Freshman Year Adjustments

Ok, I will chime in!
My son was so ready for going out on his own, that was not an issue. He chose a college a couple of hours away from home in a big city.
His dorm was more like a resort and he and his roomates (eight in all) left the door open whenever they were there, having Guitar Hero contests, Madden, you name it, everything was a contest with any and all who would enter. Party central.
His grades were not stellar that first semester.

Guess what? STUDY HALL. Need I say more??? Who wants to be in STUDY HALL when everyone else is free? Guess you have to maintain your goals right?

Went to play summer ball 2,000 miles from home, no worries - host family, you know security.
Nope, four guys living in a crummy apartment with no internet/cable, nothing, sleeping on air matresses. After he took care of the internet problem things got better, baseball everyday, guys were treated really well baseball wise.
At first, I was freaking out to some other posters about some stuff that was going on, that I felt adults should have been involved in, but part of this whole process is to see how the guys react to different situations, how they handle themselves and solve problems. I believe the experience was by far more enriching than I ever thought possible.
Life experience is what it takes to become a man and shape a good friend, father, brother and citizen.

Like all of you, we helped our son move into the dorm the weekend before school started. Before we were finished his phone rang. It was one of the coaches. "We're down at the bubble lifting. Come join us."

We didn't see him again until Thanksgiving really except for a couple of days at the end of the fall formal intrasquad scrimmages.

He was fortunate to have played some summer ball with a two or three other players that were on the team. That helped a rather shy kid make the transition to college.

They started working out early AM right away with physical fitness. It was difficult as expected. One returning redshirt player recovering from an injury didn't make it through the workouts and quit. I had expected him to be a starter. Later at the appropriate time they began the baseball practices. They had a regular and predictable practice schedule.

During the couple of days at the fall intrasquad series, I tried to determine the final roster and who the starters would be. It was fascinating to me to see how talented the players were and wondered if my son would fit in.

I learned that my son had not passed a body fat percentage test and had been getting up an hour earlier and running three miles BEFORE the AM practice..........

He did pretty well in school that fall, I think primarily because of the 8 hours per week of study hall.

There were some boys that missed study hall and they paid with a 100 yard sprint running session daily for about a week. A powerful motivator for my son to study, if you can imagine.

Near the end of the fall he was sitting in the locker room with some of the five year seniors. They were playing cards and not doing the work they were supposed to be doing. "IF YOU EXPECT TO MAKE THIS TEAM, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS SITTING WITH THOSE GUYS!"

About 10 days into the two weeks before official spring practice began he called and said, "Dad, I'm coming home." I'm not really sure how I convinced him to stay and remembered feeling really bad for pushing a little.

The pace to get prepared for the spring season steps up considerably, and, some of the older boys were aggravating my son. Not fun to tolerate along with the considerable physical fitness training and learning his position at the collegiate level.

The pitching coach had been on him every minute of the 10 days trying to get him prepared. The coach was his best ally and worst enemy and was probably understood only by my son.

There were techniques that my son had used that he had gotten away with in high school, but would no longer work in college. Blocking, learning the pitchers, and a unique way to call the pitches. Now there are hitters one through nine. Not just the four hole hitter.

He played a little in some opening games catching the last three outs after a pinch hit.

Then, a trip to Fort Worth, as near to our home as he would play. I have a large family and more than 50 of them showed up to see him. I wondered if the coach would let him play a little more, and, he did.

He played the entire game going ofer, of course, but pretty good AB's putting the ball in play.

As my son steps into the on deck circle, the person next to me just starts heckling my son to death.

I kept my mouth shut, but my sister, asked him on her way by, if he would like to meet that players dad and the rest of his family pointing to the entire section. He got up and said, "I think it's time for me to get something to eat, too" and never returned.

After the game, my brother (he was drafted many years ago and knows baseball pretty well) wanted to speak to my son to give him his critique. My son just smiled at him and blew him off after my brother suggested two or three things to work on. (Framing, blocking, and working to get strikes for the pitchers).

For the next several games over the next 10 days to two weeks, my son didn't come off the bench once.

After feeling he had done pretty well, he was getting frustrated and went to his best ally and worst enemy coach and asked, "What am I doing wrong?" "You need to work on framing, blocking, and getting strikes for my pitchers."

So, he worked hard for about another week, and still, no PT. He went to the other assistant coach. "Yes, I've been noticing that you have been working on framing, blocking, and getting strikes. I'll try to get you into the Tuesday game after this weekend and, we'll see how you do."

No PT on Tuesday and a series coming up against UT the coming weekend.

Not planning on making the first game of the UT series on time (he's not gonna get to play...), but on a mad dash to Austin during the game, my sister calls and says, 'Your son is up in the top of the ninth, we're behind, with two outs and it's a 3-2 count. A chest high fastball down the middle and STRIKE THREE to end the game. "Sit down son, that's been a strike all night"

I thought, "Well that's the end of any PT this year."

But then, the next day, another pinch hit chance with runners on 2 and 3, a sharp single to LF, and scored 2 to get us back into the game, and later, another RBI single.

Then on Tuesday two doubles off the wall and a couple of baserunners thrown out.

The following weekend in Waco a call comes from my son saying he's starting as the DH in the four-hole.

What I said would come out with asterisks here.

Here's the results of that season for him.

"A true freshman that was able to contribute some key playing time behind the plate for the Red Raiders...served as the backup to three-year starting catcher Cooper Fouts but along the way made 13 starts behind the dish and nine as the designated hitter...finished the season as one of six Red Raiders to hit over the .300 mark (.321)...posted 27 hits in 84 at-bats along with three doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI...totaled a .429 slugging percentage and a .473 on-base percentage...drew 22 walks on the year and was 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts...ended the season with seven multiple-hit/multiple-RBI games...his season long hitting streak was a four-game stretch that began on April 23rd against Kansas and ended on May 5th against Dallas Baptist...had a career day against Dallas Baptist on May 7th as he went 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored...IN THE BIG 12...made 17 appearances in conference action and earned seven starts...finished league play with a .265 batting average (9-for-34) and added five RBI...had multiple-hit games in two different contests against Nebraska (May 15th and May 25th)...posted two RBI against Oklahoma State on April 8th and Oklahoma on May 22nd"

Notice that he played behind the starting incumbent senior the entire year...............

He respected that senior catcher and that senior helped him make the transition.

He did pass all of his classes that spring.

Those seniors sitting at the card table and that best ally and worst enemy coach did not return for his sophmore season.

A young freshman catcher recruit during my son's junior year told my son that he better hope he got drafted before he showed up on campus.

That young catcher did not make it through the fall cuts...........................

Thanks for letting me reminisce.

While it is only 2+ years ago, it seems like forever.

My son loved going off to college, the school, the town, new friends and his freedom. We gave him personal atonomy as to what he could do and his life at school.

Five weeks into the first semester he called to say that he was dropping his Physics class and that he didn't want to be an engineering major. I had him consult with his advisor, the academic dean and his coaches. With their input he was down to 12 units.

As the semester went on I had no clue as to how he was doing. However, when the semester was over he found out that he failed his Calculus class for engineers (an 8AM class). The realization was that he had only completed 9 units. On top of that he had done poorly in one class and his GPA was at a point that returning to college was in question.

He calls his coach shares with him what had transpired. A quick review of NCAA rules covering elgibility and he knew that if he did not improve a grade in at least one class or he would not be playing baseball.

With a well written e-mail to his professors, he got one to agree to let him retake his final. The catch was that he needed an A on the retake to get a B or a B to get a C. With this glimmer of hope, he met with a tutor 3 hours per day for 10 days straight over Christmas.

He went back to school, retook the final and did well enough so that he met the minimum academic standards of the NCAA.

In the end, he learned a tough lesson. He almost lost what he thought was the most important to him. In the end he missed the first 2-weeks of spring practice getting his eligibility back. However, what he did get was a very valueable lesson as to what it means to be a college student and the consequences if you don't take care of business.

Baseball was realitively easy his first year. Other than a panic call one night where he confessed that he "sucked" and that he did not have enough time to play baseball, get to all classes, study, eat and get his laundry done. This feeling was realitively short lived when he called the next day to say that he had hit 2 HR's in a scrimage.

The freshman year is tough. For my son it was manageing his academics and learning what it means to be college student. I have seen others that struggle with adjustments in baseball.

In the end, it is what they learn from being challenged which helps them grow as students and ultimatly as productive adults.

Good stuff from iheartbb, FO, and ILUVBB --- good stuff!! I remember the fist thing my son said when he called after starting his freshman year of college. Dad, the head coach sure has changed a lot since he recruited me.
Fungo

Wow, this is good stuff! Thanks for all your stories. They are reassuring to a mom whose son has already encountered some bumps in the road during the first 6 weeks of school. Anyone else care to chime in?

I also know of a couple of guys (at seperate schools) who are ready and begging to come home. For the first time in their lives they are not number one, and they do not know how to handle it. Things were easy for them up to this point, not so much anymore. Neither one had any real outside interests other than baseball and are not real social. For them both it is mostly an ego adjustment - in the environment they are in now, nobody knows what kind of BMOC they were in high school, and everyone they are with now was a BMOC at their school. I Truly hope they can find something other than baseball to validate themselves. Their gut reaction has been to want to come back to where it is safe. One did a lot of showcasing, all the showcasing in the world cannot pepare you for your first year away. It has been a rude awakening for a player that constantly heard how good he was.

This is a great thread, thank you all for sharing your stories of freshman year. Son is 6 weeks into his freshman year and so far no huge pitfalls (that we know of).

He went up to school about a week early at the invitation of some older players that he met on is official visit. They invited him to stay with them in their house and help with a charity golf tourney (Natalie Gulbus was playing- a huge lure for an 18 yr old). Anyway it was nice for him to have some bonding time with teammates before things got too hectic. They talked to him about how hard freshman year is to adjust but it gets easier.

He loves his team, coaches, school, and roommate. But, midterms are coming up so we'll see how he's adjusted to college academics.

