Impressions following the senior year (and if we had it to do all over, again).

quote:

Originally posted by JT:
1. Showcase when you are in tip-top shape. If you are tired, it will show, and it will hurt you.

JT,

That is the one I would emphasize more than any other.

My eldest son made this mistake (with my idiotic backing LOL) - I will not do that with my younger son. Live and learn.

Great advice IMO!

quote:

1. If you are not on a D-I or D-II radar BEFORE your senior season, you are hosed, even with a great year.

Based on the number of early signees, this is obviously true. Unlike football, the senior season doesn't seem to matter nearly as much unless you are on the draft radar.

quote:

Now, no sour grapes, here, as my son (and I) are tickled with his D-III choice and fit. My goal here is to offer where we may have "gone about the game wrong."

JT,
While I don’t think it was your intent, I think your comment in the previous paragraph pretty much sums up what the goal of the recruiting process should be. Many players and parents equate the reputation, the size, or the division of a college as some type of measuring device of their son’s success with the biggest D-1 being the ultimate goal. You are guilty of this by expressing your regrets. Wrong approach in my opinion! You should have no regrets. The goal of recruiting is NOT about attending the biggest, toughest baseball college in the nation, it’s about finding he perfect fit where your son can play, contribute, learn, and gain a positive experience from the baseball program and his teammates. IF a player can find that perfect fit at the biggest, toughest baseball college, then he is very fortunate because he is experiencing the same things your son is experiencing at his D-III.
Fungo

JT,
I happen to agree with Fungo, I got the same impression. You have given good advice regarding junior year and senior summer, but you seem to think that your son may have a better experience if you had done things differently and gotten into a D1 school.
I do happen to know of some very fine players who signed at very big D1 schools, first being noticed in the fall of their senior year. Both very fine pitchers, starters on the weekends.

Sometimes it's hard for me to give advice, because I know many may feel, "well, it's easy for you to say, look where your son plays." But sometimes it's easier to give advice because I have been there, seen just how difficult it is in a larger program and why the players on the field are there and why others are not.

One can send their kids to all the showcases, tournaments, camps they want, that does not necessarily mean a chance to play at the school of their dreams. So much is determined by ability and coaches needs. The ultimate goal is to go where you can be happy and succesful and as Fungo says, gain a positive experience from college baseball. It doesn't have to be at the biggest and best, because there are many who ultimately may earn a chance to attend but don't always find the experience all that wonderful.

I don't see what you have done that was wrong. Your son has an opportunity to play beyond HS, and possibly move on if he wishes later on.

Fungo, thanks for putting it in perspective for us parents of younger players.

A couple of thoughts.

1- Just be glad you aren't playing in Iowa where your senior season is played during the summer AFTER you have already graduated.

2-If you were a D-I coach where would you spend your recruiting efforts - on the kids who are still looking or someone already committed to play elsewhere?

3-If you found a D-III school worth committing to prior to your senior year - then had a great senior year you should be CELEBRATING. That is the best way to end your hs career, and a great way to arrive on the college scene next year, full of confidence through achievement.

It seems to me that all situations are different. Look up a young man named Jeff Van Houten, who is tearing it up at Greensboro in the South Atlantic League. He led the Pac 10 in hitting his junior season and was All Pac 10 twice at the University of Arizona, which had zero interest in him until he had a monster summer AFTER his senior season at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. Prior to that, he was headed to Grand Canyon.

Lynchburg College has had some truly great players and coaches, JT. I have little doubt that your son will have a wonderful college experience that you will share, especially since you are so close by and will be able to watch nearly every game.

Sorry I mis-led folks. We are tremendously happy with how things ended up. No sour grapes, no regrets. D-III is the level of player he is, no questions asked. I WAS suprised, given the year he had, that there was not a single inquiry, that's all, and all inquiries would have been met with a "thank you, but I'm going to Lynchburg."

