High School Season

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Originally posted by 2Bmom:

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Love this thread. We'll highlight a high school thread like this one as soon as someone starts one.

(From the College Spring Season thread.)

OK CD, let's go!

Our "Orange and Blue" game is tomorrow - full unie scrimmage. Opening day is next Tuesday, away. Home opener is Valentine's Day! Love it! I'm trying to get a florist or chocolatier to do a promotion. I'll have the 'pod loaded with walk-up songs and great new music.

I would really love to read about other posters seasons! MarlinsMS, when do you start? bballman, you can't be far behind FL. Let's get it started!

LOL!!!! Have fun, all southern HSBBW folks. We'll be lucky to start in April!

We won't see green fields up here until mid April at this point. Like a lot of the country, we have about 3 feet of that white stuff still on the ground, and another foot coming???

Boy are we jealous of y'all down south.

I'm jealous. Son's first day of practice is February 21st. First scrimmage, weather permitting, is March 5th. Good luck!

I do feel for you guys! It's 72 and clear today in G'ville.

First day of practice next Monday, oh so close!

Thanks for starting this 2Bmom

For those that are looking at their first chance at a freshmen, JV, or varsity team opportunity, what are your thoughts right now?

My younger son's baseball practice started Friday, January 28th. He starts track practice today, the 31st. His day begins at 06:30 for lifting weights. Going to be some LONG days this spring!

This will be son's first year of HS Baseball. Not sure what to expect. He's been going to off season workouts and open gym to get ready. Trying to put on some weight and muscle for the upcoming season. He's a late July birthday and has always played up; he always seems to hit a growth spurt about a year after everyone else in his grade.

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He's a late July birthday and has always played up; he always seems to hit a growth spurt about a year after everyone else in his grade.

2B's birthday is July 23, and he always played up, too. I feel ya. He's a senior, and everything has turned out perfectly. Don't worry. It will all shake out on the field.

Tryouts start Feb. 26th, he's a little nervous; this will be his first tryout in baseball. We were lucky to have a team that started out as a neighborhood team during the first year of kid pitch and developed into a AAA/Major travel team for the last 3 years. I've told him to just relax and believe in yourself and do what you've been doing for the last couple of years and you will be fine.

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just relax and believe in yourself and do what you've been doing for the last couple of years and you will be fine

This is my first year in the past 4 not watching HS baseball....WOW what a change for me not being able to watch my son and his freinds, kids I have been watching play since before they hit puberty. He's moved on to college ball now in a much warmer clime...but will miss seeing it and him with his friends. For those of you starting this journey or in the midst...enjoy the ride, it goes far to fast!!

Oh to have that southern weather. Bracing for 18 inches of predicted snow tomorrow in Illinois. So looking forward to this pinnacle year for Mood Jr. Official tryout week starts 2/28 but he can't put the glove on until the hoops team is eliminated from playoffs.

We had our Orange and Black game on Friday. The boys had a great time. I had my senior pitcher on one team and my freshman catcher on the other. Senior was under a lot of pressure to strike out his little brother. He got the job done!! It is wonderful treat to see the two of them playing together. Our first pre-season game is February 9.

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This is my first year in the past 4 not watching HS baseball....WOW what a change for me not being able to watch my son and his freinds, kids I have been watching play since before they hit puberty. He's moved on to college ball now in a much warmer clime...but will miss seeing it and him with his friends. For those of you starting this journey or in the midst...enjoy the ride, it goes far to fast!!

J23,

I would truly suggest you continue going to games. Just because your son isn't there any longer doesn't mean you cannot enjoy them. I would bet you will.

And you'll be amazed at how the tension you used to feel up in the stands melts away now that your son is not personally involved. It allows you to sit back, enjoy the game, and chew the fat with friends old and new.

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And you'll be amazed at how the tension you used to feel up in the stands melts away now that your son is not personally involved. It allows you to sit back, enjoy the game, and chew the fat with friends old and new.

AND HOW!

Good luck to the hs players and parents this season.

Wow! What I've been waiting for all year! Practice started today! Now I can get outta work and go sit in the bleachers and watch my favorite thing in life (well,2nd best anyway)...BP! Scrimmages start the 12th. Regular season starts with region play March 8th and this year our pre-season tournament is the top invite tournament in SC, the International Paper Classic in Georgetown, SC.

