school made it to the D3 CWS last year....and it attracted more players as a result. He says it's all good........think our high school varsity seniors....they enjoyed a certain status....and.... for most of them....they have to start earning it all over again as college freshmen.....lots and lots of hard work!

He has had his days where he is so very homesick....and then other days when he is so busy....he doesn't have time to think of home....I pray for busy days...it's difficult when they are 3,000 miles away....not so easy to comfort them....one thing his Dad and I try not to do....is bring up homesickness.....we really try to be positive on the phone...

He calls everyday.....we told him he didn't have to....but he said....no, he wanted to.....and we are glad he does.....knowing that will change with time.

He is doing very well in the classroom.....which tells us he wants to stay where he is....despite missing his dog...and us too....

My friends still question me....how could we let him go so far away to school....their kids are in colleges....close by....and at times....I find myself wishing the same....but....there comes a time when you have to let go.....for some of us.....sooner than later......

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Thanks TPM!....

Was hoping that someone would strike up this post...cool....looking forward to see what is going on with others...will help us compare...

AR...Enjoyed this...Found many parallels...

We have another "First Semester" coming next fall when younger son heads off to college, but this post is for those with sons having less than stellar first semesters, and I know they're out there.....

Our "First Semester" should've set a base line such that no poster should feel their son's was the worst ever. While the baseball part went well, between the girl back home, the adjustment to college, and Heaven knows what else, we received a GPA with nothing to the left of the decimal. The good news is that even starting off that incredibly low, and you can only imagine the parental angst, with a great academic advisor and an much improved commitment to the books, and a GONE girlfriend, within a year the GPA was back up to decency, and although Oxford has yet to call, it's starting to approach 3.0.

Moral: if they blow it, they won't be the first, or the last, to do so, and they can recover.

Ok, I'll bite too ....

In addition to learning his way to his classes and the field like he expected, he learned about the two other essentials of college baseball. 1. Where is the library 2. Where is the training room.

Classes are going fine, and he's taking some tough stuff already, so he's having to work pretty hard. He's in a fellows program also, so he lives in the library it seems.

But that's only when he's not in the weight room or on the field. He ran alot before he went to college, but found out he should have done a bit more and the fall would have been easier. Time management is going ok, could be better in dad's eye but he's satisfied.

Athletically, fall practice went well. Had a nagging little injury that hampered him but no long term consequence other than temporary discomfort and he never missed a practice or workout. Spend every day for about a month down with the trainers working on the injury or getting taped up, stretched out, rehabbed, prodded, poked and twisted.

Learned quickly that you don't make mistakes over the plate to college hitters. This a quote from him.

"If you hang a curve, their eyes get big, a little grin turns up in the corner of their mouth and they lift that front leg about 2 inches higher".

He didn't hang many and did fine. He had the usual adjustment and remarks about the speed of the game/players.

He's happy as a flea hiding in the hair of an English Shepherd. No regrets, doesn't miss home, will call every other week if he thinks about it or we don't give up and call him first. He's been home once for fall break. The only thing he did was sleep.

I've discovered that he is aesthetically challenged when it comes to food, since he says he likes the dining hall and has only eaten off campus (on his own money, excluding when someone else like mom/dad is treating him) 3 times since he arrived in late August.

Hokieone....a story with a happy first semester ending......it must have been a rough ride for everyone in the family....glad he was able to turn it around....that is an accomplishment that many students can't do....

Girlfriends.....gosh darn.....I'm not commenting here on her.....that's for another thread

All sounds familiar, I especially light HHH comments about the players. As my son told us, you cannot make a mistake, or you are a gonner.
Good thing that coaches allow for mistakes and let the player learn from them. What we did find is that the real thing (spring season) is a lot different from fall practice.

Mine does not have a girlfriend, as he feels it is a huge distraction. In his senior year of HS I do believe that having a first love distracted him from preparing for a better position in the draft, I think he realizes it also. He does call us more than last year, mainly because his roomates are preoccupied with their "wives" and he is home alone. But that is today, tomorrow might be different.