So far the impression I get is that he is being mentored by the older player at his position and all the guys seem to be very welcoming. The coaches are really approachable and son seems to be learning from them and liking them alot.

Fall ball/lifting weights/study hall/classes/homework don't leave him much extra time but he's really happpy. I only wish he'd call more......

So in our case, so far it's great overall. But, I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:
Good stuff from iheartbb, FO, and ILUVBB --- good stuff!! I remember the fist thing my son said when he called after starting his freshman year of college. Dad, the head coach sure has changed a lot since he recruited me.
Fungo

Honeymoon was over early , huh?

FO I enjoyed your post.

My son's biggest adjustment was realizing that college classwork was way different than HS. You have to study and not daydream in studyhall (required first sememster), use your time wisely. Work hard and you get released from study hall second semester, mess up anytime and you are back again. Great incentive to do your work. He was going to school to get an education AND play baseball, not the other way around. it took a semester to realize that. As much as he hated study all, it became a regular for him, to study quietly or seek assistance when needed.
In late september freshman fall, I got a call from his academic advisor, son was not doing as well as expected (though I had prior discussions with dave about failing some early quizes). They had loaded him with 18 credits as a freshman because of his GPA and SAT in HS. He set forth a plan for him to improve, which included speaking to each professor if he didn't understand the material or what he could do to improve his grades (extra class work) and use the resources proviede to student athletes. The day after finals, I received another phone call from him, son missed a 3.0 by one tenth of a point. He was so proud of the progress and felt he was over the academic hump. I hitnk that his competitive nature helped with his classroom success and made ACC academic for a few sememsters after that (4) plus preisdents honor role. He loved that recognition even more than recognition for baseball.

Now for baseball adjustments, understand that most of our kids have been through it and survived.

Attending a big school with many distractions and learning about your priorities is important for success on and of the field. Understand that while you may have a coach that gets a report on you every 3 weeks from the academic advisor, they pretty much can't control what you do off of the field. But after a few weeks of freedom of living on your own, they find the balance or they won't survive (ineligible).

Another big adjustment for son was that he never failed on the field. First season he forgot how to throw strikes , and I remember at one point he called to come home also (i can relate FO). But he had a great pitching coach who never took the ball away, in fact kept giving it to him and worked with him and his confidance. This is NORMAL to want to give up. It happens to everyone, sometimes early on, sometimes the second or third season. His coaches were tough, but a lot of it was a lot of tough love, they cared very much about him and he liked that it wasn't just all about the game for them. These periods come and go, but after teh first year, the player seems to be able to adjust on his own without help from teh coaches. besides, you are now OLDER and more wiser than teh new guys, you got to be a good example. BTW, most of my son's friends were older teamamtesa and they provided great advice and models for him, so that worked in his favor. They watched over him and he did the same for others as he got older.

His pitching coach told me something once, the bumps in the road are so normal, he often worries about those that don't have the bumps, because when it happens all h*ll can break loose and some don't recover from the failure. He taught son well. You learn from your failures not your successes. We did the same, but it seems more convincing coming from someone who becomes your teacher,mentor and confidant.

Our reactions to the struggels became that of concern and being a good listener. We never told him what to do unless he asked, he was at a point in his life where he had to figure things out on his own. One thing about son, you may find with yours as well, he will never accept excuses (which we as parents often give thinking that this makes them feel better) he takes full reponsibility and finds ways to correct what's wrong. We saw that more evident his last year at school. I am sure he had some great advice, but it didn't come from us.

Your son will have practices and games when he is on top of the world and other times he feels like he's hit the bottom of the pit. You as a parent have to learn to go with the flow because this is how it is. Learn to listen, that's really all they want, and learn not to pry, when they want their space.
You think the ride ends after they sign, nope, it's just beginning.

Bum, Jr. has been adjusting fine to campus life (he's an incoming freshman) and the older kids on the team have been great in that they are teaching him and showing him what it will take to be successful at the D1 level. He's already mentally tough and very coachable but I'm glad he's continuing to do the right things after he has left home.. he's been working hard in class, shadowing the seniors in the weight room, and learning what it takes to get outs at this level.

His first fall scrimmage was an eye-opener. He K'd the first two guys and got out of the first inning easily. The second inning, I'm guessing his adrenaline took effect.. he said he was pumped as it was his first showing.. he gave up a hit, walked a guy, hit a batter, then gave up a grand slam on a change up low and away. Welcome to D1 baseball!

He's making the necessary adjustments. Last outing was a lot better--no walks and 4 k's in three innings with two runs allowed. I think it's just a matter of time until he finds how to pitch to these guys. It's all about experience. Oh..and he rang the bell in a scrimmage game (hit 90). I'll admit I was personally jacked about that. Overall I'd say it has been challenging and exciting for him.

I enjoy these stories.

Sons freshman fall was outstanding, he did so well he was ranked 9th best freshman in the country that year. It gets eaier to keep pitching to the same players day in and day out and the pitchers often get the upper hand.

THEN, season begins and you pitch to guys you've never pitched to before, some of them the best hitters in your conference, some the best in the country.

Then the real ride begins.

Same thing for hitters, the very good ones figure out the pitchers who are pitching to them for weeks in practice, sometimes they get the upper hand. They adjust well. Then after trying to hit 90+ FB all fall, they encounter the low 80 guys and there goes the timing. Same for teh guys hitting the low 80 guys well, now they get thrown teh 90+ FB and can't handle it.

The winners (pitchers and hitters) are the ones who learn to adjust to all situations.

My son is about 3 months into his freshman year. Coming from a small town and going to a large school, it seemed best to let him acclimate himself to it during summer school. Figured fewer people and long days would allow him to learn the campus, learn the ins and outs and also prepare himself physically for what he would endure once fall session began. It was money well spent! Alot of his teammates were there for summer school so when he walked in during the fall, he already knew most of his teammates as well as alot of other students.

During the fall, he has really had to learn time management, but seems to be doing alright with it. Study time hasn't been a problem as he is required to spend at least 9 hours a week in study hall. 15 class hours, along with 6am lifting and 3 o'clock practices don't leave alot of time for anything else, thus weekends are spent on campus and not at home. (social time you know!)

Like others have said, baseball wise it is an everyday adjustment. No more batting practice or infield work, everything is pitching and PFP. That was a big adjustment for him. First intrasquad, 6 batters, 3 K's, 2 popups and a flyout. Next outing, 2 pitches gives up a jack and then the rains ended practice. I told him to think of it as a closer and he just blew a save, game over. LOL

I think the biggest adjustment has been for me. I miss coming home from work and changing clothes and heading to the batting cage. I miss arguing over what pitch was just thrown on TV. I just plain miss my son!

My son has adapted to his independence very well, college life, athletically, academically, and socially seem to agree with him very well.

Kevin11,
So what's stopping you from coming home from work, changing and heading over to the cages?

Glad to hear your player is doing well!

Big Kev I know how you feel buddy. I miss my son as well. Like Josh is your best friend Jeff is mine. We spent so much time together its really tough. Hey you can move down here and we can fish , hunt and hang out. How's that? Seriously I have never met a finer young man than your son. Not only is he a very talented baseball player he is a gem of a young man. You are very lucky to have him for a son.

Coach,
Thank you for the compliments! And right back at you. We are both very lucky in the amount and quality of time we've got to spend with our sons. I guess that may have something to do with how they turned out, our maybe they turned out great despite us.

I can't think of anything I would rather do than move to Stem and fish everyday with a great friend. Can we go get fried bologna and egg and cheese biscuits every morning at that grocery store?

I hope things are going equally well for Jeff! You need to call me sometime when you have a minute and we can talk. I tried to catch you in the chat room the other day but missed you. I am off to UT today to watch their first Orange and White game. Maybe we can get up tomorrow and brag about our boys and catch up.

TPM,
All is not lost! I actually had 2 young men come by my office yesterday and ask if I would start working with them at the cage and field!

WOW!

What a great thread! Great stories!
I'm missing my 09 son and he hasn't even left yet (another 10 months).
We are leaving in an hour for a tournament at East Cobb, Georgia and after reading this thread I am really going to enjoy this weekend.

Maybe Jim Croce was on to something with his "Saving time in a bottle"???

Come on you guys, you're making me jealous. Son is in bedroom with girlfriend, we haven't done anything together in years except fight. I thought I did all the right things taking him to his games, etc. Home every day from work, don't smoke or drink.

Where did I go wrong????

Enjoy your time together, time passes so quickly.

You didn't do anything wrong, your son's head and hormones are just in a different place right now, which is in his bedroom with is girlfriend!

Not all children remain very attached with their folks when the HS years arrive. I fought with my daughter constantly, and now we are best friends, very close, that's just the way it is sometimes.

Unfortunately my son's freshman year from a baseball standpoint has not been what he or his mother and I expected. My son played HS BB in the Northeast and was the starting SS for his high school team and for his travel team. He had a few of solid offers. One from a DII school (with scholarship) but school didn't offer the academic program he wanted. The other school, D III that strongly recruited him had a so so baseball program. Most of all both schools were in the NE and my son wanted to play in the south so he could play more games and be outside more often (basically not stuck in a gym all winter). The third was from a DIII program in NC that saw him play at a showcase. Coach was very high on him and strongly recruited him. Since this school had the academics and a strong BB program this is where we decided he would go. The coach was thrilled. At the September meeting my son learned that fall baseball was actually a fall tryout. Once the so called "try outs" began it now dawned on him that the coach had brought in six other middle infielders and there were 60 players in all. Due to a hamstring injury that happened during the summer his chance at a middle infield position went away almost immediately. His only shot now at "making" the team came about as a pitcher and that shot has now basically come and gone even though he performed fairly well during the weeks of scrimmages. I know this is a long recap and I know I've also not written everything but I'm trying to give as quick a background as I can. At this point my son is crushed and feels he has lost all opportunity to play college ball (especially since he had other solid offers and let them go). We never expected a "tryout" nor was this ever explained by the coach for recruited players. My son was also not the only one this happened to and to his credit he has spoken with the coach about all of this but hasn't gotten too far, other than the fact the school has a JV squad. Tough to play on DIII JV when you were good enough to play D II. At this point he wants out of the school, even if it means he never plays again. My question now though is how do we go about finding another program at this point? Also even if we find a school is it possible to transfer and still play this spring? Any ideas suggestions?

koosman, I am so sorry about the rough start your son has endured in college. It must have been extremely disappointing not only to him but also to you, his parents, when you realized that his roster spot was not guaranteed.

