College Freshman Hitting the Wall??

Jt:

I think it's normal for a college freshman to do just about anything.

I'm not surprised (anymore) about what any freshman does. Or sophomore, for that matter!

They are college "kids", don't forget!

I'm sure it happens a lot. For my son he won a starting job and then lost it after about 10 games; he got it back about 10 games after that and so he went thru some ups and downs; in the mean time he was way too focused on his own problems and let his school work get behind; then he had to play catch up with that; he learned some lessons for sure and now he's in his last year of ball and enjoying himself... So i'd say, yeah frosh year pretty tough, but really they might all be; you can have coaching changes or they can recruit some really good players at your spot... lots can happen

Freshman year is all about adjusting to all sorts of things, some on the field. My son did very well in fall practice and was the Sunday starter opening weekend than went to a regional. He lasted about 2 innings. He started a few more times, some good, some shaky and ended up with average stats. He did have the beneifit of playing with alot of juniors and seniors, who had learned the game and played well. He learned from them. He has improved since then. Most sophmores and juniors are better than freshman. For most, freshman year is a learning experience.

It would be amazing if there wasn't some sort of crisis that first season. They do have the Fall semester to start to get used to the academic/classroom differences in expectations, but everything is more intense in the Spring.

On-field, they come to the realization that they're competing (on their own team and with the competition) with not only a full team of ex-high school studs, but with men.

It's a challenge to their skills and their egos. Give him understanding and support! Best of luck to him.

JT, I am not sure it is normal, but it happened to our son.
I do think they thrive on some adrenaline for the first part of the season. Then the practice, games, travel, school, homework, exams, travel, make up homework and lack of sleep take their toll. For ours, he did get a bit of a second wind and finished pretty nicely.
When it came time to play in a summer league or come home, there wasn't much of a choice. He came home, exhausted mentally and physically.

Thanks for the confirmation. Not sure he's hitting it, but I can tell he's starting to wear down a bit. Since he lives at home, at least I can monitor his sleep and make sure we prepare some good meals for the nights he is home.

Now that I look back, these are some of the same traits he experienced in his long summer of legion ball...then added the sub-par performance in showcases, and he was toast. At least now it isn't 93 degrees out and he isn't behind the plate anymore.

One thing my son found hard was so many missed classes. Last semester he had one course he missed most of the classes and hade no time to make them up.

You can imagine what could happen if he lived on campus--not sleeping enough or well enough because of the campus/dorm noise, not eating properly because of the delicious cafeteria or dorm food plus junk food, and then by the time they come home after a game or practice being too exhausted to do any homework....and then no one telling him to get to class....

Throw adult beverages or "medication" into the mix and you have a potential nightmare.....

And people wonder why a baseball player doesn't "make it" in college.......

Wall, what wall, there's a wall somewhere.

I will admit mine has hit it regularly, there are many ups and downs in the college game, and many who don't hit it as freshman, do as sophmores.

My son's coach is a very wise person, he told me once he worries about players who don't hit walls, because when they eventually do they can't get handle it to get through it. The pitcher can't find the strike zone the batter can't see the ball. I think it is one of the necessary evils of the game, hitting the wall and recovering 9which can happen often) helps to define who you are and where you want to go.

It's normal, he'll adjust.

I don’t know about “normal” but I think it is fairly common. For most players their emotions are more extreme when they move up to the next level. That’s understandable because the stakes are higher. They almost get euphoric when they do well and they get down on themselves when they do poorly. Since baseball is such a mental game, this manic/depressive roller coaster ride he’s on can play havoc with his consistency. Add in a little homesickness, hormone explosions, forced independence, and increased workload and I agree with Orlando in that nothing would surprise me during that freshman year. I also agree that your job is to give him moral support and understanding ---- forever.
Fungo

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
For most players their emotions are more extreme when they move up to the next level. That’s understandable because the stakes are higher. They almost get euphoric when they do well and they get down on themselves when they do poorly. Since baseball is such a mental game, this manic/depressive roller coaster ride he’s on can play havoc with his consistency.
Fungo

EUREKA...THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE LIST. You nailed it exactly. He's feeling bad for himself for a 1 for 9 day, telling me how bad he is stinking it up, after a 4 for 5 game on Saturday. Thankfully, the conference stats came out today and he is ranked in several categories, namely runs scored and SB...the lead-off man's job. I think me pointing that out to him made him feel a little better about himself. He has to learn that it is a JOURNEY and there are good days and not good days...and that will come with experience and perseverence...something DAD CAN'T TEACH.

I remember a post awhile back about this very subject and the concern that rips through the hearts of parents.

Getting that call and hearing a certain something in their son's voice.

I searched the files, but couldn't find it.( Little rusty on the secretarial skills. )
Was hoping it might give you all some comfort to read.

If I do remember correctly though, the general consensus was that with time, things slowly worked their way out.
The wrinkles became smooth again,..& the transition to college life eased. College athletes are under a huge amount of pressure and any, if any, extra time is very limited. Its a BIG adjustment all the way around. I'd say some little bumps in the road are probably pretty typical and normal.

JT,..your son comes from good stock,...I feel confident things will smooth over soon!!
Just be there for him,...let him know he has a strong support system and a soft palce to fall should he ever need to and a place to vent if needed. Keep pointing out the positive as you are doing. It will help keep things in perspective for him.

Oh,....and FYI: theres no better moral booster than a few dozen home made cookies sent from mom!!!

There's a student coach at Army that played 3 years while getting his bachelors at another college before he came to West Point. He exhausted his last year of eligibilty at WP and has since been a student coach. During our recruiting visit he told me he believed strongly that Freshman struggle because they are not used to the length and grind of the season and don't keep an even keel putting too much pressure on themselves. In spite of having played long travel seasons, those games don't accumulate towards an overall record of meaning and therefore don't have the same requisite pressures. Sounded reasonable to me!