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Fall games and or practice are one thing. You might have to wait till the spring season is on its way or after to find out really how they are doing. Real games mean a lot more that intersquad scrimmages. With that in mind;

I would be interested if anyone knows any freshman who won a starting job or the #2 job for the spring? Parents, brag a little! We all like to hear about it.

FieldBuilder

....you teach me baseball and I'll teach you relativity...No we must not, You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball.
--Albert Einstein
My own 03 had a great fall season both with baseball and academics (grades came today Big Grin )

I have heard of a few players who have had ups and downs but overall it appears that the class of 2007 (wow that seems so far away) is doing very well.

Can't wait till spring to answer your question about who has shined and who has won starting positions as freshman. Most schools don't announce this until then.. I know with mine he is just thrilled to have the uniform and knows the difficulty of freshman earning playing time.. He is working hard and will accept whatever the coaches feels is the best for the team.. he knows this may be the spring of 04 or later.. doesn't seem to bother him, he just wants the team to succeed..

03's we miss you guys!!!

_______________
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole."

"JustMom"

valefty44,
The coaches at VCU will not be disappointed by making that choice.
Scott is a fantastic ballplayer and deserves the opportunity presented him.

Justmom,
Congrats on your son and his first semester of academics. Many forget how important getting a good start in class leads to a confident and solid performance during the first Spring season.

I would like to add my own congratulations to Zach Zigrang (Kempsville ’03) in making the President’s List with a 4.0 GPA in pre-Engineering (Today’s Virginia Pilot College Report section). As far as baseball goes, he cannot wait to make an impact in any way he can. The coaches hope to use him in the everyday batting line-up and pitch in rotation. We’ll have to see how that works. Good fortune to all in ’04!
WAY TO GO ZACH

laola

A 4.0 for any college freshman in their first semester is difficult at best and to add sports to the equation is even more difficult. Shows that Zach has his priorities straight and will be a success story on and off the field..

Scott as a starting Freshman at VCU should not surprise anyone who has had the opportunity to watch his grow as a player.. Congrats Scott to you as well clap clap clap

_______________
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole."

"JustMom"

I'll correct here something I posted on another thread:

Based on what an instructor told my oldest, he had a high enough GPA to make the Dean's List. But the instructor didn't give him the grade he told him he'd earned, so he came up .029 short of the Dean's List.

That said, he'll take 3.471 for now. And if he can turn GPA into AVG and a .347 in the spring, ...
My '03 had a very good fall baseball-wise, but a not-so-good fall academic wise.

In a nutshell, and I post this for the benefit of the 04's, don't underestimate the need to immediately get into the academics big time. My son's schedule, probably typical of most 03's, was:

6:00 a.m. running
7:00 breakfast, shower (usually breakfast bars on the run)
8:00-1:00 classes
2:00-6:00 lifting, throwing, drills, pool work, practice of some sort
6:00-7:00 shower, dinner
7:00-9:00 mandatory study hall

And this is the fall, the "off season". (a misnomer if ever there was one)

My 03's mistake was that if he didn't get everything done in the 2 hour study hall, well, tomorrow's another day, and Big Screen ball games or pizza with the guys sounded nice, until mid-term grades came out and "Kaboom!"

Combine that with a whiney girl back home, who is calling or being called 3-4 times a day, and a couple killer classes, and you have a recipe for lousy grades, despite my 03 being undoubtedly bright enough to do very well.

On the bright side, the girl friend is history, the level of necessary academic commitment is now known, and more importantly appreciated, so we anticipate a much better spring. A redshirt may be waiting, primarily for academic reasons (grades DO come first) but also to adjust to a significant late fall change in pitching mechanics (dropping from over the top to slightly under 3/4 arm).

Bottom line advice, as all the 03's and their parents will tell you, there is no room for distractions, and very little margin for academic errors.
Hokie,

Thanks for sharing your expierence and honesty with all the rest of us. I will make sure to explain this very well to the other ones this week.

I am sure Matt will get things on track, especially after his talk with you know who on Friday night.

This very scenario was spoken again and again by most college coaches at several showcases we attended in the last couple of years.

I am sure he is not alone. Not that it makes it any easier, the question is will he re-bound as a stronger and more determined student/athlete?, knowing Matt, that's a definite yes.

