JV to V

Why? 

Because coach thinks you son will help him win games at some point.

I've been there, and I know what you're saying, but be patient, and keep in mind that there are more practices than games, and your son will learn a lot more going up against the big boys in practice than he will with JV.

Did that with my son end of Freshman and then again sophomore.  He finally asked if he wasn't going to pitch, if he could play jv that week.  It was the most fun he had that year.  Considering he didn't get his senior year either, I'm glad he spoke up and got to enjoy a bit of hs baseball.

I was there, too.  My freshman son was put on varsity and not playing, we didn't know what to do.  We wondered whether he should ask to go to JV.  Halfway into the season, he was put on the field, and never came off.  Sophomore year he was pitching too.

I'm thinking that (a) the coach wanted him practicing with the varsity, and (b) the upperclassmen played themselves off the field.  That said, my son was DHed for in freshman and part of sophomore year, he was frustrated.  In hindsight, it was part of the learning process.  Junior year he was leading off, starting games, and a team captain.  So, the coach obviously hoped that the varsity experience would pay off, but at the time it wasn't clear to my son, or to us.

I had not found hsbbw at that time.  You're in good shape.  Be patient and enjoy!

The coach moved your son up as insurance against injuries or depth. He believes your son can help the varsity in the right situation. Your son will be pushed harder in varsity practice than JV games. It’s a lot easier to jump to the varsity starting lineup from the varsity bench than the JV lineup.

If nothing else your son has been told he’s ahead of everyone on JV. The key is staying physically and mentally ready for when the opportunity to prove himself arrives. A successful first opportunity leads to a second opportunity.

Tell your son to stay positive. Be a cheerleader in games. Hustle in practice. He’s on the right track.

Mine was moved to varsity as a freshman for pitching. After a couple of weeks he talked to the coach and after that pitched once a week for varsity, played third for freshman games on days he didn't pitch. We're at a small school where they were grateful for every player they could find, so having someone doing double duty was a bonus.

He can use the time to motivate himself to improve and be ready to jump in at anytime. This is a good learning experience and if he continues his baseball career this will help him tremendously

As a coach, there are a few reasons.  He wants him to build relationships with those guys so when he plays he will have earned their respect because for him to play someone has to sit.  He wants the varsity guys to have bought into it so that the pain will be less when he takes someone's spot.  So encourage him to go full speed at practice and build relationships with the varsity guys.  He is no longer a jv guy so he has to act like he belongs.  He also wants him to understand how they do things which normally is different in some ways from varsity so tell him to observe what and why they do what they do.  He wants to see what he really has against the varsity.  There could be more but these come to mind to me.  They may seem small but in the end they are big.

My son is a sophomore in college and was injured last year so he only pitched a few innings in recovery when everything was shut down.  This year he is able to show what he has and now that he is showing it he is in a different group.  He did not travel last week in the midweek game because he was needed to be fresh for the weekend.  He is having to learn a new role and they are moving him into it slowly.  The "rules" are not the same for the starters as they are for the bench guys.  The perks are different.  The conversations are different and who you have conversations with.  The media stuff is different.  He is learning daily how to be one of the guys rather than just a player.  It is similar between varsity and jv.  Maybe not to that extent but it is different.  Remind him to enjoy the ride.  Remember he is probably having more fun than you are in this move.

@Herewego posted:

.....................................

He got called up to the varsity team and now he rides the bench.
He’s having fun but of course he wants to play. I know there is nothing I can do but just why??

As you read through the great advice provided in this thread you should realize "why".   Coaches need players that can execute their plan.  If not, then go to the next player on the bench and see what they can do.

This is just one step up (JV to V) in the baseball hierarchy of talent.  There are many more levels.    Your son is getting valueable reps and practice, and clearly the coach has taken him under his wing.   As anotherparent suggested, others will play themselves off the field giving your son an opportunity.   This is exactly what happened with my son his freshmen year.   He was known for pitching (that got him to college) but the kid could play the field and hit too.   So, he played the outfield and hit his freshmen year because the Coach needed a LH batter who made contact.  He became a bigger part of the program the following years both on the mound and at the plate.     