The biggest challenge was school. Reality that it was NOT HS, hit hard the first sememster, but managed to get honor roll and is concentrating again for this year. He has great coaches that keep him focused on schoolwork as well as on the field and for that we are happy. Being away on your own and his new social life is no longer a priority.

Arizonared,
Sending your so far away, I can relate, and I admire the parent that is willing to let go and let son travel so far for the right opportunity.

Semester doesn't end until Christmas, but here goes....

My son is struggling (but surviving).

He was always in the top 5% in school and picked a very, very good (Hard) academic school. He is now finding the joys of professors who he cannot understand, the joys of everyone in his class being as smart as he is etc. He has gone from one of the best students in every class to one of the pack.

He is struggling a bit with time management, between classes, homework, work study, hitting , throwing, weight lifting, running, he is putting in some pretty long days.

He did not perform as well as he wanted to on the field this fall, I think a certain amount was making the adjustment to college/dorm life. He suffered a bit from homesickness for the frist month, got run down and caught a cold.

Recently (Saturday) the father of a very good friend of his passed away, and the fact that he is 800 miles from home really sunk in when he could not come home to support his friend.

Yet, even with all this, I think he is happy with his choice.

One great thing about this school, the baseball team really is one big family. The upper classmen all treat the underclassmen very well, this has been a big help to him. He has a friend who went to another school, and let's say the upper classmen are not as kind.

Our Freshman has now settled in and loves the school and the team. He, as most, got off to an eye opening start about one week after arriving in mid August.

Lots of running and more running, conditioning, swimming and he now proclaims he is in the best shape ever. He has lost about 15 pounds and looks great.

He said it's the toughest thing he has ever faced, but adjusted and overcame. He is becoming a man and his mom and I are proud of his accomplishments.

The upperclassmen teammates have totally accepted him and there is a true bond among all of the players.

The academics have been pretty good so far with the exception of biology which he has been assigned a mandatory study hall.

He has not been homesick and has found a nice little girlfriend who just happens to love baseball.

So for our freshman, things are great.

CV

quote:

"If you hang a curve, their eyes get big, a little grin turns up in the corner of their mouth and they lift that front leg about 2 inches higher".

ROFLMAO!

Nice thread, TPM!

Nothing left of the decimal was pretty good, too....

Funny how you could bring the HS just signees over here and they wouldn't believe a word. (I wouldn't have....)

And then look back from a soph's advantage point and think what a year!

By FO:
Funny how you could bring the HS just signees over here and they wouldn't believe a word. (I wouldn't have....)



I especially love the running stuff, it's a shock to EVERYONE.

Son's college coach has a physical and mental endurance test each year called Omaha Challenge. Players have to bench press 55 pounds. Last year son could did 3, today 22.

Just goes to show you how all those young freshman come to school thinking they are "studs".

As seems to be the case with most, my freshman has had a lot to deal with... living in a constant state of exhaustion...death of a friend's sister, staph infection in pitching thumb (thankfully healed quickly after lancing) and now Mono...has lost 25 lbs...last 10 is too much but is on the road to recovery. One class is kicking his butt... not used to that. Found out that even though he thought he was in shape he wasn't even close!
I think somewhere in all this he has realized that through thick and thin his parents have his back and is glad he is not too far away. He is very happy with his teammates and his coaches so ANY DAY THERE IS BASEBALL IS A GOOD DAY!

Baseballmom3,
Exhausted was a word we heard frequently from son all last fall.

Things should get easier in the spring as my son found it to be. No more 10 hour a week required study hall, everyday in the gym and practices replaced with games.

I had mono my freshman year in college, what a bummer it ws, but glad to hear your son is recovering.

This is why so many college coaches tell their recruits to take time off in the summer before they come, or after their first year.

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Frankly, not big on highlighting my kid specifically, mostly prefer anonimity for him, but these posts are SO valuable to the next crop...gives them a real picture of what is to come...

Background: Freshman, DI 2005 regional qualifier...