CV

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

Earl Weaver
Culpeper's '03 bunch, Ben Pearson @ NC Wesleyan, Jamison Jarvis @ Shepherd, Clay Horn @ Belmont Abbey are all doing fine and will see playing time this spring on their respective fields.

Congratulations to all three clap

CV

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

Earl Weaver

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Congrats go out to Wayne Renfrow for his accomplishments this semester.He is attending Louisburg college this year where he just got his grades in and is on the Dean's list with a 3.7 GPA.I guess there's something to say about small schools and towns where there is nothing to do but to play ball and go to class.A weekly highlight is a trip down to Walmart.Congrat's also go out to Zach,what a great job.I am looking forward to hearing about you in the spring.
Congratulations Zach! Not surprised though; a super young man with great parents! Zach's former AAU teammate Phil Lawhorn Jr (Salem HS ' 03), attending Pensacola Junior College, Florida. Won the Closer job in the fall. Prior to designation as Closer, he was seeing time as SS/2B/3b and some Outfield. Less than serious comment was made that he may needed to suit up behind the dish. Coach commented that he "played too hard on every play" (he is a pitcher, so there is some logic to the comment);
he now has been regulated to 2b, behind a third year player.

He's making a case for more playing time as a positional player. In three intra-squad games, ( warm-up for the teams opening season tournament in Palm Beach, FL this weekend), he went 6-8 with two doubles; one a warning track shot to center (Fence 390) on a 0-2 pitch. But, he received the most praise for a sacrifice bunt, (he was the only one to sucessfully execute one) thanks Pete Z. Defensively, he made all of his plays.
On the mound, he also has been very sucessfull; OK I'll say it, he has been dominating, Thanks Paul Z and Pete Z. I am surprised, because these are his teammates and they know what he has got. He only occassionally can touch 90 (four-seamer) relies more on a running-sink two-seamer 86-88. His power-curve is still bending knees, but the most dramatic improvement is that he has finally developed his change-up( late tailing action away from righties). Struck out the teams best hitter on this pitch, after busting him inside with the running two-seamer. Coach commented that "of all the pitchers, he was the most improved"
Most important, he had a solid showing in the classroom and really likes the courses he has for this semester. I have challenged him to achieve a 3.0 plus GPA this semester.
Lawman,
Great to hear Phillip is doing well at Pensacola. You've got a great kid and a great ballplayer. We enjoyed our time together on the Cardinals. Yes, Paul, Ed and Big Doug taught our kids a lot...but you always kept the most impressive scorebook. (Cheryl can disagree).

Keep us up to date on whats happens with Phillip this year.

BBNDB needs to keep us up to date on Zach.
The Tidewater freshmen at ODU are doing very well. Andrew Bucher will most likely be either the # 3, pitcher or a mid week starter. Hunter Hall will be coming out of the bullpen with Jimmy Greene and Adam Hodge. Brooks Sinnen and Billy Marn also had fairly descent fall seasons as well, and will be competing for a starting job this spring.

On another note, Jimmy Greene, Billy Marn, and Joe Johannes all made the Dean's list for the first semester, so congrats to them.
Lawman,
Congratulations to Phil on his recent accomplishments at PJC. For all of us that know him well, it is of no surprise that he continues to excel in the game of baseball with his ‘attack’ style of play. I still recall the first time I saw him field a ground ball at 2B only about 15ft from 1B and turn and hurl it some 80mph by the first baseman’s head. The next day I found out my first baseman switched over to the Drillers! All kidding aside, Phil earns his opportunities and deserves his success.

Monarch Baseball,
Thanks for the update on some of our local players at ODU. An outstanding freshman class full of baseball-seasoned natives will sure put a sparkle in following the Monarchs this year. I would expect as the season goes on, more and more of that freshman class will get a chance to demonstrate their talents to the hometown fans. A great job to all and special kudos to Jimmy, Billy, and Joe, for doing it in the classroom as well as on the field!