As the mom of a college freshman, I will defer to more experienced parents to guide you through the maze of identifying transfer opportunities. However, I encourage you to ask fairly specific questions when you are evaluating other programs.

My son strongly considered two programs when he was being recruited and we asked both head coaches about him being guaranteed a spot on the team not just for the first year, but for all 4 years.

Coach #1 was very vague with his answer. Sure enough, he has 41 on his roster this year, meaning he will have to cut at least 6 from the team by January to conform to the new NCAA regulations.

Coach #2 replied that our son would never be cut from the team, apart from academic or off-the-field issues. He currently has 34 on his roster and, to my knowledge, every player has been guaranteed a spot on the team.

Different coaches do things differently and I encourage you to respectfully ask pointed questions so there are no unhappy surprises at your son's next school.

Best wishes as you sort through his options.

Jim Croce is fine, but I'd rather get my sentimental groove on with RUSH.

Time Stand Still

I turn my back to the wind
To catch my breath,
Before I start off again
Driven on,
Without a moment to spend
To pass an evening
With a drink and a friend

I let my skin get too thin
Id like to pause,
No matter what I pretend
Like some pilgrim --
Who learns to transcend --
Learns to live
As if each step was the end

Time stand still --
Im not looking back
But I want to look around me now
See more of the people
And the places that surround me now

Freeze this moment
A little bit longer
Make each sensation
A little bit stronger
Experience slips away...

I turn my face to the sun
Close my eyes,
Let my defences down --
All those wounds
That I cant get unwound

I let my past go too fast
No time to pause --
If I could slow it all down
Like some captain,
Whose ship runs aground --
I can wait until the tide
Comes around

Make each impression
A little bit stronger
Freeze this motion
A little bit longer
The innocence slips away...

Summers going fast --
Nights growing colder
Children growing up --
Old friends growing older
Experience slips away...

Thanks for the comments. The funny thing is that when we were looking at schools we thought we were very careful with what each coach was telling us. We also looked at a scenario where we wanted him at a school that he could continue at, if he were injured which is why we ruled out the first school. We just didn't look forward and realize that a minor injury could keep him from playing varsity college baseball. We knew the school he chose would be more of a challenge but it was to be a challenge to start, not to be on the team. Again we thought we asked the right questions, we're just not sure we got the correct answers. We will deal with this though. Thanks again for your comments.

KM there is absolutely nothing you can do to gaurentee a spot on a roster except out play the other guy in the eyes of the coach. You can ask all the questions you want and you will get answers that suit your needs but the reality is that nothing is quarenteed.
We have been discussing this for ever. Every guy who shows up except a few were the studs on their HS and travel teams. Even great performances don't always equate into a roster spot or playing time.
1st I would have your son talk to the coach and see if he would have a chance next year. If not then start looking for another college. Your son may have to sit but I am not sure on D111. He is young enough that the year won't be too long and he can get some credits and possible work in to save some money. If it is that important I would look into a transfer as soon as possible. The AD could tell you more about the transfer.

Koosman,
Welcome to the HSBBW.
I agree with BHD, there is nothing you can do to guarantee a spot on any roster but show up and be ready to compete, no matter if there are 2 or 6 that you have to compete against. It happens to everyone, even those with very good scholarships.
It took my son two years to get to be a weekend starter. So this is just not limited and frustrating for position players. You can ask my friend Justbaseball about that.

Yes, our sons circumstances most likely were different, but in HS mine was the "ace" for his HS as well as his travel team, yet found it very difficult to win that position in college. And he knew how difficult it would be. I know how your son must feel, for mine it was tough to be a relief pitcher when he always were a starter. And there were some very, very good pitchers on his team who were the top dogs in HS, only to earn a few innings, their first, even second year.

Your son came in with an injury. Coaches want their players coming into the fall healthy. I am assuming that if your son was healthy he would have had a better chance, this is not the coaches fault. I am thinking that if it was my player, take a JV position as a pitcher and work for a spot on the varsity squad, if this was where he wanted to go to school. I am not so sure that looking to go play somewhere else is ALWAYS the solution. Very rarely do freshman get starting positions, anywhere.

I am not sure if you realized that D3 schools, with no athletic scholarships, can and will invite as many as they feel necessary to try out for their team. I was told the reason for this was because, like JUCO's, they are never really sure who will or who will not show up. This also is not uncommon for many D1 programs, even with giving out scholarships. There are a lot of players who want to play college baseball and not enough positions. And from what I have learned, very few opportunities in baseball are just handed to you, if you are a top talented player, you have to work hard to prove that, if you are average, you have to work very hard to show that you can compete with the best.

I understand your son being upset, however, considering that he did sustain an injury, why not take the opportunity to let it heal and take what has been offered. Think of it this way, he may just be a good enough pitcher to find his way onto the varsity rotation and there are many more pitchers needed than any other position. Or he may just prove, if he workd hard enough that he won't have to "try out" next year for a roster spot.

BHD and TPM thanks for the info. You both seem like you have has a great deal of experience with this and I appreciate your input. We have talked about the same thing in terms of his health.He does plan to talk to the coach again. Based on the academics of the school our first choice is for him to stay and work through this. In every way this school is a great fit for him. I'm still not sure I agree with all of the recruiting practices, but that's behind us now and we need to move forward. Still if transfer is the way we go we will look into. I'll take you up BHD on talking to the AD. Thanks.

Koosman,
If your son chose the educational program over baseball, that is important. And that might be an important point to think about. I don't know what your son's goals are, but most do not play after teh college level. But it is his choice.

I know some may not agree with me on that.

Remember, it's pretty hard to go try to find another place to play asap when you actually haven't played yet.

koosman,
This is an unfortunate situation, but let's look at the easy stuff first. From the NCAA eligibility point of view, it is possible to transfer mid-year, and be eligible this spring. That's true for D3 and D2. He does need to stay academically eligible. He needs to get permission from his current school to speak to other schools (and before he talks to them!) He also needs to get a transfer release from his present school. Some D3 schools use their sports programs as a way to augment their enrollment, and the existence of a JV baseball team is perhaps indicative of that practice. So his current school possibly may be resistant to permitting a transfer.

You can download the NCAA manuals for each division and read the details of how to transfer and retain baseball eligibility. There is also a NCAA Transfer Guide, but the download link is broken at the moment. A caution: you should check transfer eligibility more closely if he actually does decide to transfer. The opinions on an Internet message board--even this one --aren't necessarily correct. Call the NCAA.

The hard part is how to find a spot. Think about your son's present school. If a player wanted to transfer in mid-year sight-unseen, what's the likelihood that he could get a roster spot? If your son transfers, he needs to identify a school with a noticeably weaker baseball program in order to even have an opportunity to crack the roster this spring. On the other hand, if he stays at his present school, plays well (once healthy) on the JV team, he'll have the exposure to perhaps make the varsity team next year. He would also have the opportunity to transfer next fall. At least by playing JV this spring, he would keep his baseball skills sharp.

Still at the start of this first year business so I hope to have more news about it later. My observations are:
1) Going away to college is a life event which has significant emotional reverberations. They know and we know that they have launched -- and that puts us all on uncertain ground. I know the dates of vacation and how ofter he will be home but there is no doubt that life is different for all of us.
2) The academic challenge is a great eye opener. Good grades and standardized tests became somewhat easy in high school. Reading about, discussing and balancing the societal importance of significant scientific advances (like the genome project) expose our students to a whole new level of critical thinking.
3) TPM's words about the bumps in the road are priceless. I find it hard that I am not able to watch with my own eyes so that I can try to evaluate for myself whether this is a bump or a mountain. But that is why we have to trust the coaches.
4)I am so sorry to hear about the horror story of an injured freshman. My son's experience at a Northesast DIII has been the opposite. The words used by the coach in the recruiting process seems to be consistent with what is going on now in the Fall. Son loves teammates. ALL players vets and Frosh are among the best people he has ever played with.
5) Miss him? When I walked downstairs to turn on the MLB playoffs and found wife and daughters watching "Project Runway" I knew I was in big trouble! On a serious note, I miss him much more than I had anticipated.

Before my son went to college I hardly ever saw him. Usually took him to his BB, BKTB and other events but he was hardly ever home.
I have seen him play in college once in 3 years except last year on video and stream and I would like to forget that.
I will be leaving on the 16th to watch the fall WS for the 1st time in his SR year. He has been asking us to come so I can't miss it. I am not big on exhibition games but I am looking forward to seeing him. We talk almost evry night and if I don't talk to him I spend at least an hour talking to his girl friend. I find out a lot more from her than my son. They will both be here for Xmas and we saw them for a few eeks here over the summer.
My wife and I are quite happy empty nesters.

quote:

At this point my son is crushed and feels he has lost all opportunity to play college ball (especially since he had other solid offers and let them go). We never expected a "tryout" nor was this ever explained by the coach for recruited players.

koosman - welcome to the hsbbweb - I feel your pain. Although it sounds like minds have been made up, let me suggest an alternative path - especially in light of the fact this school satisfies his academic requirements.

Every position at the collegiate level is a tryout. It makes no difference whether there are two recruited all-american kids in front of you or six other guys who may be there on a whim. The numbers are not the issue, talent is. Since your son has an injury, he might not have a great claim to a roster spot at this time. Maybe his first obligation is to get himself healthy before worrying about a roster spot. After getting his health back, encourage him to go out and earn a spot on the team. If water jugs need carried, then carry them. If fields need raked, then rake them. If balls need shagged, then shag them. Be the first guy at every practice and the last guy to leave. Be the guy that shows the biggest improvement in the weight room. Be the guy that shows the biggest improvement in his sixty yard dash time and his arm strength and his fielding abilities. Learn how to be the best hitter on the team. Learn how to be the leader of the team. These things might not pay off in the short run, but over time and based on your description of him as a player, I believe they will. Nothing is more satisfying than when they overcome these things.

