High School Spring Season

Wow! I just made a frown. (Doesn't take much to make my day) Promise not to come back on. Son has three games this week-- been looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow though. Am traveling to Port Charlotte to meet Cleveland Dad and his wife for the first time and watch their son Tyler play!!

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Originally posted by smalltownmom:
Sounds like a great game. Congratulations to your son. I wish I could figure out how to insert the smiley faces. If I was technically literate I would send back a "party," but this will have to do.

This one's for you... Ha! Thanks!

Finally --- 1st scrimmage today. Games next week. While you folks down south are halfway through, we still have the fun of the pre-season excitement!

The team is VERY pumped; entirely new attitude and they feel great.

(I love hearing my son and the others on the team talking about how excited the entire team is, not how well he personally did.)

First scrimmage for my son's team this past weekend against a team where my son knows almost all the players through Legion. Lots of fun to watch kids on both teams play, as well as seeing parents we haven't seen in a while.

BBCOR sure sounds different.

Scrimmage yesterday in 40 mph wind gusts and very cold! Gotta love baseball in the northeast!

quote:

Originally posted by Sandman:
Scrimmage yesterday in 40 mph wind gusts and very cold! Gotta love baseball in the northeast!

I hear ya Sandman. I actually chose to stay at work for that one yesterday. Great to know they are back at it though. 2012 son's team took all 12 seniors who tried out this year. Should be a fun team. Whether or not they be good, time will tell. But what a way to go out. Good look to Sandman Jr. this year!

Kcdawgjr finally got to play today just over a week late! It was still a bit overcast, but it felt great.

He started at second and hit in the #2 spot. He struck out his first time up (but did force the kid to throw 9 pitches) but ended up 3 for 5 with a walk and a stolen base. He also pitched the last two innings and gave up 1 unearned run on 2 hits and 3 k's (no walks).

I did see something that is often talked about on here. The other team's starting pitcher threw more than 40+ pitches in the first inning. He started off with a couple of walks (other than my son who struck out chasing a high fastball) and then got tired. Then the boys started hitting everything he got near the plate.

I also got to witness BBCOR in action. I have to say, it wasn't bad. Two kids hit homers on his team (a three run and a grand slam) and a couple others hit it to the fence...and this is the freshman team at that.

Whatever the case, it was a great night of baseball and I was very proud watching the boys play. I'll keep the bragging to a minimum in the future.

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Originally posted by RedSoxFan21:

quote:

Originally posted by Sandman:
Scrimmage yesterday in 40 mph wind gusts and very cold! Gotta love baseball in the northeast!

I hear ya Sandman. I actually chose to stay at work for that one yesterday. Great to know they are back at it though. 2012 son's team took all 12 seniors who tried out this year. Should be a fun team. Whether or not they be good, time will tell. But what a way to go out. Good look to Sandman Jr. this year!

Thanks, and good luck to RedSoxJr this season too! See ya in the playoffs!

Son is back playing after missing last season to TJ surgery his Sophomore year. In typical returning from TJ fashion his control hasn't been what he'd like it to be. 3 innings 1 hit, 1HBP, 6 BB's and 9K's. So when he IS throwing strikes they aren't hitting them...lol. But it is awesome just seeing him back on the mound competing!

5 of those walks did come in those aforementioned 40mph wind gusts!!

Glad to hear your son's back in action redsox. Good luck to him this year.

Massachusetts finally started this week. Son went 3 for 5 in 1st game - 2 HR and a double. A great start to the season!

I have a 'feel good home town baseball' story, and I wanted to share it here in the HSBBW.

The 'icon' of HS sports in our town, and to some extent in the entire state, was Coach Jerry McDougall who was the 'winningest' football coach and I think pretty darn close to the same in baseball in our state. Stadiums are named after him, he is in the Hall of Fame in our conference, and he passed away this past fall. The team is wearing a patch in his honor, and everyone misses him (and his black lab "Coach" who was buddies with my dog!) at all the athletic events he used to come support after retiring as AD about 8-10 years ago.

Last Wednesday, our 1st home conference game, would have been his birthday, a fact that was lost on me until the end of this game, where my son threw his 1st no-no. (hopefully his 1st of many!)

No No on a special day

It was a great baseball day for the school, the team and my kid! Even the crankiest of the fans, and the dads who are never happy, had some tears in their eyes.


Nothing better than baseball ....

BaseballmomandCEP - what a great story!

Your son got lost in that story even though he pitched a no hitter. A great story about the coach but an even better one about your son and his accomplishment. Huge congrats to him and your family!