Looking forward to a great year with an all senior field! Go Bearcats!

We started practices January 17th like all other schools in FL. Our first pre-season game is Feb 9th, and our regular season starts the 18th.

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Originally posted by MarlinsMS_35:
We started practices January 17th like all other schools in FL. Our first pre-season game is Feb 9th, and our regular season starts the 18th.

Practice in KY doesn't start until Feb. 15th; though that will still have to be inside for a while.

Through four boys, we are entering our last HS baseball season as a family. There have been ups and downs through all of them, but I will do my very best to try and enjoy this one remaining ride.

Maybe there will be grandsons down the road with more HS baseball for us. I surely hope so!

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Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I would truly suggest you continue going to games. Just because your son isn't there any longer doesn't mean you cannot enjoy them. I would bet you will.

And you'll be amazed at how the tension you used to feel up in the stands melts away now that your son is not personally involved. It allows you to sit back, enjoy the game, and chew the fat with friends old and new.

I so agree. I am looking forward to watching his high school team play and when the bases are loaded and there is only one out, they won't put MY son in to pitch! My heart almost didn't survive his senior year!

Midlo and Lefty...thanks for the comments! I heartily agree. Have gone to a few of his highschools' basketball games (he was captain of the team last year) and it has been a lot of fun. You are exactly right, the tension has subsided but has certainly been fun to watch the kids he played with last year have the success they are having this year. They are on quite a winning streak, haven't lost a league game now in 15 tries, 10 straight from last year and so far 5 this year. Quite a talented group of boys.

My plans are to see as many of the baseball games as schedule allows....fun...but still something missing! Hoepfully will get that when I can get to AZ to see him play... First "real" game today....on pins and needles!

Leftymom, that reminds me of a funny story. Last year I bring in my hard, but wild, thrower with the bases loaded... The pitcher that's coming out looks at him and says, "my bad," and he says, "I would have walked all those guys anyway, look at all those pitches you saved me."

He throws 1 pitch the guy hits a weak bouncer to the mound and we get the out and the whole infield runs off the field laughing their rears off.

Like most in the northeast I'm watching another 20-30 inches of snow fall over today and tomorrow. I'll be amazed if the season starts on time this April, easily over 4' of snow on the ground after tomorrow with no real warm up in sight.

Personally I don't feel too bad as son is only 6 weeks post-op for his Tommy John and not playing this season anyways! If there ever was a season to have a ton of snow this was it...but man it is getting pretty ridiculous up here snow wise!!

Juggler Jr. is in hs tryouts this week. He's a freshman but trying out with the upperclassmen. The veterans have been great to him. The coach... not so much. Just testing him, I guess. He's been through all that before; he's ready. Wants desperately to make varsity. Either way... I tell him he'll land there eventually if he keeps working hard.
We're ready for some baseball!

I'm ready. Tryouts were this week. Son said practices start tonight. Not sure if they made announcements or how they will do it, but season is ready to get underway. 1st varsity scrimmage is February 17th, 1st game that counts is February 22nd. PLAY BALL!!!

Ah, the first mini-drama of the season.

We have 3 seniors this year. One of them is 2B. The 3 moms continue to do almost everything volunteer-wise, going on 6 years (all the boys started JV in the 7th grade - small school). Concessions, gate, field days, media guide, outfield banners, everything. I have been the PA announcer last year and this year, which is the greatest gig of all. But there were years when I did the media guide and the outfield banners, and still helped out with concessions and gate. It's always the same few people who do everything.

We have 3 teams - freshman, JV, and varsity. Plenty of parents to pitch in.

After our Orange and Blue game Tuesday night, one of the parents asked me to be on the committee for the golf tournament this year. To "represent the seniors."

He was taken aback when, for the very first time, I said no. The parents of the seniors have done their part. It's time for someone else to step up.

2BMom-
I also have a senior and a freshman and am in charge of our concession. We have had an ongoing requirement on our team that every parent must work the concession stand 4-5 games per season (mothers and fathers). Our JV parents man the stand for JV games and varsity parents for their games. We have team captains for each night in case I am at an away game to watch my boys play. It has helped train people to take over the leadership and it makes it nice so that I feel I can take the time to watch my boys play.