I remember a Funny Freshman Fall phone call from son "I'm so sore I can't even sit on a toilet!"

Nothing like 1000's of reps of squats, lunges, stadium sprints and running at the college level. Although he had come to school in relative good condition, this year he is better prepared. No problemo!

I know that you cant redshirt at D3 schools, BUT I do believe there can bean exception for a medical redshirt and then you dont burn a year of elgibility at a D3. Look into it , it can happen.

Thanks again to everyone for offering information and advice. Double Eagle, Glad to hear your experience has been different. One of the things I needed, was to hear opinions of others, especially those that have more experience at this than I do. We sometimes get caught up in our own situation that we lose sight of what is actually happening and can happen, down the road. We will continue urging him to stay and work this out especially since he likes the school, has developed great friendships, including those on the team and he likes the area. He has always found his way on the field because of his talent, hard work and attitude. His talent with the injury may have taken a hit (and his attitude off the field may have suffered because of it)but the other two components on the field remain strong. With the injury playing a large part of what has gone on, playing JV in the spring in front of the coach may not have been our number one preference, initially but it is not the worst position to be in where we sit now. If he decides to stay though we will continue to keep all options open and either way we will also pursue Summer Ball options though not exactly sure where to start.

I do have a question though on a couple of other comments mentioned and I'm not sure if this is the place to ask or maybe another thread, but let me ask. Based on these two quotes that follow (as found on the message board) what is the reality of try outs for recruited players at most colleges?

ClevelandDad writes:

quote:

Every position at the collegiate level is a tryout. It makes no difference whether there are two recruited all-american kids in front of you or six other guys who may be there on a whim.

hokieone writes: (From Ask About Colleges Thread- CNU)

quote:

They do not over-recruit; walk-ons occasionally make it, but as best I can recall, only 2 total during the past three seasons. Recruited players don't go through tryouts.

Thanks.

Koosman,

At D III level, there are schools such as my son's, where recruited players don't try out and get a roster spot for the first year (after that, they have to make it on performance but almost all do); there are also schools that have huge tryouts for most everyone-some seem to let players know in advance, others don't. There are I'm sure lots of schools in between the two extremes. It's all about doing the homework on various colleges, but it's isn't possible to learn everything in advance and you can do everything right and still end up with a bad experience.

If your son likes the school, perhaps get healthy and try out again next year. He still has three years left, maybe 4 with a medical redshirt.

Mid-year transfers are doable at D III, but it'd take a pretty impressive knock the socks off January to earn PT immediately over the guys the coaches saw all fall, with the exception of pitchers, always in demand everywhere. Cleveland dad is correct, it is all about performance as far as playing time goes. Baseball is cruel-no free substitution as with football and basketball, so opportunities may not come often and if missed, may not re-occur too soon. Every guy on the field has 2-3 others hopeful of winning his spot away. That's just the nature of the game.

Younggun has been gone now coming up on 2 months.

He has learned VERY quickly that the Professor's actually DO talk with the Coaches on a regular basis!

It is quite frustrating to not actually know HOW he is doing in his classes so all I can do is trust him when he says he is doing fine. He knows that he must be eligible this fall to play next spring.

The most valuable thing he has learned is that he has a Coach who does genuinely care about his well-being off the field. This takes a LOT of anxiety off of Dad and mom!

Like Coach and Kev, I miss my son tremendously. I didn't realize the adjustment that I too would be making during this time. It's hard I admit. But at the same time I am enjoying watching him grow into his independence and how to make wise decisions. I know more "bumps" will come, but in those, he will grow. His Coach will make sure of it I am most certain!

Fall practice ends officially this week and he is ready for the break! He has been going strong since last January and needs some down time.

College freshman son is home for a few days of his fall break. He made it through fall ball, worked hard, had a great time, and thinks he has started on the huge learning curve known as college baseball.

I can already see some signs of newfound maturity after only 2 months of college. He loves his team and says they all get along and have great chemistry. The older players seem to be mentoring the younger guys on and off the field. It sure seems like this is a great fit, academic and athletic.

He did say some of the conditioning was the most difficult running he's ever done. Between 6:30 am weight lifting, class 8-12, practice with older player at his position for an hour before team practice 2-5pm, study hall and a night class his days were filled. He managed to nap sometimes and eat sometimes and is absolutely loving it.

So the first of many hurdles is over. I know it won't always be smooth sailing but this has been a great way to start his college experience.

CABB,
Nice to hear he is off to a good start.
Fall ball is already over? We just began offical team practice/inter squad on Monday.
What do they do after he comes back, more conditioning?

I love that we can share what's going on with our FY's. It really helps me, knowing there are commonalities among most freshman in terms of what they have to deal with on and off the field.

My son has been on a 'I love it!' and 'I'm lonely' rollercoaster which seems to be getting better. He has done very well on the mound, but is having a harder time finding his social niche off the field. He is learning to be more outgoing, but it's tough at times. Classes are going well.

I remember my freshman year, leaving Michigan for Washington State University, where I knew absolutely no one, and just feeling very disconnected for awhile. Second half of FY things were much better, and sophomore year was probably the best year of my life.......so hoping he follows that common pattern of finding one's way at college.

I love the topic!! This fall my son had a brief period(a couple of days) of "I am not sure I can hang" coupled with the famous "they love the older guys I will never get to play" syndrome after some poor workouts. A couple of TLC phone calls and solid bullpens and have not heard anything since except I love the college and my team!! Thank God because those 12am phone calls will do you in!!!

Son did the summer school/workouts. That 6-weeks gave him a little idea what to expect for school and some time to get comfortable and meet a few of the older guys that didn't go away to play ball. He learned that he is actually at school(college not high) and he needs to take care of business before playing. Walked away with two classes done, some tough lessons learned and ready for fall workouts. A good investment of time and money!

He says he has never had such a demanding schedule as he had during fall workouts! 5:30am lifting 4 days a week, afternoon running 3 days per week, catching 10 bullpens per week, 1 skills day and 3 sessions of hitting. 13 units and 5 evenings of tutoring including Sunday. Welcome to college baseball!

Had their first inter-squads yesterday and today. Had a very good first day and was rewarded with starting again today but at a different position. They said they want to get him more at bats and are looking if he can play a 2nd position. Needs to borrow fielders glove because he doesn't own one.

The calls this week were much better! But as in baseball and life I am sure we will have a few more of those TLC calls in the future. Coming home tomorrow for the 1st time in 3 months. I am not sure who is more excited about the trip, him or me!

quote:

"they love the older guys I will never get to play"

That is a formiddable hurdle.

The incumbent gets every opportunity to fail while the challenger has to outperform the incumbent.

It is a very fascinating process as you watch your son transition from challenger, to incumbent, and become a major contributor to the team.

A far less daunting process at a juco than a four year school.

Nice post, catchersdad08.

catchersdad08,
What your son is experienceing is not unusual for first year players.
Former Observer's statement is so very true, and this is essentially what baseball is about on any level. The young players do have much to learn, so in the beginning the natural assumption is that the older players will get the positions first. However a very interesting thing happens mid season to end, the coach begins to rely on those who he feels will be the teams future, and sometimes the older players that have struggled a bit or injured begin to get phased out, it is a fascinating experience and part of the process.

The important thing for freshman, work hard, learn the system, do whatevwer the coach wants you to do with no questions asked. Lots of players find themselves into the lineup by way of another players injury. Then they (the injured player) has to work even harder to find their way back into the lineup.

I can't beleive that your sons first semester are halfway over. Time flies. Start getting ready for spring!

TPM, the quote in my previous post was actually taken from catchersdad08 post, so I don't want to take credit for it by remaining silent.

It was not my statement, but I quoted it to emphasize how important the concept is and it had not been previously presented in this thread.

In my opinion, it is the single most difficult freshman year adjustment to be made.

FO,
I meant your statement after the quote.

Like I mentioned earlier, Bum Jr. took a small break before college fall ball and looked a bit "Rusty" in his first outing. But what an adjustment! Finished the fall with nine consecutive scoreless innings and 10k's with no walks.. clocked in at 90 for the first time. Next stop, 2009.

Thanks, Kbat.. but at his size to get 1st round he better be 94+.

FormerObserver and TPM,

Great feedback and advice. Thank You!!

No one on this topic has mentioned that when they do come home for the 1st time they are more interested in seeing their friends then sitting on the couch watchings games and spending time with their family all day...?(he never seemed to mind in the past??) We did get a couple of family meals and good conversation between visits....

I enjoyed hearing about all the different personalities of the players and coaches. His observations on the team, his place within the team and what likes and dislikes. Happy to hear very few dislikes. Many new friends from all walks of life!

As we were talking about his classes and politics, I could see the son I left at school in July had changed. Not anything that most people would notice but in a way only mom or dad notices. A good change!!

Got a call today saying "thanks for everything" and that he wished he would have spent more time at home this weekend. Thanksgiving isn't that far away..!

He also said that he was surprised with another start in today's inter-squad. They have 6 catchers(4 juniors, 2 freshman) and he is the only one with multiple starts behind the plate with another start in right field. He loves calling his own game and he threw a game speed 1.84 to 2nd(told to him by the coach)and the player was safe! I couldn't stop laughing as he went over the details of his story. Another welcome to college ball!!!

Catchersdad08,


"No one on this topic has mentioned that when they do come home for the 1st time they are more interested in seeing their friends then sitting on the couch watchings games and spending time with their family all day...?(he never seemed to mind in the past??) We did get a couple of family meals and good conversation between visits...."

Now this is a subject I can relate to as a mom of a sophomore! My son is going out of state and had not been at home at all when he flew home last year for Thanksgiving. I was really, really excited and imagined this wonderful - family filled week. Didn't happen.

