East Tennessee State University

There are a few forum members with ties to ETSU. Maybe some of them will chime in.

As far as the town goes, Johnson City is not huge, but there are typical college hangouts and plenty of places to eat, shop, etc.

Johnson City is situated in a beautiful area and is a short drive to a lot of outdoor activities via mountains and lakes (if you like that sort of thing).

If your son has interest from any school in Texas, I would advise him to stay in Texas. Also, as you are looking for schools, do not even consider a school that does not have an ACTUAL pitching coach. Big mistake on our part. It's like the movie Stripes, where the sergant was blown up and the troops had to train themselves. At ETSU, your son will be teaching himself to pitch.

I could write a book about our son's experiences at ETSU. If we had it to do over again, I would heed the advice I was given during my son's senior year. I talked to guys who had a son playing there and they told me, "You will be sorry if you let your son play here. Look at other schools." This had nothing to do with the school, the academics, or the area.
ETSU has not had a winning season in conference play in the past seven or eight years. Also, don't expect to see any scouts at the field, unless they are there to see someone from the opposing team.

Hope this helps.

playersdad

Sometimes it makes sense to take a scholarship at a school that has not been winning---it can mean immediate playing time---they want to stop losing


I do not believe in the theory that you have to attend a Top 10 school, especially if you are not a draft type player. The glasses you wear cloud your thoughts


I learned this from my son---you are never too old to learn--when he chose his school he told me they have not finished above the basement in years---they need help---and he was right

Lhpdad....
send me a pm and I will give you my view point. I live in JC and son started 4 years as a pitcher and
is playing in the Tampa Bay system. ETSU had 5 players drafted last year.

Jolly Roger

Jolly Roger:
You have A PM

I played for Coach Skole at ETSU for 4 years. And I can not say anything bad about the program. I had the time of my life in Johnson City. Yes, he will push you and challenge you. Playing there is not a cake walk. ETSU is an up and coming program. They had a young team this year and had a great signing class. So the next few years look very bright. If your son follows direction and doesnt give up he will become a better player and have a great chance of getting drafted. Coach Skole turned my career around and I owe a lot to him. I currently play in one of the best minor league systems and you hear the same stuff here that I did there. It just comes down to the individual player wanting to buy into the system. Hope this helps you and your son.

baseball16
Thanks so much for the feedback.

ETSU may not be the best program in this state, but it certainly a respectable one. The school is the biggest institution in the ASUN conference, they usually play a competitive, non-conference schedule, and were one win away from securing a NCAA tournament birth in 2006.
Yes, Coach Skole is a tough coach, but also a very knowledgable one, too. To reiterate what Jolly Roger posted, ETSU has had several players drafted in years' past and is likely to have 1 or 2 drafted in this years' draft. As the old addage goes, you CANNOT hide talent. East Tennessee State is in the process of securing their own on campus,baseball stadium. Right now, they play in the spacious confines of the historic Cardinal Park. As far as Johnson City is concerned, it is a great college town with lots to do (more than one might think).
LHPDAD, I would at least check the school out, take a tour,speak with the coach, and then make an informed decison based on what YOU have experienced.

Played in JC in the Appalacian League for 2 seasons. Played against Terry Pendleton, Vince Coleman, Danny Cox, Stan Javier and a few others that eventually played in the big leagues there in JC. I enjoyed playing there and the town was nice. Not sure how that pertains the ETSU, but I thought I'd chime in on this one!!