Skip to main content

6 replies

Juniors and Seniors trying out for the first time.

S scribe11410+ posts

Gentlemen,

Long time no talk, last time I commented I was in Chicago building a baseball program at a new High School.

Second season went 12-1. Decided to leave Chicago to move back to my hometown and teach. Timing has it, I was able to get on as a Varsity Assistant/JV and Middle School Baseball Coach. It's another Inner-City program.

Head Coach is happy to have me on board as another set of eyes (He was working solo last season) teach fundamentals and have been able to establish rapport with some of the athletes in the school that have not been coming out (We are both teachers in the H.S. I teach JROTC).

This is what I am coming across now, theres quite a few juniors and seniors that are popping up saying they want to play Baseball and have not participated at the H.S. level previously.

The first question I ask them is how much Baseball they have played: The usual response "I'm an athlete" or "Can you teach me how to play?"

Upperclassmen (Jr's Sr's) in my opinion unless they are going to make an immediate impact on a young team or serious studs it's kind of a high-risk venture if they don't get a lot of playing time, as they can start to pout and become a cancer to your team.

Me and the HC are willing to give anyone a chance, if the kid can play we can find work/a role for him. How have you as coaches dealt with first time juniors and seniors coming out for your team and what are some of your philosophies on this from a team-building standpoint?

Input is appreciated, looking forward to start throwing this week.

Last edited by scribe114
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

coach2709coach270910,000+ posts
Never pass up an opportunity to have an athlete on the team. That being said they need to contribute right away or there is the chance it could go south quick.

If you have an older kid and a younger kid that is equal in talent I would lean towards the younger kid. If you keep an older kid just be up front that you want them to succeed but if a younger kid is doing it then they will get the playing time. If they want to be a problem then there is a quick solution - they can leave on their own or by your choice.
Coach KnightCoach Knight500+ posts
Seniors that don't play are generally more trouble than they are worth....but you have to get to know the kid in the off-season to take each case individually. I send an email prior to the season to all my teaching colleagues at the school and request that they tell me about the academic performance and overall attitude of each player that they've had in class. They seem to always reply, as they know I will keep my team in line. It helps....believe me. Coach Knight
R raiderbb100+ posts
same here. i let all our teachers know who is on the team or are wanting to play. they'll let you know if there are problems and we deal with it. good citizens and students first. we have a reputation for having the best kids in the school and we will do what it takes to keep that reputation. we will not sell our soul to win.
if its a junior or senior just coming out they know the kids that have been there will get first chance. they will have to be obviously better.
if a senior has been in the program for 4 years a younger kid will have to be much better to beat him out. you have to be loyal to kids that have been loyal to the program for 4 years.
W Will1,000+ posts
quote:
Seniors that don't play are generally more trouble than they are worth


I generally had a rule if they were a senior and they were not going to play much they were let go. Painful but had to be done. I for the most part avoided this as after sophomore year we tried to project where the player would be by senior year. If we thought he would not be starting by senior year we let him go in junior year. Of course this is not an exact science so you do err in judgement. As far as new juniors or seniors trying out my theory is you let them show what they have. I remember once having a kid transfer in his senior year. He was very good. he stayed started and we did quite well. If you can play you can play. as a coach you put the best players on the field.
B BCRockets100+ posts
We are having this happen quite a bit also. It seems like 2 or 3 every year. I tell them upfront that we can only keep 18 kids. If they tryout and make it, they make it. If they are even with someone else who has played, or who has not skipped a year, then the player who has been in the program the whole time will get the nod. So far, we had one kid come back after not playing his Jr. year and contribute as a senior.

I am noticing it more with Juniors than any other class. I think they look at the senior who may or may not be in front of them and decide that they don't want to put all that work in and not see much time.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×