First off - he asked if one of his friends could pick him up at the airport. We were picking him up and taking him to one of his favorite restaurants for a family meal. He wanted to go to Whataburger. We did pick him up and went to the favorite restaurant. He also wanted to spend the night with his friends the very first night he was home. Late nights,arguments, etc. We couldn't wait to drop him off at the airport for his trip back and get our peaceful home back.

After that experience - we set up some ground rules for Christmas and I definitely lowered my expectations. Spend some time with us - eat dinner with us early in the evenings and meet up with your friends 8:30 - 9:00. We also told him we had to have some curfew rules that were flexible due to what was going on. (Okay - we definitely echoed what our parents had told us) Texting worked great for communicating late at night. Christmas was much better. And I did let his friend pick him up at the airport when he came home for Christmas!

It seems all the "newness" of seeing the old friends wears off after the first week of being home at Christmas. It is a very exciting time of life for these kids as they swap their stories of the first year of college. I loved having the house full of his high school friends and seeing how they were doing.

Good luck!

I lowered my expectations about "face time" before son came home for Columbus Day weekend. We did get to spend a couple of dinners together. I have noticed that he treats his younger sisters much better.

I still find it hard not watching the progress on the field. I did get one call of frustration after a practice -- but mostly I am told "I'm fine". They have not had any formal scrimmages as I've heard about at other schools, so it is just perfomance at practices/workouts and bullpens.

This weekend is "family weekend". The parents of the senior baseball players are hosting a bbq at the football game. I am very excited to meet the "baseball family". I just wish they'd play a little ball when we are up there.

I am sure this will ring a bell to most if not all of you Old Timers.

During fall ball Younggun practiced daily, had intersquad games, conditioned lightly with the team, etc.

Fall ball officially ended last week and the players were told they would begin with weights and more detailed conditioning this week.

Apparently on monday the coaches had them duck walking and lunging for like 2 miles (younggun's guess!) and he ran a total of 7 miles (3 on his own earlier in the day, 4 with the team). When he sits down in his desk during class he said he wants to cry from the pain! LOL. Going to the bathroom is a HUGE dread!

I laughed so hard I couldn't stop! He didn't find it too amusing! LOL

Very good story YoungGunDad!!

I have one from my son this year.

Team was condictioning by running bases to finish up the last 15 minutes of practice. For the 2nd time in that week the same Freshman missed a base. The coaches stopped practice went to the dugout and walked back with two chairs, gatorade, cold towel and h2o. They placed the chairs on the mound area requiring the poor baserunning Freshman to sit in one and put his feet up on the other. They placed the towel around his neck and handed him the gatorade and h2o from the cooler. He was required to sit and watch his 48 teammates run for 1 hour around the bases due to his mistake.(It was 95 degrees in the early evening while they were running!!!)

Not to surprising there were some unhappy Upperclassman at the end!! My son said that a few went and had a talk with the Freshman when it was done..... It's been a couple of weeks since that happened and my son said that Freshman hasn't missed another base!!!

In my opinion that is the worst kind of coaching.

My son's coach punished the team like that and he was finally fired after running the team into the ground. Hardly the way to build team spirit.

Fall Break came and went and got to have my son at home for 5 days and it was great. He didn't really spend too much time away from the house as most of his friends weren't on their break. Was pretty cool as 2 of them drove home for the weekend because they hadn't seen him since July. He was pretty excited and they were also, happily most of all their time was spend at the house with me and we played halo until all hours of the night. (any other dad's out there into HALO 3, boys got me into it and now we all play on xbox live every couple of days together)

Was just really cool to get to spend a little time just hanging out and talking and catching up on his time at school.

Said his head coach told him he had the worst pick off move in the history of baseball, so he has been working on that. Also, he has known the team manager for awhile before he got to school and he was kind enough to give my son the tighest practice pants in the history of baseball. I think it has something to do with the fact that they have now bestowed upon him the title of biggest butt on the team.

Used more groceries in those 5 days than we had in the whole month previously! But, the great thing was that all his favorite foods are also mine, and mommy cooked everything he wanted during his time at home. I think for a second he actually let it show that he missed his little sister too!

I have gotten to see all their world series games so far, and he has done fairly well. 2nd outing was a little rough with 4BB on 2 innings, but only 1 hit and 1 K.

My God, as I read the experiences from this forum I have to say to myself. "I thought this just happened to us"...First year is almost over, school is finally finished but we are in the NCAA regional playoffs and team is doing well. My son had one offer from NAIA in Tennesse, five offers from DIII and possibility of making one DII squad. We went with the best DIII program probably in NC. At this point not sure if it was the correct move.

Coach recruited my son from his baseball showcase, where my son was only pitcher asked to stay behind and coach expressed sincere interest. We were almost sold on mid level DIII program in VA, when my son changed his mind and decided to go to NC program.

My son was runner up player of the year, so I was surprised he did not receive more looks from DII school. I knew his grades were not great, but baseball talent was there.

During the Fall, pitching coach was "absent landlord", pitchers were left to fend for themselves and sort of run their own program, which I thought was ridiculous. Some long toss and lots of running but what about "learning to pitch at the College level???"....Nothing...My son was doing reasonably well at scrimages and then we played a DI program and he was told to go 3 iinings....really check. First time ever against another team and he played badly. got 0-2 on first 4 batters and gave up hits to 3 of them, due to inexperienced of knowing where to place pitch in that situation...much different than blowing it by batters in HS. During their 3 game World Series he pitched well....

Going into Spring, head coach tells him his role will be middle relief...so far has seen 6 total innings in 4 appearances, only when team has been well behind...a lot of trouble adjusting to being number one pitcher on team to pitching one inning every 4 weeks...timing is off, fastball is 2-3 miles an hour slower and location is not as crisp...still no pitching coaching help...He is at the point where he just wants season to be over to come home and play summer ball, get stronger, and get some innings in his belt and go back in the fall and challenge for a job...TOUGH is not even the word for how this year has gone.

quote:

.He is at the point where he just wants season to be over to come home and play summer ball, get stronger, and get some innings in his belt and go back in the fall and challenge for a job...TOUGH is not even the word for how this year has gone.

Your son's team starts Regional playoff competition tomorrow? This seems like a very unusual post to be making today.
One thing that gets repeated so many times on this site is the difference between high school and college baseball.
Since you had indicated you felt your son could play DII, what did you expect for him this year at a DIII?
I will tell you it seems "odd" to read a post so critical of a coach/program/season that has been so successful, for many, many years. It seems odd to be reading a post that your son will be happy the season will be over but to know his teammates are competing for a chance to get to play in Wisconsin.
Do you think there is any chance that maybe you are only providing one side of a two sided story?
How could a coach and program be so successful for such a long period and coach, or not coach, at the level you are describing?

What is so odd about being truthful ? Are there no unhappy freshmen out there ?

BHD,
Probably a lot of unhappy freshman.
How many of their parents are posting it the night before the "Team" plays in a Regional?? What is that saying..."there is no I in TEAM?"
How does the TEAM enter into this for you, if at all?
How many unhappy freshman parents are laying that "unhappiness" at the doorstep of the coaching staff which got their team to a Regional and which also gets their team there almost every year, and happened to "stumble" on a DIII National Championship?
Are you willing to accept the coaching staff is "so inept" but yet successful year in and year out, including this year?

I would agree with you if he named the college. He is venting a bit and may be off base but I don't see anything wrong with what he said if true.
Maybe they weren't prepared for what they faced.

I wondered if he was accurate about being in the regionals at this time of year ? I also must have missed the part about successful program.

The name of the school was included in numerous past posts by RLSCosta.

Help me here:"may be off base but I don't see anything wrong if what he said is true??"
What does that mean?
Does it mean "I" is more important than "team."
Would you want his son showing up for a Regional Championship tomorrow with those thoughts running through his head?
BHD, he said his son plays at a DIII. The DIII regionals start tomorrow. His son and his team are in the South Regional

You are right if that is his attitude but it is his dad talking.
It is easy to understand how you might think it is selfish nut I would think lots of players would feel like he does if he felt left out. To think every player doesn't have selfish thoughts is unrealistic and doesn't mean he won't show up to do his best.
Have you ever seen a selfish player at all levels. Egos are part of the game and obviously this player is upset with the realities of college ball for many if not most freshmen.

quote:

It is easy to understand how you might think it is selfish nut I would think lots of players would feel like he does if he felt left out.

It is his parent...I don't know if it is the Dad, talking/posting about how his son is feeling.
He says his "son" wants the season to be "OVER."
The team is in a Regional.

The team has been in the Regionals before,
The staff has won a National Championship.
Do you accept they "left out" pitchers who can help them win. Do you accept they coached the other pitchers well enough to get to post-season play but happened to miss/leave out this one?

Yes I get your point and it was imprudent of him to post his son's feelings .
My point is that I can understand how he feels and have seen it many times.
Do coaches leave out great pitchers? Yes they do. Happens all the time. Do great pitchers get over looked ? Yes they do. Should his dad post that here ? No he shouldn't especially since he named the college in an earlier post.
His son didn't have the lowest # of innings on the team and if his coach gets wind of this it may affect his future. I suggest he removes the post for his son's sake. His son has normal feelings .

More frosh pitchers than you can imagine get limited innings especially in a program is that is strong team year in and year out--- it may happen in the sophomore year as well

Son is finishing his 1st season of D1 baseball. Talking to him this week-end and kind of reviewing his freshman year there are a couple of things that really stand out about the transition to college ball.

Nine innings is a lot more than the 7 innings in high school! Parents and players notice it during the games.

56 games is a lot more than the hs season.
The players do get more tired by the end of the season.

56 games are challenging to keep your academics up. College classes are harder (even compared to AP classes). It's tough to miss so many classes in the spring.

After watching son and teammates it's amazing to me that with missing so much class time the baseball players do so well.

It is a HUGE adjustment to step up to the college level in many ways but luckily son found tons of support from his coaches, professors, and the academic advisor. This is something parents and players definetly need to check when looking @ schools. How well are they supported as athletes? Makes a big difference in their overall success in the classroom and on the field.