OK, sorry TPM ET AL...I guess I have to be the conditioning outlaw....The Kid flat out worked his tail off all summer, doing two a-days on his own because he was scared to death of conditioning and because he wanted to go in strong. Breezed through tough fall conditioning in incredible heat. Take notice 06's...It can be done. Start now for next fall.

Recruited strictly as a LH hitter. A call a week before camp from the pitching coach said "get your arm ready, we are going to look at you as a pitcher too." Gulp. Split time between pitching and hitting for the fall. As a result of NCCA per hour rules during individual workout weeks (two per week ) wasn't able to do either justice in his opinion. Particularly hitting. Changed his stroke. ARRRGH....very frustrated. As a result went into fall final individual meeting with head coach with some apprehension. Came away very positive. Have a plans for him and happy with him as a recruit...Wheew!

As a result of the Dream school not coming through...took his best DI baseball option over the best academic option. "I want to try DI and see what I can do dad, it's a once in a lifetime chance" As a result breezing through school. At last count 4.0 including bio class that he has been told flunks EVERYONE. His roomate joking complained to the coaches about him..."The kid studies to get ready to study.." Grades can be done.

Like Big WI and CV Sting...the coaches are huge on the team being a family and the coaches being approachable. Loves this. Loves his teamates. Fits right in with "90%" of the players.

Rural Small town boy not enamoured of gritty big city environment but HAS been to concerts, Football games,...

Looking forward to the season. But knows that sitting great stretches for the first time in athletic life will be very hard...

Still....Looking like a good choice.Doesn't call much unless he needs $. Calls brother. We figure this is good for him (independence) but it's bad for us.

Huge, empty space at our house...hasn't been home yet. Thanksgiving will be big!

quote:

Frankly, not big on highlighting my kid specifically, mostly prefer anonimity for him

OB44,
I meant take summer off from playing, not conditioning, very important.
My son was given a conditioning program from CU spring of senior year to work on before he came to school.

OOPs!

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TPM....Not to worry about the conditioning! I knew what you meant.
I understand that there is no way your son got to that level without some very hard work and summer included...what I meant was it seemed that most EVERYONE who has posted in this thread was blown away by the difficulty conditioning. I thought mine oddly outlaw

Formerobserver....While I got you....LOVED the "musical chairs" post..one of my favorites.


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quote:

Like Big WI and CV Sting...the coaches are huge on the team being a family and the coaches being approachable. Loves this. Loves his teamates. Fits right in with "90%" of the players.

At the risk of stating the obvious, coaches understand if all are on the "same page" then the sum is greater than the parts.

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D04...

Agreed...
but some schools are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of team unity. Others not so emphatic. Some even recruit heavily on that basis. Some are happily willing to trade high athletic ability for ego and arrogance. Saw this clearly in our official trips.

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The first semester is by far the hardest. Time management was the biggest adjustment with money management coming in a close second. Luckily I was able to adjust. I filled most of my spare time with fishing and yard work. I was able to watch the History channel again and I no longer have to go upstairs to find missing articles of clothing. The refrigerator seems to be more organized and my naps are no longer interrupted by the ringing of the phone. I can go to bed at a normal hour and not have to get up during the night to see if his car has returned to the driveway. The screen name on the compute remains on “fungo” and doesn’t mysteriously change during the night to his screen name. It’s been tough but I adjusted. The money management was pretty simple. I just deposited all my money to his account and picked up aluminum cans to buy me some bologna, crackers, and fishing bait.
Thanks for asking,
Fungo

quote:

Some are happily willing to trade high athletic ability for ego and arrogance.

ob44
... and I would recommend avoiding that environment. There is a happy medium that balances talent and leadership. Usually the more talented upperclassmen step forward to assume the leadership role(s), most effectively by example and without arrogance.

quote:

Originally posted by observer44:
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TPM....Not to worry about the conditioning! I knew what you meant.
I understand that there is no way your son got to that level without some very hard work and summer included...what I meant was it seemed that most EVERYONE who has posted in this thread was blown away by the difficulty conditioning. I thought mine oddly outlaw

Formerobserver....While I got you....LOVED the "musical chairs" post..one of my favorites.