Thanks CD!

Mary, you made my day! Congrats to Gerard, and of course I have to say congrats to James as well.

More to come, I'm sure!

Thanks Kay. Yes it was great to have James behind the dish there too, he is an awesome catcher and his bat is really on fire this year also.

Hope our paths cross this summer and I hope your guy's arm (shoulder?) gets stronger.

BaseballmomandCEP,

Congrats to you & your son. Awesome story on the no-no. Your son must be so excited, and you must be so proud.

Coach McDougall touched many lives including mine. He was my football coach when I transferred to my new high school in 1979. I had no idea what I was walking into at that first day of practice. He was defintely an old school coach, a legend, and tough as nails (in a good way) on his players. I found out he passed away early this Spring from someone who knows the family very well. It was a very sad day when I heard the news.....and boy is it a small world. RIP Coach McDougall.

Wow - it really is a small world. Did you go to HS here??? We will have to PM about who you know from my little town!

They are doing a very nice tribute to Coach Friday night.

And thanks for the note.

Sons team just got top seed in the highest division. Now lets see if they can prove them right!!

Well Son's high school career ended last night. Team missed the playoffs by one game.

Good news is he hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 7th. He and the kid that scored the run got mobbed since they both were seniors. He cried, coach cried, we all cried. Finished the season batting .400 with 28rbis and a HR.

Now time to rest, play some summer ball and train for the fall. This went by way too fast, so all you parents enjoy your time because it flies by.

Will, glad to hear Dondrei ended his season on a good note.

Bballson's senior season was a disappointment. Pitched very little all season due to dealing with tendonitis in his elbow all season. Hitting was spotty. And to top it off, our team was right in the race for the playoffs and wound up having to forfeit 4 region wins due to a rules infraction. Our coach allowed 2 players to play more than the maximum games allowed in a season. They games they played over in had to be forfeited. An oversight on his part (don't think it was intentional), but he should have known better. It totally put a damper on the season. Overall, a big let down of a season that should have been a lot of fun.

The only positive about it all is that Bballson will be playing in college next year. At least his baseball playing days aren't done yet. He has decided to take this summer off from baseball to rest his arm and just work, workout and start long tossing after about 6 weeks to get ready for the fall. His college coach is in favor of this plan.

It is sad that the HS days are over. And you are right Will, time has absolutely FLOWN by. Really cannot believe that it is over. Seems like yesterday I signed up for the HSBBW in the summer before 8th grade. Thought I knew it all then. Thought son would get drafted or go big D1. He is going to a good D2 school, and I am very happy about that, but I realize there is a lot more to all this than I could ever know.

It's on to the next stage. Will be tough to see son go off to college and not be able to see him every day. Not be able to see him practice, not be able to see every game he plays in. I love to watch that kid play baseball. Love to see him do what he loves to do. His school is only 2 hours away, so I will be able to attend games, but it still won't be the same.

I am looking forward to see how he will do at the next level with the support of some very good coaches. His school is in the Peach Belt Conference, so it will be some competitive baseball. He will have to be on top of his game to be successful. I trust the coaches will help him get there. I believe he will do what it takes to succeed. It will be out of my hands though. I just have to hope that what we taught him will be ingrained enough that he makes the right decisions and does what he needs to do.

I know I'm rambling, just wanted to express some thoughts. Thanks for all your support through the years.

Well, our regular season ended yesterday - 18-4, league co-champs, and our best finish since moving several years ago to a bigger league where most schools are twice our size.

Due to good progress last year and a fast start this year, we typically faced everyone’s ace and pitching in our league was very good, including one of the top draft prospects in the country. I won’t go into all the extra adversity the boys fought through this year. I’ll just say I am very proud and happy for them and what they have accomplished.

As for Cabbage, this was his senior year and, so, this Senior Night was a particularly tough one for me (they all are, actually). Fortunately, coaching duties kept me somewhat pre-occupied. He had a very good year. A few injuries kept him from realizing some of the individual successes he experienced last year but he has reveled in the team’s winning and learned new ways to be a leader. Once HS playoffs are done, its off to summer college ball and then off to a very strong Calif. JC program where he will try to earn a spot. He has had good dialog with the coach but, of course, there are no guarantees.

Prior to our staff taking over the program three years ago, it was rare for one of our players to go on to play college ball. This year, we have three of our seven seniors verbally committed and two are very interested in playing for their college club teams. Next year, we anticipate similar results.