So, overall son had a great 1st year with few complaints.Hopefully next year goes as well as he adjusts to living off campus.

quote:

a couple of things that really stand out

quote:

Nine innings is a lot more than the 7 innings in high school!

quote:

56 games is a lot more than the hs season.

quote:

56 games are challenging to keep your academics up. College classes are harder (even compared to AP classes). It's tough to miss so many classes in the spring.

quote:

It is a HUGE adjustment to step up to the college level in many ways

quote:

Hopefully next year goes as well

It will.

Nice post, CaBB

infielddad,
I agree strange post, do D1 programs play D3 programs. And how does a program with no practice get to regionals?

Not too hard to figure out who the player is.Perhaps the coach felt he needed more practice for mental or physical maturing than in actual games for this year, with improvement hopefully over the summer.

You are so right, people just do not understand the transition from HS to college, especially for pitchers. They often sit more than anyone first year.

Seems to me that the parent is upset, not enough innings, I think parents fuel that fire in their players. Freshman year at any school any division is an adjustment, it is NOT HS baseball.

TPM

If you think the transition is tough for pitchers as it is for hitters---talk to a hitter who nver saw a 85/90 slider before

It aint just pitchers who need to adapt

Yes, I agree with you.

Most HS pitchers off to college usually dominated in HS, then they get to college where everyone in the line up can hit and they have issues. I think it was mentioned somewhere his son was a low 80's pitcher, successful in HS. What did he use to get hitters out? And we don't know the whole story, was the player coachable and willing to learn? That makes a HUGE difference. Some players come to college thinking that they got it all down, then the you know what hits the fan. I know that this happened to mine and I am not ashamed to admit it. It can be like starting all over.

Freshman pitchers do often put in less time, unless they are needed. For health issues alone.

TRHit is right,

My freshman son has said for the most part fastballs have not been a big adjustment for him but some of the sliders he saw early in the season absolutely befuddled him. He said even when he knew they were coming he couldn't touch them.

My son's biggest adjustment has been managing the academic requirements while spending so much time on the road early in the season. South Dakota State played its first 25 games on the road with many of the trips being in excess of 500 miles one way. With the help of upperclass teammates he has learned that roadtrips are not a break away from school. You have to take the school work with you and get it done on the bus or in the hotel room.

He came thru freshman year with pretty good grades and he has hit a few sliders along the way.

Some comments on adjustments from my son, who also just finished his freshman year:
-Boy, I'm tired. a 56 game D1 sched is A LOT tougher than a 25 game HS season!
-Dad, I'm used to seeing 90mph fastballs from HS. But almost every pitcher in college has movement on their FBs.
-He ran into several opposing pitchers who had devastating changeups. In HS, no one had a decent changeup.
-On a positive note, he appreciated that college umpires had a "real" strike zone. In our area, HS umps were VERY liberal with the corners. Of course, in college, this is probably partially due to the fact that college pitchers (in general) have better location.

son of mediocrehscoach also just finished his first year at one of the Ga Juco's. What a whirlwind. Did it go well, absolutely not, were there some positives to build off of, absolutely yes. He was a two sport athlete (football) in high school and didn't feel like he showcased to his potential in the fall of either his junior or senior years and wasn't getting the offers he wanted, several DII's but just tepid interest from any of the regional mid level D1's which is what he wants. So he signed early to a up and coming Juco, and got a nice combo scholarship package. Missed him awfull in the fall, Friday nights were miserable. He worked hard over the summer and showed up in shape in the fall, however the head coach who recruited him had left for a higher paying high school job and the assistant was promoted. This created some worry from a baseball standpoint for him. He had several friends from travel ball on the team, and lots of guys he had played against at some point, and was really happy with his team mates. The ball however was not real good, new young coaches feeling their way through the process of running a program. Fall season started out ok, he went as a two way player, I remember getting a call from him after the second intersquad saying he went two for three with a double and a home run hit into the street, said he thought to himself as he rounded second that "I guess I'll be a infielder here". Not to be; at the end of fall meeting he was told he would be a P.O. (pitcher only) and he hadn't gotten much instruction or work on the mound. In the opener in a Florida Juco tournament in front of about 40 scouts, it was about 41 degrees and the wind was screaming off the gulf at about 9:00 at night in the bottom of the seventh down 5 he gets the call from the pen after about 6 warm up pitches (he had never been a relief pitcher), bases are loaded with one out, gets the first batter in a 0-2 count and hits him with a inside curve ball, walks the next batter, gives up a double, then a single, and the game is over, 5 runs just like that, not a recorded out. He sits the next 20 games, gets a start throws 3 innings gives up three runs (gets the win), sits 15 games, gets a inning, sits 8 games, gets a inning, and gets 3 innings the rest of the year, a decent inning against TCC, and one against Wallace. He was miserable with his baseball. I think he was embarassed that he didn't have the success he was used to. I told him I was proud of him, one of only three freshman pitchers to survive the whole year, one of 23 of 50 kids to survive the whole year, that shows some mental toughness, sticktuitiveness, qualities that are way more important than stats on a website. At year end meeting 13 of 16 freshman refuse to sign scholarship papers or LOI's, son included, he won't go back. He is working hard getting ready for his first year of collegiate summer ball, working with his travel ball coaches trying to arrange a transfer to a closer to home Juco, trying to work to his goal of getting to a mid major conference team. It was frustrating to say the least, bottom line was, he was not prepared to have success in the situations he was placed in, he didn't prepare himself, his mediocre hs coaches didn't prepare him, and his college coaches didn't either, he just sort of fell through the crack. Even more frustrating was that several of his hs team mates who were baseball only but had similar stats in hs, had great success on their mid major D1 teams. Confidence is low right now, hoping that through hard work, it'll be fun for him again! What a rambling post, sorry.

mediocrehscoach - I can understand the frustration. That is part of the gig at the collegiate level. Part of the equation is luck and your son did not have much (if anything) go his way imho.

For young hitters out there, you have to show the coaches you can hit right away. It may be true that if you were given 10 at bats, you would produce 3 or 4 hits. The hard, cold reality is they are going to want to see those 3 or 4 hits in his first 5 at bats rather than his second five before they will give them another opportunity. That is indeed the hard part and where luck can come into play.

For young pitchers, the same thing - they need to start getting them out yesterday and throwing strikes immediately. They may get thrown in there under terrible circumstances. Sometimes, the only opportunites available are these little crumbs or bones thrown their way every once in a blue moon. That is the life of a college player. Encourage them to prepare for that one moment. Encourage them to have fun. Encourage them to lay it all out on the line for the world to see. Encourage them no matter what the outcome. Find victories even in defeat. Find victories even from their bullpen or batting practice sessions while they are waiting for that one opportunity. Encourage them is my best advice.

First year not much playing time. Failed one class but got A's and B's in others. Realized he would have to pitch to get playing time because other two upper class catchers are two best hitters on team and his lack of speed is a real issue. Off to summer wood bat league in northeast to pitch after barely one week at home. He's very comfortable with his situation and very dedicated team player willing to take what he can get, with no grand expectations. If he excels and becomes a superstar it will be a pleasant surprise for him. He's riding this horse as long as he can and will have fun while doing it, I think.

Some more to add on son's year:
-Was told at start of fall, would be battling for starting MIF spot. Last season's SS (a JR) was going to move to CF. Soph 2B probably going to start there. Then 3 freshman.
-Son had a good fall, but ultimately relagated to reserve 2B role.
-One of the freshman got the starting SS job.
-3rd freshman settled ultimately into a P role (and did quite well come spring).

SPRING SEASON:
2B plays/hits awesome. SS struggles though. Good D, but low AVG and lots of Ks. Son gets opportunity and makes most of chance (coach moved 2B over to SS and son started at 2B).
Ends up starting 19 games, playing in 32. Hits .340, highest freshman batting average.
Started last 10 straight (except for final game, got HBP in elbow and couldn't play).
Coach was impressed that he was only freshman who worked his way into lineup.
No promises, but coach said at end of season he was going to try and increase his scholly.

There were definite academic and social adjustments. Ups and downs during season.
But I am a believer that luck is really preparation meeting opportunity.

Cleveland Dad gave good advice....find victories whenever you can. When son was not playing much mid-season, he took great heart in a pre-game BP. Most of his teammates told him he would never hit one out of the park. Lo and behold, he hit a BP ball 30' over LF fence. Made his week at the time!!!

Good luck to all playing summer ball,,,,,,and then back at it this fall!!!

Update....
Son found out Friday that his scholly has been increased (just finished his Freshman season).

Just an FYI to those out there that think in today's "25%" world you may not have a chance to "increase your value", here is proof that hard work (and performance) can be recognized.

Awesome news on the increased scholly amt. esp with the economy. Sounds like your son went in and battled.Congratulations to him.

Younggunson was used in 25 relief/closing innings all season. I think his biggest struggle was not that he wasn't used as a Starter as he had been in HS, but more that his JUCO coaches never defined his role, i.e. relief, closer, etc. So he never knew from game to game how or if he would be used. He went 1 stretch for 3 weeks not used. No injuries, discipline, etc. problems. Go figure. He threw regularly around 89-91 on the bump and still no starts. He never said a word to the coaches about playing time which I was proud of. He learned to a degree what a role player was...sorta.

Anyways, first season is over and I'm glad! The growing pains from being away from home, homesick, etc. was more than Pop could bear! lol.

If all goes well this friday, he will have a new JUCO and Coach to play for. The JUCO he played for last year is going to NAIA and he wants to play another year of JUCO ball.

Good luck to all next year!

Where is he headed to next?

Costa, who is the D1 team that NC Wesleyan played/scrimmaged?

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:

Where is he headed to next?

Floridafan, once some JUCO's learned that he was looking to play JUCO ball again next year the phones lit up like crazy. Definitely a different scenario than we had expected, but welcomed. The Chipolo, Santa Fe, Daytona coaches to name a few called but younggunson felt they might be a bit far for him. Currently he has 3 others surrounding Georgia that have offered and I believe that by the end of the week we will have a decision. Some of the offers are too good to be true so we are thankful to say the least of his options.

