College Spring Season

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:

Has anyone heard of the Russ Matt Baseball in Lakeland,Fla.? Seems they hold events for different levels of college teams every year.

Russ Matt Invitational

fillsfan,

Between Floridafan's son and my son, we have probably watched our boys play on every field on that list one time or another over the last 8 years.

When you get your schedule and know what fields, feel free to PM either one of us and we can give you the skinny as best as we can.

Good luck!

Fillsfan,

One of those high school fields is our small home town field. Every field in our district is being used, it seems. I can also help you with hotels and restaurants, as we have also probably been on all of those fields and eaten at every little diner or restaurant in between.

Ditto what Fan said. For freshmen parents one of the best parts of college ball has been traveling with the team and getting to know the players and the parents better.

One of the cardinal rules of college baseball in my mind was always "don't speak unless spoken to". That of course referring to coaches! Again when staying in the same hotel you may find the coaches are very cordial (or not).

Anyway, enjoy it all as it goes by so fast. For west coast players they're out on the field right now for 1st day of practice.

quote:

For west coast players they're out on the field right now for 1st day of practice.

Thanks smalltown and Backstop. I already booked a room off of 570. It's supposed to be near a large shopping center or mall?

I've noticed it's been in the low 80's down there lately. I hope it stays there. Last year in Panama City Beach it was in the low 50's!

I think you'll find it "Chamber of Commerce" weather!!

FOG how exciting it must be for you guys, and also bitter sweet. I think your son’s program may surprise some people this year and you are going to enjoy it!. I know D1’s all over kicked off official practices yesterday, although most were going at it pretty hard without the coaches. I know of several that have their Alum games today to get the season kicked off.

This is absolutely killing me to not see Jr practice and get ready for the season for the first time. I guess all of us freshmen parents are making adjustments all around the country! Sorry but misery could care less about company at this point in time. Going to make the first games that we see all the more sweet however!!!!

Good luck to all players who are starting full practices this weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by MTH:
Most every college gives players 2-4 tickets for home games. Most schools ALSO give visiting players 2-3 tickets per game.

Remind your son to always put you on the list if you are planning to attend , I have walked up to the ticket window more than once at away games to find out that I wasn't on the list. Some of the bigger schools they played (Texas A&M, Arkansas, LSU, Hawaii, etc.) were pretty strict on this and absolutely wouldn't provide you a complimentary ticket if your name wasn't on the player list, understandable of course but still frustrating.

BOF,

Yes exciting and bittersweet.We are trying to enjoy every aspect of his senior year,and possibly his last year of ball.yes I think the program is on the upswing for sure.It is in the rebuilding process but this year could be decent.

Tomorrow is alumni game.Lots of great alumni coming out tomorrow,will be an excting day for the boys to be on the field with some MLB guys and some top picks in the draft.

Great support from the alumni for this team and its players.The new athletc director has done an outstanding job of rebuilding the programs of one of excellence on and off the field.

Future looks good in all aspects.

Best of luck to all our boys in their upcoming seasons.Its a long season with many bumps in the road.Try to enjoy the little things.One of my favorite is Sweet Caroline blasting late in the game,and when teams do God Bless America.Also centerfield by Fogerty.Getting to the field early to watch BP,and watch in and outs.Son in infield so far this year so will be fun.It all went by so, so fast.But God brings a new day and a new promise and we know there will be wonderful things ahead for our guy with or without baseball.Fight on!!! as they say at sons school.

quote:

This is absolutely killing me to not see Jr practice and get ready for the season for the first time. I guess all of us freshmen parents are making adjustments all around the country! Sorry but misery could care less about company at this point in time. Going to make the first games that we see all the more sweet however!!!!

BOF,

It is an adjustment not being there all the time and for every game.Where does your son play?I forgot?I have been writing it down so I can remember.

Its nice that sons school shows games on computer so we can see most home midweek games,and most of the away teams have video access as well.If not we do a audio feed from all games.

And you wil enjoy every game you are at.Seeing your son in a uniform for firs time is emotional.Have fun,and enjoy the moments,becuase they turn into seasons and then years.

Yes make sure you are on the list for away games.

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:
Thanks smalltown and Backstop. I already booked a room off of 570. It's supposed to be near a large shopping center or mall?

I know exactly where you are talking about. There are plenty of restaurants in that area.

One tip, if you are renting a car - you might ask for the toll payer option as 570 is a toll road and it will save you stopping and paying for tolls each time back and forth.

Have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:
So I'm the only person who didn't know about this perk, huh?

And I thought I was so smart to go online and buy them early!

Well, any of the web-sters here who want to see Son of Swamp lolling around the dugout can PM me for details on when & where they can do so for free!

Don't feel badly, we didn't know either...until we went to buy them over the phone and they told us they were free.