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I don't mean to keep bringing son up but I think some of my stories can teach others things he did and didn't do right.
Mine got to where he did by no curveballs and limited innings as a youngster Good grades, sound mechanics,good time management skills. Being a team player and more intrested in his team mates than himself.
Not in the weight room. He suffered much the first fall practice, should have paid more attention to his conditioning program given to him before he got to school. After he signed he became lazy. Just wanted to let parents know that is is normal for them to have a rude awakening in the gym in college, in the classroom. It's normal.

I agree with the statment that coaches prefer players who have team mentality. But it's not always possible to see that in the short recruiting time. Every coach knows there should be a balance of personalities on each team and learns to bring them together to work effectively. You will have ego and arrogance whereever you go, leaders are hard to come by.

My son is having a really good time, he has ajusted well to his new life, getting good grades, learning how to better managed his time and say no.
Baseball wise, he had a terrific fall, batted 20/40 in 16 scrimmage games, and played solid defense as well, that created a lot of respect by the upperclassmen, this boy is really serious about his baseball career and his work ethics and determination, are second to none. I'm glad he is having a lot of fun he has worked very hard to get there and his efforts are paying off.
He just signed to play for the New England Collegiate Summer League.
Every day I thank God for giving us such a wonderful son.
Good luck to all.

Great posts. 1st semester a big adjustment for everyone involved.
Fungo, got a chuckle from your comments regarding $. I think my son is intent on spending every cent of the money he "saved" me by staying in-state. After going thru the last 2 months of statements my wife and I wish we were enjoying the same dining/entertainment life. Budgeting, like baseball, is all about making adjustments!
Agree with everyone on the conditioning aspect. It was pretty easy for ours as he played 4 yrs of basketball where they ran a ton.
Had he not played hoops and relied on conditioning from baseball team and his own work it would have been much more difficult.
I think alot of what I learned in the past couple years on this great site made the whole transition easier - no surprises always a good thing.

Bobby,

Congrats. Your son is going to love the NECBL. Just about every team in the league is well supported by its fans. The league is a real throwback - and has many very good players. Alot of fun venues to play at also.

Best of luck to your son.

Observer44....almost EVERYONE that posted has not been blown away by the conditioning. I re-read the posts and I don't see that....

The competition was the surprise for son....not the conditioning. Of course getting mono in July didn't help.....his College Coach sent him a conditioning packet for the summer but when mono hit....he called Coach.....who said concentrate on rest and getting better.....and he did. His HS Coach believed in a lot of running and conditioning.....so no surprises at college.

He is working hard at hitting and fielding.....every chance he gets.....as he has been telling us all Fall....there are many more guys competing for playing time at this level than there were in high school.... and they are all willing to work hard too....

He has gone from HS baseball where he had sole claim to second base.....where he knew he would start every game...and play all 7 innings each game.....batted 3rd every game.....and batted well....was team leader....he has gone from that to college ball....where he isn't top dog anymore....where he has to prove himself all over......think that's the important message for the class of '06....IMO.....be prepared to work harder than you have in the past.....and take nothing for granted.

Enjoying the postings....it's always good to hear from others going through the same thing....

Fungo.....we understand......as much as I miss my kid.....somedays I feel like I'm on vacation! Of course now we can't afford to go anywhere.....

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:

I agree with the statment that coaches prefer players who have team mentality. But it's not always possible to see that in the short recruiting time. Every coach knows there should be a balance of personalities on each team and learns to bring them together to work effectively. You will have ego and arrogance whereever you go, leaders are hard to come by.

TPM - my son's coach called fall conditioning and practice time to 'take the starch out of them' meaning those egos and arrogance

Fungo -

My son is in his 2nd year,but let me tell you about his first semester as a freshmen last year.

Besides being a long way from home, he had two surgeries. One on the shoulder and later one on the elbow after starting to rehab the shoulder. He hurt the shoulder in Fall practice making a diving stop at second base.