I, too, would like to thank HSBBW for the help along the way and allowing this small piece of bragging and reflection.

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"I, too, would like to thank HSBBW for the help along the way and allowing this small piece of bragging and reflection."

Congratulations on a great season and all of the progress you've made with your program. And much success to your son in the pursuit of his dream. And the small amount of bragging? I had one of these on order in case you went overboard...



But as usual you were modest and the bragging was just the right amount! I cancelled the order.



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Thanks Wood, and another great pic pull.

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Keep up the good work!



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This is where I get to brag, right?

My son missed 5 weeks with an injury. Last week he returned to the spot behind the dish with 6 games left in the regular season of his junior year. He looked good, and I think we both exhaled. Life feels normal again.

Here's the bragging part: in the 5 weeks he couldn't play in the field, he never complained once. I could hear his voice from the dugout, cheering on his teammates at every game. He shagged foul balls even when there were younger players who traditionally would be the ones to chase them down.
He led from the dugout when he couldn't do it from behind the plate.

I am proud to be his mom. Thanks for letting me brag.

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Your son obviously has it all figured out...good for him!

And you're welcome twotex...that was a well deserved 'brag'. And you have every right to be proud of how your son handled his adversity. I suspect mom had a lot to do with his positive and productive attitude.



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quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:
Well, our regular season ended yesterday - 18-4, league co-champs, and our best finish since moving several years ago to a bigger league where most schools are twice our size.

Due to good progress last year and a fast start this year, we typically faced everyone’s ace and pitching in our league was very good, including one of the top draft prospects in the country. I won’t go into all the extra adversity the boys fought through this year. I’ll just say I am very proud and happy for them and what they have accomplished.

As for Cabbage, this was his senior year and, so, this Senior Night was a particularly tough one for me (they all are, actually). Fortunately, coaching duties kept me somewhat pre-occupied. He had a very good year. A few injuries kept him from realizing some of the individual successes he experienced last year but he has reveled in the team’s winning and learned new ways to be a leader. Once HS playoffs are done, its off to summer college ball and then off to a very strong Calif. JC program where he will try to earn a spot. He has had good dialog with the coach but, of course, there are no guarantees.

Prior to our staff taking over the program three years ago, it was rare for one of our players to go on to play college ball. This year, we have three of our seven seniors verbally committed and two are very interested in playing for their college club teams. Next year, we anticipate similar results.

I, too, would like to thank HSBBW for the help along the way and allowing this small piece of bragging and reflection.

Cabbagedad,

I've enjoyed reading your posts over the last couple of years. It's nice to hear the perspective of another person that's not only a varsity head baseball coach, but also a father of a young man going through all the same trials and tribulations. Best of luck to your son next year, and congratulations...not only to him, but to the other kids you're helping to play at the next level.

Thanks bsbl247 and also thank you for your help in the past.

Districts are this week in Missouri, with the 16 districts winners moving on to the sectionals next week. We won our first round game Saturday 8-0. My boy pitched the semifinal game on Monday and we won 5-0 over our cross town rival school.

Last night we played the top seed in our district. Had a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth but they got one run, then another in the seventh to tie it to send it to extra innings. Got a lead off homer in the eighth to take the lead. In the bottom of the eighth, they got one run to tie it then we gave up a walk off home run to lose the game.

A senior pitcher of ours blew out his elbow 8 pitches into the game.

It was rough watching our team stand at third base waiting for them to get done dog piling to shake hands after the game.

But we will back next year. All eight starting position players will be back, and the top 4 pitchers return.

It was a great year but am shocked at how quickly it passed. Our varsity season (16-7) is over in a tough loss (aren’t they all) to end the run. My frosh son had the privilege of pitching for the team this year going 5-0 from the bump. I feel badly for the seniors on the team who did an amazing job leading the team and making my young son feel like they had been together for all four years. You couldn't ask for a better group of guys to make his first year in HS ball more fun. We wish them the very best as they move on to the next level of ball. And thanks to everyone here who has posted with their wisdom and experience. We were better prepared and enjoyed it much more as a result.

The season continues!

Just made the playoffs in the most exciting game of HS baseball I have seen. Real team effort. My guy got the honor on the bump for this 'must win' game, and he and his 4 other 2013 classmates starters really wanted to get this team into the playoffs for the seniors who hadn't had that chance. It was the last game for the seniors on the home field, a beautiful afternoon, and lots of screaming and hugs at the end!

We play our cross town rivals Monday night on their field for round 1.

Web's team started defense of their section championship this week. They are 2-0 and have not allowed a run.