I like the free tics, they put the parents together and just like in HS or on other teams, you bond quickly with parents. Stand at the gate and give your paid tics away, it will be much appreciated. Each player is allowed a certain amount, but they "borrow" off of each other for extra. We will be going to see UF play at UM early in season and can't wait for first season college game!
Be prepared that sometimes the free away tics are not as good as the ones at home. Our worst seats ever were at FSU, really WAYYYY out behind the 3B side, the 3 dollar general seating, but that was ok because we had a blast with the FSU fans.

Comp tickets should include every game, from home to Omaha, a nice parent perk. Also, we took roommates out when the parents weren't around and the same went for son. You learn to take care of each other's kids. We had one mom that did serious taligate every weekend for out of town parents you were "guests".

Good travel trips, I used to book in advance, because you can cancel at anytime. You can call the team hotel in advance and they might give a team rate, but sometimes our AAA or AARP rate was better.
We stayed at the team hotels because we rarely saw son, but in reality we didn't see him much, except at breakfast or sometimes if a late game at lunch. The only time we didn't was at conference play, these guys stayed in hotels that we couldn't afford even with discount, and the HSBBW has an option here you can use, and Julie gets credit for it, a good cause.

When in town for games we stayed at the same hotel, not that it was cheaper, but after awhile the point accumulation on their point program(Honors) got us free stays or free nights. Hotels with breakfast is a good deal. However, keep in mind that college ball is serious stuff, a loss on the road usually meant a very somber stay in the same hotel.

This is an exciting time, as well as a poignant one and nervous one for many.

I wish your sons a great season, whether it be the first or the last, always remember to "enjoy"!

TPM

Fillsfan,

It's a very nice outdoor shopping mall. (About 15 minutes from our home.) It's where we go to the movies. There are several good restaurants, but we like Grillsmith and Abuelos. I also like Fish City for a nice lunch. You have a very convenient location for quite a number of those fields.

FOG,

My son plays for Trinity (Tx). I am in SoCal....

One other tip for lowering your travel costs is to use Priceline for car rentals. You have to pay for them in advance but you can get a nice size car for around $12-19/day when you bid your own price and prepay, if you are on a multiday trip you can save a ton of $$.

Thanks for the info. You both gave helpful tips.

My toughest buy was airfare. Flights to Orlando and Tampa were selling out quickly and the price increased almost daily. Wound up flying into Ft Myers and out of Orlando

I use a pup tent and a six-pack of Milwaukee's Best.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
[... and the HSBBW has an option here you can use, and Julie gets credit for it, a good cause...

TPM

Where is this option? Would love to have Julie get credit if possible.

quote:

Originally posted by keewart:

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
[... and the HSBBW has an option here you can use, and Julie gets credit for it, a good cause...

TPM

Where is this option? Would love to have Julie get credit if possible.

The info is on the main page, hotwire, I don'tknow the code, you may want to contact Julie (MN-Mom) on specifics.

http://hsbaseballweb.com/message_boards.htm

OK more travel tips now that we have started this. Hands down the best site for looking for cheap airfares.

http://www.hipmunk.com/

They do not have Southwest so you have to go to their site directly. Southwest is great if you are where they fly. You can book a ticket, if you see it cheaper later, just rebook and they will credit your account the difference. If you cancel then you just get a credit for the next trip. They also load and get going in 1/2 the time it takes some of the others.

It is best to start looking for fares on Tuesday morn - Weds as these are the best days to book a flight. You will get the best fare about 6 weeks out. I start looking a couple of months out and then check daily. The airline industry is very transparent and you will see fares fluctuate quite a bit.

BOF,

Do they video stream the home games?

We made the trip to Texas last year to Rice.We tok a train.LOOOONG trip that way.

FOG thank goodness they do! I have their first home game bookmarked for next weekend. We are going down for the second weekend so we can get in 6 games as they have a midweek three game series.

Train...OMG, Southwest is much quicker (and cheaper) Rice, what a great school!

I for sure meet you at the UCLA, Dodger Stadium game. Think we will have quite a HSBBW group there.

quote:

I for sure meet you at the UCLA, Dodger Stadium game. Think we will have quite a HSBBW group there.

Should be a fun time.

Yes train ride was not fun to Texas.Miles and miles,and miles and.... of cactus and flat land.

But Rice was a good experience and got to watch Anthony Rendon play and that was fun.

Best of luck to your son.Trinity is always very competitive.Enjoy the season.

quote:

OK more travel tips now that we have started this. Hands down the best site for looking for cheap airfares. http://www.hipmunk.com/

BOF,

That is an awesome travel tool. Never heard of it before. It may impress the wife as we're starting to mnake flight arrangements for some of the conference games. I have to weight when to use airline points vs pay for flights, so this is really useful.

First game is Home this Friday at 6:00PM! Can't believe that the season is begining...already I don't want it to end.