Cpkebaseballdad,
You need to provide updates, as well, on Patrick.
I know he’s been a very busy young man!
As far as Zach goes, he has earned the starting job at 2B and will pitch if/when required. We are both proud of his continued focus. I think it was a smart move to 2B, especially for protecting the arm over time and 56 games.
Matt S. will appreciate this: The coaches called him a ‘sleeper’ when they found out he could pitch. Imagine that!
To echo valefty44,it is great to hear how well the 03's are doing. I know this has been covered on a another thread, but a hat's off and a thank you goes out to these young men's AAU coaches: BBDNB, driller, valefty44 and KNIGHTS. These coaches built a strong foundation for our 03's to build on. From my perspective, I have a 12 year old currently playing AAU/USSSA (Performance Baseball; in association with Wayne Gomes). The AAU/USSA in our area is watered down from years past. Don't get me wrong and no disrespect to the coaches and players in this area, there are some good ones, but there are as many teams in this area as there were total for our state tournament in 96'. We (Performance Baseball) are classified as an Elite USSSA team; one of three in the State of VA. Getting back on the subject to the afore mentioned coaches, I have not seen many current coaches that I can compare too.

monarch baseball, I was at the ODU clinic last saturday. Jim Palmer was the guess-speaker and that was great. No disrespect to Mr. Palmer, but for me seeing all those local boys in their ODU uniform and chatting with them was the highlight of the day. Driller, talked with JJ. Super young man and can't wait to see him in a Cubs uniform at Wrigley.

LSUtiger, Phillip will spend two years at PJC. Ideally, (selfishly on my part, hey I want to see him play!) he could return and play at ODU and has expressed a desire to do so. I think he would have no problem fitting in with the players he grew up with.
Reality, he may get offers from one of the big schools down there. At his exit-brief (surprised he got one, being a Freshman) his coach said" if your grades were better (like Zach's) your the kind of player Rice U. would want. For now, we pray he stays healthy and take care of business in the classroom.
BBND, MONARCH BASEBALL,LAWMAN, VALEFTY, and all you other fellows with whom we spent all those years watching our sons grow as players and young men, greetings. It's great to hear all the updates on these young men. Congrats to all those who excelled not only in baseball, but especially in their academics. Yes, it will be fun to follow ODU baseball this year and all the other schools our kids represent.

Patrick is doing well in school and with his baseball. Last summer he attended a eight week program at IMG Academies and next summer will play for the Front Royal Cardinals in the Valley League (got the clothes already). This spring he will continue to share time behind the dish with a very good red shirt senior. We think he will see significantly more starts this year. Last year he batted .322 in 59 AB's, starting I think 19 games and playing in quite a few more. Coach is telling the pitchers to buddy up to him because he is the future. Patrick says that he feels like he has improved trememdously in his time at Coastal. Coastal's conditioning program has certainly paid off...25lbs more muscle and weighing in now at around 200lbs.

Guys, over Christmas I talked to Mike Rupe about having a reunion of sorts in the Knights indoor facility. Unfortunately, Mike's facility was committed and it just never happened. We need to get the kids and their parents together next Christmas for a pot luck or something. It would be good to see the kids and their families. I'm sure Paul, Matt, Terry and Mike have the phone numbers of the players. I think it would be well received.

Good luck to all. To those of us who have to travel, it's just another road trip. We've been doing that for years.
Patrick Nichols and Jacob Dempsey (Greenbrier Christian 02)had great freshman years in the classroom as well as on the field. I saw both of the boys over Christmas break and their success does not surprise me at all. I believe that both of the boys are also on the path of professional baseball. Its great to see the family feeling that permeates this board when we discuss the local boys who are getting it done in college. So much emphasis is put on early signing but both of these boys made decisions after their senior season was over and found perfect fits. Good luck to all the tidewater talent this spring. Its my favorite thread to read about local boys doing well in college. Keep us informed and keep this topic going throughout the spring.
Okay my turn.. Our two local OHS 03 players..

Chris has a great first semester at WVU, made the Athletic Directors Academics honor list, played a great deal of baseball, learned a ton from the coaches and is ready for the spring season which is officially 4 hours old Big Grin

Jess had awesome grades (no suprise), not sure of the final GPA but it was up there, absolutely loves his life at Notre Dame and is very excited with the program and the coaches. He should see definiately see some innings this season.

Overall a great start to the college experience for both of them.

_______________
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole."

"JustMom"

Our 03 had a great fall in the classroom (3.47) and a decent fall on the field. But he is the odd man out in a numbers game in the outfield. So he is contemplating redshirting, showing what he can do in summer ball (Asheville of SCBL) and talking about making the jump to a 4-year school next year. But he waffles on playing this spring almost every day.