JT

One of our players will be joining your son at Lynchburg--he is extremely happy with his choice

JT,my congrats to your son on his opportunity at Lynchburg
a neat College in a great setting .. but noting your location, I guess you already know that

for you the icing on the cake seems to be your easy access to his home games
although often young men "spreading their wings" need some room ...
a balancing act I'm sure you'll handle


an opinion on your comments above based on my experience ...


the MORE important seasons:

summer after soph yr summer baseball
jr yr fall baseball w/showcases
summer after jr yr summer baseball


the LESSER important seasons:

all hs seasons, esp sr yr
sr yr fall baseball w/showcases

good luck

JT, I think your post is terrific because, IMO, it reflects the reality of a lot/most of us at the same stage. DI permeates every aspect of our thinking and this is seen daily by an awful lot of the posts on this site.
So, if I might, let me jump you forward 4 years. When your son is walking across that stage at Lynchburg to pick up his diploma, all of the "what ifs" will likely be gone.
The what if about playing two sports in high school...gone. To this day, on those rare occasions when ours can get home, one of the first things he does is get a group of friends to watch old videos...of their senior high school football season. They treasure that time and experience even now.
The "what if" about playing DI/II will be gone. The reason: college baseball is unique because it offers summer collegiate wood bat leagues. Good DIII coaches get their players placed and the players then see everyone puts on the uni's exactly the same. Many DIII's find they can compete on either an equal or close to equal basis...and on occasion find they are as good as those at the top.
At the better DIII's, as contrasted with most mid and lower level DI's, your son will be competing for conference championships and regional berths nearly every year. Every game will mean something and your son will have an opportunity to contribute to those efforts.
Finally, there is something almost "magical" about DIII players/experience. The effort, time, committment is because they love the game and love the competition. When, after the last game of their senior year, that group and every one of their teammates cry, those are tears of people who shared the experience because everyone wanted it, not because they "had to" or had a scholarship tied with it.
When I first came across this site, and through today, I have regularly seen posts about playing up, playing with the "big boys," "you can only be the best by playing the best" "and the like. I think I am like you when I say I felt intimidated because that wasn't where our son ended up in college. Maybe we had done something "wrong" or not "done enough."
Looking back I find myself laughing at my own insecurities. For our son, the DIII experience academically and athletically helped him become the "biggest" and the "best" person, student and baseball player he could be.
Like you, in 2000 we had some "regrets." I respect your willingness to share those. Looking back, any "second thoughts" faded rapidly.
For our son, he never had a single regret. Congratulations again to you and your son.

One Note on Rest before Showcase:

We were told back (Jr. year) then our son could be projectable as a pitcher, but his foot speed meant he was undraftable as a position player.

Although unintentional (i.e. unplanned), he ended up pitching 8 innings (in relief) in a "big" tournament the day before we left for his biggest showcase. He hit 87mph 6-8 times that day, but couldn't break 83 at the showcase two days later.

That fall he had 8-9 ongoing DI inquiries in play(with several hard direct offers), although most were from IVYs and Patriots and none were showcase-related.

In the end, he rarely pitched in college (DIII), but remained a dominant hitter (1300+OPS as senior).... with top 5 school/career offensive records in at least a dozen categories.

Bottom Line: Of course its different strokes for different folks, but the DIII choice provided a superb education with exceptional results.

I can identify with a lot of the sentiments expressed on this thread. My son was caught in a log jam of DI talent at his high school and didn't have his "break-out" season until senior year when he was MVP of both his team and league, and made several all star teams. He ended up committing to a DI; but no athletic money left. We ran into this frequently his senior season; he was finally getting calls from coaches he hadn't heard from lately or at all, but money went in the fall. He ended up commiting as a "recruited walk-on" to his dream school; we are hopeful that it works out.
Bottom line; breakout senior season won't get you much, but it's better than nothing!
And we learned that showcases are for kids who have lightning speed or cannon-like arms. Some kids show great in a showcase; some don't. Know your son and whether or not it makes sense to "showcase" him.
Most importantly; every player has to move on and prove himself somewhere, sometime, at some level. The opportunity to keep playing anywhere is to be cherished.

Not to put words in JT's mouth but I think what he's saying is...

A) He & his son are VERY happy with where he's going.

B) Looking back, this is some advice on how to do things differently for the rest of us who will go through it.

My initial response was pretty much the same as Fungo's. I was going to say "You didn't do anything wrong". But having just gone through this with my daughter, I see it as a "game" in itself and I think we as parents try to put our kids in the best possible situation and then let the chips fall where they may. I think that's all JT was saying...he played a couple hands wrong along the way, and now having 20/20 hindsight, would've done a couple things differently.

Am I right, or am I right?

You are RIGHT as RAIN! He (and I) are eccstatic.

Not sure I would have done ANYTHING different, however, because his Legion season created MEMORIES that will last a lifetime (state championship, 3rd in region); and his senior golf season was a blast. It's just offerring advice based on one's priorities.