Kind of tough, I had three sons and two daughters that played into High School, two sons and one daughter through High School and one in College now, as a senior.

Our life schedule used to revolve around baseball and softball schedules, now I am down to my oldest son's final college season...

I am excited to be able to watch him play this year, but the emotion of the realization that this era of my life is closing just leaves me choked up inside.

Hope everyone throughly enjoys this time in our lives, watching our kids play ball is a privilege denied many.

quote:

Hope everyone throughly enjoys this time in our lives, watching our kids play ball is a privilege denied many.

I feel for your floridafan, as I've said many times! But, I'm also vicariously proud for you having been able to see your kids compete. We keep saying how lucky we are because we do KNOW it to be so!

We start with a double header Saturday; weather forecast for rain all weekend though so keeping my fingers crossed AND hoping mine will see some action.

GM1 Friday @ 2pm, GM2 & GM3 Saturday and GM4 on Sunday. As a freshman dad, I am overwhelmed by the feeling of happiness, some relief, a little fear, and a bit of anxiety. I took of my rose-colored glasses and put on these !

It's all good! GED10DaD

I was making my travel plans to go watch my son play this March in Arizona. I asked my daughter if she wanted to go with me but told her unfortunatley her mother could not go because of work. She told us both she was confused because she feels bad leaving mom home alone but also would feel bad if she stayed home leaving me alone on the trip. She wasn't sure what to do.

Next day at dinner she said, Mom I thought about it, and if I am going to feel bad either way, I might as well feel bad in Arizona.

I can feel the pain in your words ff. Enjoy the season, hopefully he'll get an opportunity at the next level.

62 degrees in NJ today. Son scrimmaged in short sleeves this afternoon. Outside in January in the northeast is a real bonus.

I can feel the pain in your words as well FF, but something tells me that you're going to get your baseball fix one way or another.

Best wishes to those of you that have players that begin their season this weekend! My son's team starts out on the road Feb 17-19, and we're still not sure if he's part of the travel team? Either way, I'm happy that baseball season is here!

The Mrs. and I are excited to have Opening Day tomorrow and see the team get going. Unfortunately for 17 opening day is going to be delayed a little bit with a minor lower back issue, he is day to day.

We will be cheering on Florida Fan's son and the rest of the team as they start the pursuit of the team goal - Cary, NC in May - let's get it started!

Good luck to everyone as they start their seasons/practices! The weather is great for baseball!

I have waited 2yrs for tomorrow to come.

I'm quite proud of my son and the lessons he has learned along the way and deciding to pull himself up by the bootstraps, work as hard as he ever has in baseball and the classroom to realize his dream of being back on the diamond.

I hope I get just a little bit of sleep tonite.

YGD

quote:

Originally posted by YoungGunDad:
I have waited 2yrs for tomorrow to come.

I'm quite proud of my son and the lessons he has learned along the way and deciding to pull himself up by the bootstraps, work as hard as he ever has in baseball and the classroom to realize his dream of being back on the diamond.

I hope I get just a little bit of sleep tonite.

YGD

YGD,
Best of luck to your son, we are all hoping he has a great season!
Have fun!!!!!

YGD,

Hope you enjoy watching your son play.

Hey YoungGunDad - AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

So happy to hear that your guy is going to hit the mound this year! I am really overjoyed for you!

Have a GREAT season, I expect that your son is READY!

Keep us in the loop!

My best wishes to everyone's sons who are blessed by having the opportunity to play again this Spring. I've been going through this routine for what--17 years now?--and it never gets easier. My heart and stomach at war with one another..

I'm climbing in the car Friday for the two-hour drive to see Opening Day of my son's senior season. I can't wait, but it makes me wistful knowing there's an end in sight. Like many other D2 parents, I'd would love to stretch it out with a trip to Cary.

quote:

Originally posted by YoungGunDad:
I have waited 2yrs for tomorrow to come.

I'm quite proud of my son and the lessons he has learned along the way and deciding to pull himself up by the bootstraps, work as hard as he ever has in baseball and the classroom to realize his dream of being back on the diamond.

I hope I get just a little bit of sleep tonite.

YGD

Pass along our best wishes to Josh!!

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I'm waiting on my Dad to get here so we can pull out. Looks really nice out with a light wind. But blue skies. Suppose to be 60+ after lunch! I'm telling myself to just drive slow and take it easy, especially with my Dad in the car. If he falls asleep for one second, I'm flooring it! LOL.

I also wish all you guys that son's are beginning the season today best of luck. I hope the rain holds off for tomorrow for all our sakes. I think we're actually squeezing in 2 games today now because of the possible weather.

YGD

Ken - Have a GREAT Day! All my best to Josh, stay strong!

We are heading out around 2 for our game. We should arrive early enough to watch BP.

Closer to the 80's down here!