Thanks everyone! Very helpful advice. Greatly appreciated. Will proceed with encouragement and enjoyment. High school games are so much fun!

There are parents with seniors on Varsity that don't play who would love to be in your shoes. High School season is short. Enjoy the experience of your son being thought of highly enough to be part of the best 20-25 baseball players at his high school. Congrats to him.  

I don't know your situation but I do know what happened at a couple of schools I coached against.  At one, the HC came early to watch the JV practice to see what skills players offered that he could use.  What he found was a haphazard practice that angered the coach.  In fact, he wanted the JV Coach fired but had to wait until the end of the season.  The V HC pulled all of the talented players off of that team.  At the second one, the VHC didn't like how the pitchers were being told to throw without anyone watching their bullpens.  Again, I don't know your situation.

All good advice from the crew as always.  I'll share my 2021 son's story.

Arrived at his high school at bad time because their 2019 and 2020 classes were stacked and deep.  Spring of his sophomore year, we were sure he'd be playing JV.  Not due to a lack of talent, but due to available spots on varsity. Varsity coach couldn't quite decide what he wanted to do, so he gave my son a varsity jersey and told him he being "swinging" which is playing some JV and varsity as needed.  Season started and my son was seeing some varsity action every 3rd game or so.  That went on and he was never sent down for any time with the JV team.  My son had never not been an every day starter so he wasn't super satisfied.  About 3 weeks or so in, he went to the varsity coach and asked if he could play in some JV games to get some more innings in.  The coach obliged and he ended up suiting up for 3 or 4 JV games in one week.  After the week, the varsity coach came to him and told him he was done playing JV.  A few days later, my son became the starting SS for the varsity team.  What all went into that decision?  Who knows?  But I like to think the varsity coach appreciated my son's initiative and willingness to play "down" in order to get on the field more.  There were 2 other sophomores in the same boat as my son and both felt "slumming" it down on JV was beneath them.  They hated swinging.  My son ASKED to swing.  I think that says something about a player.

One last thing and others have already said it.  Your son's window may be very small.  When his number does get called, he HAS to perform.  Can't have a bad day in what may be his only moment for a while.  While there are no guarantees, I've found that preparation gets a player far closer to a guarantee.  LOTS of preparation and it has to be done outside of team practices and games when no one is watching.  Being ready to deliver/perform the moment your number is called is a skill that will translate well in the recruiting process as well.  Cannot have an off day when the bell rings.  You work so hard preparing that even an "off" day delivers solid results.

Yes, actually, I forgot a piece of my son's story.  He was put in to start in the second game of the season.  It was 45 degrees out, he was in the first day of having a bad cold, and he was playing a position he'd never played before, not to mention the pressure of a varsity start.  But, no excuses.  He made several errors, and didn't get back in a game until mid-season.

Love all these stories! Keep ‘em coming!

update: put in 5th inning - single and triple - it was a runaway game already and pitcher was “Max 75 fb strait down the middle “ but still!  Not playing his usual position but doing great and getting it done. Grinding in the ATL.

Unless you're from Tx, Ga, SoCal, Fl or one of the other baseball hotbeds the odds are that JV baseball is terrible. You will be hard pressed to find a pitcher throwing over 78, the pace is absurdly slow, and you're usually not being pushed by your peers.

It happened to the oldest. Stuck on the bench behind two all state MIFs who didn't pitch and didn't miss an inning. He was miserable not playing, but practicing with V everyday was the most important part. I had him talk to the coach about what the deal was moving forward and the coach said what's going to make you better practicing with Varsity or practicing with Mike _____ who can barely catch a baseball? He told him he has X amount of guys graduating next year and he needs him to be ready as the starter when they opened up the season the following year.

Basically he needed him to be ready for the varsity routine. The pace, the way they practiced, how they handled business and prepared. He couldn't afford to have him shell shocked with cold feet. It worked out, the year long sacrifice was worth it. There's never no reason.

If a kid sits on varsity he can still get plenty of reps in his summer ball games. Our high school had 18 JV games and 22 varsity games. Summer ball had 50+.