Two things...

First, On our team, parents (Dads & Moms) were asked to sign up for concessions and gate keeping for the other team. So for example, when son was on Varsity, I ran gatekeeping for a few JV games. This way we didn't miss seeing our son play!

Second, who ends up helping has a great deal to do with the head coach. If he says "I need some Moms to help next Friday night" guaranteed the Dads will sit back and let that happen(I'd sit back if he said "Dads"). But if he says he needs "Parents", and he looks right at and talks to dads equally, whichever parent is available more will step up to the plate. If after the coach approaches volunteer work in this manner, more moms volunteer than men, that's all on the moms. It's a difficult cycle to break but once you've learned how not to enable, it can be done.

So after being a parent on probably 25 different softball and baseball teams, I have seen one approach that works fairly and very well. Aside from never using the word "Mom" or worse "Team Mom", the Head Coach must divide up the volunteer tasks. This point is KEY! If a coach asks for someone to "run the fundraising event", only a select few will volunteer and it's always the same people every time. But if a coach asks for signups for the fundraiser and he lists a few different positions such as "Lead, Publicity, and Money Collection" he'll get people to volunteer. He can also ask that no one person be signed up for more than three things. In this way no one is overburdened with a timeconsuming task. This is why people don't volunteer. They worry that it will be too much for them and so don't offer at all. But another KEY point is that it HAS to be driven by the Head Coach. Plain and simple, parent's are motivated by what the Head Coach needs and asks.

Lefty, I think you're exactly right that in order for things to be distributed fairly, the HC has to do it. But I think a lot of coaches don't want that headache and depend on the parents who have been around a while to organize things. And then that can backfire because sometimes new parents can be a little shy or intimidated by the strong personalities that sometimes take over those activities, so they are hesitant to get involved. It is a cycle.

Things are looking up for us, though. It looks like the new parents are going to be an active group. So thanks to the newbies!

I sure hope this rain goes away - preseason game tomorrow afternoon!

We have a few more weeks to wait here...Tryouts start on 21-Feb...Son is a Senior and returning starter, so not much drama to the tryouts from that end...I thought I'd be nervous for my Freshman son and his first HS tryout...and, I am, but he switched from baseball to lacrosse last year, so it is quite different...He's done well so far in voluntary work outs and seems fairly confident, but I'll be much more relaxed after tryouts...and I'll be VERY happy and proud if he makes the team!

A couple of years ago, I commented to my wife that at least we'd be doing the HS baseball thing for 7 years with the younger coming behind...silly me

I do understand what you all are saying about the volunteer thing...Ours is a bit different...most folks show up on field day and we have a concession coordinator for that...they set a schedule where every family will have a turn on duty...other than that, it is really only a few who make sure things run smoothly...Luckily, we've always had a few Freshman parents step up each year to help out, so we have an experienced group of parents to take over each year. This year it is our family and a few others who are already working on things and we have Sophomore and Junior parents who will work with us and I'm sure we'll get some Freshman parents once the teams are set...

Now, if it would only warm up...I'm ready for at least 70s...

First day of official practice was today!!

73 and sunny...a perfect day for baseball. Got there in time to watch the first BP of the season...

It doesn't get any better....

Awesome! I always try to arrive in time for BP as well. Infield/outfield was also one of my favorites to watch. Unfortunately my guys new team does not do infield/outfield, but they do still take BP.

Enjoy the great weather!

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Infield/outfield was also one of my favorites to watch

My favorite, too!

My son is scheduled to pitch in the first game of the season tomorrow. The forecast is 70 degrees and sunny. It doesn't get any better than that.

Our game today was canceled due to last night's rain, but we'll hopefully play tomorrow!

Practice is underway here. Last night it was around 45 and rainy. Kids were playing a modified intra-squad scrimmage. Son got to pitch to 3 of his teammates. 3 K's. Good for him, bad for the hitters on our own team. Hope he fares as well against the competition - hope the batters fare better against the competition. 1st scrimmage game against another team Thursday the 17th.

Our preseason game is on for this afternoon! Looks like the high will be 67. 2B will pitch. Go Blue Wave!

2Bmom,

We are headed your way today to play Gainesville High in a pre-season game. Does your son happen to play for them?