I'll let you know as soon as I know! lol

The offers in Florida were 100% including room, board, books and meal plan, right? Florida JUCO's are a great place to play, and not that far from Georgia. Let me know if you want any info. I am familiar with Santa Fe and Daytona.

The Sante Fe coach was very interested in him and we were planning on visiting. However, his pitching coach also had 3 pitchers coming in and wanted to see what they were all about. We also talked to Coach Touma with Daytona. He too was interested but had 1 pitcher come in during our phone calls and went ahead and signed him. I told him I didn't blame him. Both were great Coaches to talk with.

It never got to the part with either of them as far as % tuition, etc. So you're probably right. My son's best friend is about to commit to Hilsborough and he is getting a full ride. They get to play their games on the Yankees practice field. Players never have to pick up a rake!

quote:

Originally posted by SoutherNo1:
Costa, who is the D1 team that NC Wesleyan played/scrimmaged?

That was Louisburg College in the fall.

This is a great posting with a lot of info related to the balance of academics/athletics but also what to expect that first semester. Every school is going to different, but I can't imagine D1 baseball programs being too different. I intend to have my HS senior son read through this thread, so he has some level of understanding beyond what Mom and Dad are telling him. This thread has made me curious what a typical day is going to look like for him (baseball/engineering @ D1)....I would expect little to no free time for him. If someone has an idea what a typical day looks like, I'd certainly like to know. Thanks.

fenway my son is not in egnineering but here is a typical day for him , hope it helps.

Get up at 7am eat breakfast class at 8am. Last class ends at 12 then eat lunch and report to baseball at 12:30. Work outs and then practice. Usually gets out of baseball complex around 5:30. Head to get something to eat and then to study hall at 6:00. Study hall till 8 and then tutor till 9:30. He usually gets something else to eat and back in the room around 10pm. He then has to study , write papers etc. He says he usually gets in the bed around 11:30 12. He has 8am class everyday , coach likes them to have early class so they are up and moving early. On the one day he does not have an early class he has to report to the baseball complex to catch bull pens or hit.

This is five days a week and then they have workouts on Saturday mornings. On Sundays they are off but have volunteer work outs. He never misses those as most dont.

His first semester was a tremendous challenge. He had no idea "even though I told him" how tough the academic work load would be. Every semester he has done better and learned to manage his time better. To say that it is demanding would not come close to the truth. But they learn and they adapt if they want to succeed. The players help each other alot.

Mine is in engineering, but his schedule is very similar. Just add in a few late (past midnight) nights in the library. First year was tough because of the girlfriend occupying part of his time. (Don't recommend that). But things are better this year with her out of the picture. Baseball players, and probably other athletes as well, don't always bond with non-players. With majors like engineering it is important to bond with guys in the same major. That way you've got more opportunities for study groups. It is also important to take advantage of review sessions. We'll see how he handles baseball and engineering as he gets deeper into the major, but so far so good. I don't know of anyone else that has been able to pull it off at his school, at least not in recent memory. Hopefully he'll be the first.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
fenway my son is not in egnineering but here is a typical day for him , hope it helps.

Get up at 7am eat breakfast class at 8am. Last class ends at 12 then eat lunch and report to baseball at 12:30. Work outs and then practice. Usually gets out of baseball complex around 5:30. Head to get something to eat and then to study hall at 6:00. Study hall till 8 and then tutor till 9:30. He usually gets something else to eat and back in the room around 10pm. He then has to study , write papers etc. He says he usually gets in the bed around 11:30 12. He has 8am class everyday , coach likes them to have early class so they are up and moving early. On the one day he does not have an early class he has to report to the baseball complex to catch bull pens or hit.

This is five days a week and then they have workouts on Saturday mornings. On Sundays they are off but have volunteer work outs. He never misses those as most dont.

His first semester was a tremendous challenge. He had no idea "even though I told him" how tough the academic work load would be. Every semester he has done better and learned to manage his time better. To say that it is demanding would not come close to the truth. But they learn and they adapt if they want to succeed. The players help each other alot.

Coach May pretty much detailed most of a day in D1 baseball.My own went to a JC first year, and is now at a academic D1.Even after a year at the JC, this first semester was very difficult.He too said he had no idea it would be so hard.School makes them start with 16 units, so with workouts, class, practice, study hall, tutors,eating etc, it is exhausting.
When driving home from the airport Friday(yea he is home for a month), he said he thinks the biggest challenge in adjusting to all of it is time management, and getting proper rest.He naps whenever he has a chance to, between a class or something.
He loves it .

This thread will become mandatory reading for mine this summer before he heads off. I think having him read your experiences will certainly open his eyes and will be far more impactful than my telling him!

Thanks to all you contributors.

Coach May, MTH, FOG - Thanks for your posting. That does look like a BRUTAL schedule. I've heard a couple D1s and D3 programs throw in a 6am weight lifting session. My neighbor plays for UVA, and his Mom told us of a very similiar schedule but included some early AM weight lifting and conditioning sessions. My son knows it is going to be a rough ride the first year with baseball and academics, but until your actually doing it will it sink in. I anticipate him staying for a winter-session so he is only carrying four classes during the Spring. That helped me a lot (with time mgt)when I was in school 100 years ago. I've very interested to see others weigh in on the topic to see if they've had similiar time management experiences.

The schedule Coach May describes is very similar to my son's. Block out about 5 hours six days a week for baseball stuff. Mandatory study hall, tutors when needed (first term, regularly) and then grab 8 hours sleep. Not a lot of time for the typical college shenanigans. That has its plusses and minuses!

My son is on the plane home as I write this.

Rob tell Jeff we said hello. I know you are excited to have him home for a couple of weeks. Happy Hollidays!

Thanks! We just got home from the airport. Great to have him back.

My Son's schedule at his D1 is very similar to what has been posted above.

As we approach the Holidays, here's another consideration:

He gets done with Finals on Friday, Dec. 19 and comes home.
He is expected to lift and work out during this time.
He reports back on January 8. Pitchers go back January 4.

Since dorms won't open until January 23, he will stay with upperclassmen and sleep on a couch until then.
Not the typical Christmas break that other college students get!

Regular Season ends on May 30 (conference tournament) and Summer Team in Coastal Plains league starts on May 27 and ends mid-August.
Reports back to school August 24.

Moms and girlfriends beware! You're not going to see your boy much!

quote:

He is expected to lift and work out during this time.

Yup, son brought home a thick sheaf of paper which is his workout plan. A daily schedule, one page each day, for what he is supposed to do with running, weights, throwing, etc.

So true about not seeing them much.My son will be out of state all summer as well.He is home right now, and I am so enjoying him.Cooking lots of favorite dishes,eating dinner together.He just had his wisdom teeth pulled this morning, so he wont be working out much this week.He has the last 5 days though.
This will be the last long period of time he will spend at home, since Spring break he has games, and summer he has one week before and about week or two after, from his summer assignment.
Nice to see how much they grow up in a short period of time.Everyone enjoy your sons, they are special young men.We have a lot to be proud of.
Merry Christmas.

Younggunson is suppose to have his wisdom teeth pulled while home. ALL 4 of them! Recovery time will certainly take a chunk out of working out.

YGD,

yep all four today.Couldnt wait , two already impacted.

He will be in the gym by Friday.He is very committed to the workouts.

PM me, I have great ideas and recipes for the first couple days.Its that RN side of me.Takes energy to heal, energy requires calories.

Rob, I am really excited to follow Jeff this coming season. Though we just met briefly, that is a special kid you've got there. I will always be grateful for the time he and Krak Jr. got to work the coaches at HF. It was a great pairing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

HS Junior son is headed to the same showcase this coming summer and we hope for similar results.

Happy Holidays!

Krak

Thanks, Krak! I can hardly believe how fast it all has gone, and that he is now on the cusp of his first college season. Seems like ages ago we stood behind the backstop together watching Jeff try to get a glove on Tristan's pitches.

Good luck to your second boy. If you pass through Portland this summer, let me know. I'd love to get togther.

YGDad, make sure he does everything in his power to avoid dry sockets; my son took around 5 weeks to recover from those! Not being able to eat really sapped his strenth for a long time...good luck to YG!

Just a reminder to freshman players- hit the weight room hard. Son home for Christmas break and we were discussing his work-out schedule during the break. It came up that the freshman on his team were chastised by the head coach for not working out hard enough or enough. Apparently the head trainer said something to the coach. Not a good way to start your college career. (He's a soph and not reprimanded)

4thGen is home from his first semester and dad has been returned to duty as a batting practice pitcher and fungo hitter. Thank god I don't have to catch pens for him anymore. A couple of his HS teammates now playing college ball have been working out with him as well. Since he is playing at a cold weather school he's trying to take advantage of his month in AZ and away from the books to get as prepared as possible.

Same here. I've been recruited for long tossing. My 51 year arm is good to about 200 feet, after that it's just shagging balls while he throws from the bucket.

quote:

Originally posted by 3rdgenerationnation:
4thGen is home from his first semester and dad has been returned to duty as a batting practice pitcher and fungo hitter. Thank god I don't have to catch pens for him anymore. A couple of his HS teammates now playing college ball have been working out with him as well. Since he is playing at a cold weather school he's trying to take advantage of his month in AZ and away from the books to get as prepared as possible.

Same here. Dont take this the wrong way I have enjoyed having my son home. But my arm will be very glad when he goes back to school. As far as the long toss I solved that problem. You take this bucket of balls and I will stand down here and pick them up and put them in my bucket. When you run out come down here and we will change ends.

Coach May - I have to laugh real hard about the long toss. I think you and I were asking ourselves the same question at the same time......."what the heck am I doing out here throwing with my son?". I came to the same conclusion - get two buckets, and save myself a trip to the Dr's office. )

Coach May: Last winter I came to the same conclusion. Thank God I still catch well!

At 50 plus, the best I can do is warm weather stuff with the youngest right now. The youngest received a new A2000 Glove for Xmas. You should have seen it Xmas day 3 boys outside at zero C playing catch. It was one of those moments.

Very very fortunate with son who has had straight A's, if nothing else he'll may make the academic team.

Come on Feb 19th!

