Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time...
My son is a 14U 8th grader. Our area has no middle school ball - or freshman ball for that matter. Once you hit HS it is either JV, varsity or the door.
So what does that have to do with great timing?
Well, back in October my son started taking pitching and catching lessons through a local facility. The facility is run by a former college coach, and my son was working with a recently graduated college catcher during his lessons.
As luck would have it, in November the facility owner was hired as the varsity head coach for the HS my son will be attending next year. If this was the end of the story, I'd still consider it a fortunate turn of events. However...
In December I get an email from the coach saying his facility is hosting an invitation only camp for HS players - would my son be interested in attending? Um - yes.
My son's catching coach said he held his own with the other players. During a scrimmage game he pitched 2 hitless innings against varsity players - coincidentally at one of the few times the head coach was actually in attendance at the scrimmages. More great timing.
A few days after the camp, the coach sends out an email to his HS players (we've made it onto the mailing list), letting them know that due to financial aspects - the school will not be running its own team during the summer. Rather, he is asking interested players to try out for a local summer showcase program. The program has teams from freshman through college, and the coach will be heading one of those teams. Considering my son will not be a freshman until next year, I contact the coach to see if he thinks it will be worthwhile for him to try out?
The coach replied back that the program was actually starting a 14U feeder team this summer that would practice with the older teams and play in the JV division in the summer HS league. He thinks my son should try out for that team as a pitcher. (He's always considered himself a better catcher than pitcher.)
So, we attended the tryout which involved players from 14U through seniors. My son was probably the smallest player there (and he's 5'7, 150lbs - not exactly a midget). My son threw a pen session for the coaches and received compliments from the program's pitching coach for his control. Because his name was last in alphabetical order, my son got the closer spot in the last scrimmage game. (That's never come in handy before)
He was scheduled to throw one inning against a team made up of sophomores and juniors. First batter grounded out weakly to short, next two struck out. The coaches asked him to throw to a couple more batters and he got another grounder and a pop out to second.
After the tryouts were over one of the coaches came over and complimented my son on pitching well. My son told him, "I'm really a catcher though."
Then the coach turns to me and says, "After watching him out there - he's not a catcher, he's a pitcher."
A few days after the tryout we received word that my son made the 14U team as pitcher.
So, basically because I signed him up for some pitching/catching work back in October, my son is getting to work this summer with very talented players - and be coached by college coaches. He will get a chance to play against high school competition - and will even travel to a few PG and Prospect Wire events. He's well known by his soon to be HS coach, and has the opportunity to play in front of him all summer. I don't think things could have worked out better for him if I had planned it. Like I said, sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
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