Web is 4-5 with 3 runs, 3 rbi's a SB! (he's a catcher) and a sac fly. He's caught and called every pitch of the two shutouts.

Next game tomorrow night.

quote:

It was the last game for the seniors on the home field, a beautiful afternoon, and lots of screaming and hugs at the end!

We play our cross town rivals Monday night on their field for round 1.

I'm pretty sure that there is not a more pure, beautiful baseball experience than the ones in High School. I say that for both the parents and the boys who will cherish the moments, perhaps not now, but for sure some 50 years down the road!!

Thanks for the "reminder." Good luck.

Bumps in the road are part of the game, I have learned that on this board.

Friday, we defeated cross town rivals on their turf. Great game, after 10 innings of shut out, we manufactured one run to win the FCIAC conference quarterfinals. (If you know Connecticut, the FCIAC is a strong conference.)

Last night, epic semi final game, in the local AAA Ballpark, Harbor Yard. Pretty good crowd. My son was so ready for this start. Faces 1st batter. K. Second batter, line drive into his (my son's) thumb. Big meeting on the mound, he continues the game. 7 innings of shut out ball, we are once again 0-0 and go into extra innings. After 125 pitches he is pulled (reluctantly) out of the game, but has faith in his reliever. 8th inning- no runs. 9th inning - nothing. Then in the 10th, we once again squeak out a run to win the semi finals. We will be in championship game Saturday for the 1st time since 2005, likely to be against undefeated 21-0 team.

The bump in the road for my son ---- that line drive as it turns out had caused a broken thumb. He pitched all those innings with a broken thumb. No wonder curve and change up weren't strikes.

I have no idea how a kid can 'gut it out' like that. The ortho doc reassured us that he didn't do any further harm by continuing to throw with it but he couldn't understand HOW he could throw with it.

He could be back in business fairly soon, hopefully on time for our key tournaments in GA and NC in June and July. Looks like he may miss states, which is a shame, but 'it could be worse.' And he had just completed his recruiting video last week, so that was good timing.

This has been the most emotional and exciting season of HS baseball for the players and coaches! My son seems to be handling thsi set back well but it kills him not to have the start in states next week.

quote:

I'm pretty sure that there is not a more pure, beautiful baseball experience than the ones in High School. I say that for both the parents and the boys who will cherish the moments, perhaps not now, but for sure some 50 years down the road!!

Well Prime 9, they had a bunch of those moments this weekend --- the won it all, and they are conference champs!

Wow, I had no idea how great that feels. The boys, the parents the coaches are all still flying high.

States begin next week, they are hoping for another great run, we are just short one starting pitcher (my guy and his fractured thumb) so the guys who haven't had many innings on the bumb this year will get their chance to shine.

My son hurt his achilles the last week of the regular season so he had to sit out a few games.The injury lingered and bothered him. The coach decided to let him DH the rest of the way. Saturday was the regional champonship. The team had to go against a guy that was 7-0 and had a era under 1. My son got hit by the pitch the first at bat but the second at bat he hit a double to the fence. His last at bat he crushed the ball over the center field fence into the teethe of a 20 mile an hour wind... He went out with a bang and I am proud of him. They lost to 3-4

Sorry to those who have seen my other post on this but cant help it iam so proud of my boy. Pitched a PERFECT GAME in IHSA Sectional Championship becoming the 1st pitcher to pitch a perfect game at his high school ever. His team played one of if not the best game Ive ever watched--rf made a spectacular diving catch--3b-charging a dinker barehanded perfect throw, ss several nice plays, 2b had 6 putouts--oh and we had 17 hits agianst a 31-5 team with under 2 era. It was nice to be on the everything going our way team . Must win Monday in supersectionals to make final 4 in state next weekend--son would pitch in semis if we win---Playoffs have been great him and his bestfriend since 7th grade our 2 main pitchers. won 3-0, 2-1, 4-3 in 9 innings--we were down 3-2 in bottom 7 with 2 out and 2-2 count--1 strike from elimination--came back to win--won 9-0. I could go on and on but for now i hope for 3 more games

You have every right to be proud. Congratulations to him on a terrific performance. Good luck to the team as they continue in the playoffs.

Web's high school career couldn't have ended any better. His school won their third straight section title. In California that's as far as they can go.

Now he's off to college in the fall but 3000 miles away so it will be harder to make the games.

I'm very proud and it's fantastic to see all of his hard work pay off.

It's been a great ride and I'm happy that I took one piece of advice from this site and just enjoyed watching him play!