Just a few things that I have noticed over the years.
1. There is a high percentage of players that could help the team as freshmen if the coach would just give them the opportunity.
2. Most freshmen are not mature enough to live on their own and manage their time.
3. Very few freshmen have the necessary academic skill set to excell in the classroom. The coaching staff and players just want to stay eligible. Why are they in school? It's called higher education for a reason!
4. Most coaching staffs have a good cop/bad cop routine
5. Very few head coaches (85+%)know how to run a baseball program. Most know the game very well but when it comes to academics, training to peak, fundraising, dealing with alumni, dealing with boosters, dealing with the adminstration, etc... they just don't have the necessary skill set and would receive a grade of D- and many would receive an F. These guy's hate everything about being a head coach but practice & games.
6. Parents today will drive a coaching staff nuts by calling, texting, emailing, etc... them all of the time to ask about their son.
7. Most coaching staffs have a coaching side and a recruiting side. IMO, they would be much better off if they were a mean old cuss all of the time. Why be fake it only causes problems for everyone and gives people false expectations. The best head coach I ever saw told one of the top 50 prospects in the USA on a recruiting trip that he wasn't sure the kid was good enough to play in his program. He told the kid & his parents he was too fat, soft, lazy, and slow to help the team anytime soon. When I ask why he said that during the recruiting visit he said that if the kid couldn't take that he would never be able to take what he told him during the season.
8. The best baseball programs know how to balance baseball, academics and social life. If it's baseball & academics 24/7 the kids will be mentaly fried and a high percentage will washout after a couple of years. You must allow the kids to have a little fun and be kids but understand that they will have to pay the price if they get in trouble. While most mothers and some fathers probably don't want to hear this, one thing that I have learned over the years is that 99% (est) of all male college students (this includes athletes) like drinking a little beer, eating a few wings and talking with Miss Maggieshagwell at the local campus watering hole whenever they are given the opportunity.

MTH and 3rdgen,
I've had to long toss and catch a couple pens when he couldn't find a friend to do it. They gave the pitchers a 6 day a week program including long toss, flatgrounds and pens to do over the break. I can't even reach 200' any more so I have a long run between throws. I can handle up to mid 80s or so as long as it is fairly close to the target. I don't let him go for max velocity when I have to catch the pen. He's got 1 more pen scheduled for tomorrow before he goes back so hopefully he can find a real catcher.

cbg,
1. It is figuring out which ones that is the problem.
2. Agree.
3. Agree.
8. Not my son! (Maggieshagwell is still there?)

For those of you who have the sense to use buckets. I enjoy the throwing too much - although I don't enjoy the pain afterwards.

Comments regarding long toss and bullpen made me laugh.

The problem I had was with long toss was it had been four months since I picked up a baseball (or a fungo - tried using the fungo to return balls to my son, but that didn't work much better). Maybe I should rent a kid for the Spring semester so I won't be so rusty next time.

I did okay with the bullpens; although I must say I am getting more and more uncomfortable back there. Soon, very soon, it will be time to "retire" as a bullpen catcher.

Don't even ask me about accompanying him to the gym.

If you can handle mid 80's you're doing a lot better than I am. I have as much trouble seeing the ball as I do throwing it. Fortunately we were able to con one of his old HS catchers into catching a couple of pens over the holidays. I really dodged the bullet, in more ways than one.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CADad:
MTH and 3rdgen,
I've had to long toss and catch a couple pens when he couldn't find a friend to do it. They gave the pitchers a 6 day a week program including long toss, flatgrounds and pens to do over the break. I can't even reach 200' any more so I have a long run between throws. I can handle up to mid 80s or so as long as it is fairly close to the target. I don't let him go for max velocity when I have to catch the pen. He's got 1 more pen scheduled for tomorrow before he goes back so hopefully he can find a real catcher.
QUOTE]

I'm fine outdoors. Indoors the light isn't good enough and I'm a bit scared the whole time.

Try catching in the poor light with no gear and an Astigmatism! Holy cow!

Have any of you ever tried catching with a goiter the size of a watermelon hanging off the side of your neck??



Me neither, I was just curious.

LMAO now thats funny Krak!

Krak, your boy hasnt been gone even 48hrs yet and you've already gone over the deep end! LOL

I was sitting here trying to figure out what a goiter had to to with catching!

Dropped my son off at the airport yesterday.Was very hard to say good bye. Great month, great visit.Getting excited for the season.Good luck to all the boys this Spring.

Laughing at these posts! My husband can no longer catch for leftysideson. Not only does he have the velocity issue, but a ball coming from him sidearm is very hard to see. On top of that, the ball has a considerable, unpredictable drop at the very last moment. Lots of bruised shins! We got lucky and found a college kid home for the holidays that needed to catch for someone. There's no way husband could keep up the the long tossing (already one shoulder surgery down).

Guys, the last few years I'd taken to catching 4thGens pens in full umpiring gear and with a softball catchers mitt that made it easir to pick low pitches. My son found great humor in me wiffing on his breaking ball and taking one off one peice of gear or another.

I have another week of fungoing ground balls to get through. My back and hands may not make it but I love doing it.

Well, the first travel roster is set to be announced soon. My son (a freshman) doesn't think his name will be on it. I'm bracing myself for some long phone calls. I've told him he's not the big fish in the pond anymore and he will have to work his way up the depth chart. Any advice on keeping his spirits up and his mind focused?? Tough on these freshman to start at the bottom again isn't it?

.
Cards...

Yep, difficult adjustment for sure...Hope he makes that list, but if not...

1. Having not been through a college season he likley will not understand that all kinds of things happen during the season...injuries, discipline issues, grades, and some players that were expected to produce simply flat out do not...opportunities will most certainly open. Things happen. He has to be right there head up, with a great outlook waiting for the door to open a crack and jumping on those opportunities. Being "down" does absolutely nothing to solve the issue, he needs to stay solution oriented and wait for the break that will most certainly come. This trip, or next.

2. Use the time wisely. Great time to catch up or push the academic envelope..and the fitness one as well. One of the hardest adjustments for freshmen players is balancing the time requirements and this gives them some space to breath and get their feet solidly under them again. The kids that go will likley come back beat up to some extent with the travel. Yours will be fresh, rested and doubly motivated.

3. Ask the coaching staff what specifically can be done to improve his game in the short term (while he is home) and the long term. Set yourself apart by not letting the excusion dampen his desire and his fight, coaches love to see kids that still keep grinding looking for ways to improve regardless of setbacks. He needs to be that grinder.

4. Remember it is a long, long season and it is not how a player does at the beginning. His performance can only be judged at seaons end. again all kinds of things can happen this is simply a bump in the road.

44
.

Great advise as always Observer.

If I might add to that....

Cards, as a parent of a college player myself I like to take these "hardship" opportunities and turn them into teaching opportunities for me. Now more than ever our sons will learn numerous things during this time that they just haven't dealt with before and/or aren't ready mentally, emotionally, or mature enough to handle. I have learned on some cases that when my son called seeking advise, I just didn't have either "a" answer or "the" answer and we'd just break it down and let him see his options.

It really is hard for players who were the most talented or gifted kids on their high school teams to be just another minnow in the pond. It's a humbling experience for them. I just reminded my son last year as a freshman that he needed to be that "team" player he was in highschool. And that he now needed to learn how to be roleplayer, no matter the role. There have been players before him that were roleplayers and there will be many after him.

Observer hit the nail on the head. Ask your son when (if) he calls what he thinks the Coach(s) would be looking for in him going forward, i.e. one that sits and sulks or one that turns it up a notch and works like a horse?

99% of coaches will hold an exit interview at the end of the season. Guaranteed the coach will bring up his work ethic and attitude. How does he want to be prepared to answer that when it comes? Good questions to ask him.

Good luck. Let us know if he makes the travel team!

YGD

quote:

Observer hit the nail on the head. Ask your son when (if) he calls what he thinks the Coach(s) would be looking for in him going forward, i.e. one that sits and sulks or one that turns it up a notch and works like a horse?

Outstanding post by ob44 and YGD!

I mean, that is the only advice you can give imho YGD. When my son called in tears and told me he did not make the travelling team (he was redshirted), I told him he could do one of two things. He could feel sorry for himself or he could show those coaches what he was made out of and most importantly work to improve his own game.

I told him to shag every ground ball he could get to. Chase down every fall ball that was hit out of play. Carry the water cooler if necessary. Do as much field maintenance as possible. Outwork every kid on the team in the batting cages and in the field. Do any team dirty work that needed done. Be the most positive kid on the team and always put your teammates' welfare above your own. Be the best teamate and never, never, ever hang your head.

He caught a lucky break a few weeks after that discussion and found himself on the team. He caught another lucky break a few weeks after getting on the team where the coaches finally let him hit for the first time. It turned out to be a walk-off game winning base hit that absolutely turned his college career around. He was ready when the opportunity knocked. When he called me that evening, I was the one in tears.

.
Yep CD, that is about the ultimate example of what can happen if a player keeps his head up and stays ready for the opportunities that most certainly will come. Should be required reading for every freshman who is strugging with PT and travel issues...

44
.

.

Great additions YGD...

...teaching opportunities...options...team player...great stuff.

I know that it is not PC on the HSBBW, but there are players out there who have made great college careers of bringing it as team players. I've said it before, star or not, college ball is the best gig going. The team, the frills, the friendships, the support, the lessons learned, the fitness, the college environment...there is a great deal more to college ball than being a star and anxiously awaiting the draft.

44
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Things can change in one practice. One at bat. One batter pitched to in practice. Never let your spirits get down for one minute. Take it as a challenge to prove the coach right or prove him wrong. Right if your playing and wrong if your not.

My son redshirted last year. I told him it was either an opportunity to take advantage of or an opportunity to sulk and feel sorry for himself. Every day is another opportunity to prove yourself. Its another opportunity to get better. Its another opportunity to prove to the coach he is wrong. Or it can be waisted. Just tell him to continue to do the things that he knows he needs to do. And to make every day count. Good luck

What's the old adage?

"Pray not for lighter loads, but for stronger shoulders"

Or something like that?