He was red-shirted. He kept rehabbing,working a job,and also made the National Dean's List.

To say the least the boy became a responsible man. His mother and I were there for the surgeries but left shortly after. He had to become very organized and even more responsible than if he had a normal 1st semester.

This year he is healthy and had a great time during fall practice. He said he didn't know college could be so much fun.

Thanks,

Royals

First semester was a pleasant surprise, not sure what to expect but son loves the school, coaches, and mostly his teammates. Seniors accept the freshman with open arms and open kegs. They seem to be a very tight group.

School is "OK" getting by and learning the ropes from the upperclassman, what professors to avoid, what classes to avoid, what teachers love baseball players, which ones don't and most importantly, which have secretaries that love baseball players.

He told me that he learned more about hitting in a month than he had his entire life, which is a switch since previously he knew everything about anything before going away. 5:30 AM two mile runs got a little old, but he survived. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they make their way into north Florida for five games early in the season.

Tommorrow brings in weather in the mid 20's, so we'll see what the reaction is to this. I was told that everyday during Thanksgiving he's going to go to the beach at 9:00 AM, spend the day and stay out with his buddies until 3:00 AM. He'll probably be with "the wife" until 11:00 PM.

On the downside - girlfriend at home.. **** cell phones, **** text messages, **** girls. I was thrilled to learn that, "Dad, you aren't going to believe this, but, there are girls that hang out at practice just to meet baseball players." Hopefully, one will be able to convince him to divorce his south Florida wife.

I'm certain that second semester promises to have more surprises.

As far as I can tell mine hasn't been homesick at all, however he has said a couple times recently that he is really looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving.

He seems to love the school,the guys on the team and surprisingly the conditioning. He has learned to love the lifting and looks forward to it. Really happy about that part. Suspect it will take him to another level for this spring.

The little feedback we get about grades seem to indicate he is doing ok. His school doesn't give athletic money so it is important he stay on top of academics to maintain his scholarship.

He was disappointed that the fall world series intersquads were cut to one game due to weather problems. Figure he is going to have to get used to weather problems playing up north.

As much as I would have liked for him to stay in Florida or at least in the South I believe he made a good decision.

quote:

"Dad, you aren't going to believe this, but, there are girls that hang out at practice just to meet baseball players."

They are called "Cleat chasers".

Canesfan5,

"Seniors accept the freshman with open arms and open kegs".

Not during official recruiting I hope!

quote:

Originally posted by CanesFan5:
Seniors accept the freshman with open arms and open kegs.

and

quote:

"Dad, you aren't going to believe this, but, there are girls that hang out at practice just to meet baseball players."

I did not realize that so many HSBBWs were going to the University of Colorado

We actually became aware of the existance of "cleat chasers" during a college visit watching a game. My son was in the dugout with the team (JUCO) and these local girls sitting in front of me probably had more info on the players than the coach himself. It was quite an eye-opener.

Had a little chat with son in the car on the way home!

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TPM...

quote:

"Seniors accept the freshman with open arms and open kegs".

Not during official recruiting I hope!

That's funny! Good memory!

quote:

Originally posted by observer44:
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TPM...

quote:

"Seniors accept the freshman with open arms and open kegs".

Not during official recruiting I hope!

That's funny! Good memory!

Beer pong anyone?

quote:

They are called "Cleat chasers".

...in Louisiana as well.

TPM,

Ah yes, the house where most "hang out" is furnished only with three beds, a television, two refrigerators (you don't even want to know), fold out chairs and yes, a beer pong table.

I envy all of them. I don't think that they'll ever realize how good they have it until it finally comes to an end.

quote:

Originally posted by CanesFan5:
TPM,

Ah yes, the house where most "hang out" is furnished only with three beds, a television, two refrigerators (you don't even want to know), fold out chairs and yes, a beer pong table.
I envy all of them. I don't think that they'll ever realize how good they have it until it finally comes to an end.

I know about 2 refrigerators.

When they are our age, they will look back and remember this as the best times of their lives.