Glad to hear the reports from others so far. Happy, particularly, for Jimmy and Billy at ODU. Who knows? Perhaps he'll be joining them next year.

Mitch23, you're holding back on us. Preview says probable starter. Well done.
So, I guess I get the honor of posting the first score of the year. PJC 6 - Broward Community College 5. Game called in the 7th due to rain.

If the score would of held up, Phillip would of closed the 9th for his first Save oppurtunity.
He probably will not get a chance this weekend, calling for rain all weekend in Palm Beach. Then sunny and upper 70's on Monday.

Oh well, a baseball score in January is a first for me.
The Strasburg report:

Jay B, catcher at Wingate, excellent fall, solid grades, should see plenty of action, season starting next week. Very happy with the program and school!

Matt N, lhp at Presbyterian, good fall baseball-wise, yucky academic fall, now a red-shirted Bue Hose. Looks to be throwing well, and the red-shirt will hopefully help those grades continue upward. Pitching for Woodstock in Valley League this summer.
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Coach z, what does bbdnb stand for? Glad to hear zach doing well at longwood! Lawman, glad to hear Phil is doing well. Lawman, glad to hear phil playing well in beautiful FL. clap Dont know if any of you follow VMI, but since an old teammate plays for them, Tristen C, I follow them, and VMI lost in the bottom of the ninth today with one out on a right field corner double. Unfortunate, but a strong start for VMI against a top 10 Florida State team.
Speaking about the Tidewater connection to VMI.

OF - Elliot Erbe - Western Branch
OF - Thane Smith - First Colonial
SS - Matt Smith - Great Bridge
1B - Jason Major - Bayside
C - Mike Maleski - First Colonial
C - Matt Hudgins - Kellam
P - Tristen Covington - Salem
P - Jeff DeMara - Great Bridge
P - Matt Liflick - Kempsville
P - Richard Litwin - Ocean Lakes

I'd say VMI spends some time around our local high school fields.

fc v dad

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gmu-ece, in addition to playing in Florida, Phillip's team will be playing in Alabama, Mississippi with a tournament scheduled next weekend 12-15th in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Pitched his first game on the 4th. 11-5 PJC win
over a very good Jefferson Davis CC, AL. Jeff Davis scored all 5 runs in the 8th. Phil pitched a 0runs 0hit 1 hbp 1K 9th. (no balls hit out of the infield). Currently, Sophmores are seeing substantial playing time (in order to be seen). Tournaments and Conference games, Phillip should see substantial PT especially positional play (2B play has not been very sharp alot of errors).

cpkebaseballdad, how tall is Patrick? I would like to see Patrick and all the former Tidewater area players in their college uniforms. As mentioned before, It was neat seeing the former Tidewater players in their ODU uniforms. Unfortunately, PJC's website www.pjc.edu still has last years team photo posted even though 2004 team photo has been taken. I will inform when they update the site.
gmu-ece,
Good to hear from you and hope all is going well in engineering at George Mason U.
On a web site that honors young men playing the game of baseball, I only thought it proper to use a handle that pays tribute to the players I’ve had the honor of instructing that made a significant sacrifice to reach for their ‘dream’. These are baseball players, like you, that play/played the game of baseball with reverence and principle, and down right fun. The type of player that keeps a coach yearning to coach and a fan longing to follow. The type of baseball player that has BBNDB (BaseBall ‘N Da Blood).
Again best wishes as you pursue yet another ‘dream’.

Coach Z
Lawman,

Patrick is 6'2" and 200lbs, despite what the Coastal web site indicates. They have not done a good job of updating returning player information. They took pictures this winter, but have not updated the player bios to include pictures yet. No links to any pictures are offered at this time.

We went to Myrtle Beach this weekend. Coastal swept an error prone Delaware State team who had not been outside all spring, except in a parking lot. We too, looked to be in "early season" form. Still, two wins is two wins. Coastal did quite a bit of upgrades to their facility during the off season, upgrades which included a new infield surface. The new sod was laid in December and kept the team off the field until recently. Giving time to let the infield sod "get hold" has put them a little behind schedule, but the place looks great.

Patrick did not see much playing time this weekend. Did a little mop up work entering late in Sunday's game. Next weekend he will most certainly get a start. University of Delaware will be in town for a 3 game series.

Keep us updated on whats going on with Phillip. It's good to hear how our boys are doing.

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