Looking for suggestions

Since he is a pitcher, can he ask the coach if he can just show up when he's going to pitch?  Last summer, my son played for a collegiate summer league team.  Once the rotation was pretty much set, he only came the one time a week he was going to start.  He had plenty of free time and got his pitching in.  Maybe something like that would work for your son?  And since he's not playing position in college, he really doesn't have to over the summer.

He could give back to the sport that has given him so much by volunteering to help coach (travel or REC).  He could work with young pitchers to help them develop solid mechanics.  He would be around the sport, be able to make his own schedule, and keep his arm loose by throwing (catch with the kids)

He's got his spot on a D-3. Why not take the summer off from comprtition and just spend some time working out on his own. Nothing to prove until Fall, right?

+1

Has he talked to his future schools pitching coach?  They may want him to take the summer off from game situations and just concentrate on a throwing program and working out, with some bull-pen sessions on the side.  Or, they may encourage him to play over the summer, depending on his usage during his SR year.  In my sons case, he was in constant contact with his future pitching coach and a game plan wasn't decided on until his HS season was over.

I do think it does depend on how much he has pitched in HS and how much time off he needs for his arm.  If his arm is good and he is on a summer team that will not abuse his arm, IMO, he should pitch.   The baseball progression as a pitcher or fielder should not stop.  I do see this in some players.  Because they achieved their goal of getting on a college team, they think they are done.   They regress as players. Is there a pitch he needs to work on, or a pitch he does not have that he could work on in a bullpen and then take it into a summer game to prepare for college fall ball?  Probably, all pitchers do.  I get what your son is saying about all the summers of giving to baseball in the past, but how good does he want to be?  How good of a college pitcher does he expect to be?  There are so many other players who couldn’t think of a summer without baseball, not because they have to but because they want to and that is who he will be competing against, on his own team and in the other dugout.  Many decisions are made in the fall college season for the following spring.  He should show up not worn out from playing but sharp and in an ideal situation better than he is now.  Just something for him to think about.

He should definitely communicate with the coach.  Son should know what the schedule and expectations will be in the fall.  He can work backwards from there.  Unless told otherwise, there is nothing wrong with taking a break.  It may be his last chance to do so and he can come into fall refreshed and ready.  That said, he probably doesn't want to be ramping up his arm from a long layoff when the team gets going in the fall.  So, he will want to get back on a throwing program far enough ahead of the start of fall practices.  Same for conditioning.  The amount of conditioning is typically one of the toughest adjustments for college freshmen.  He will want to get on a program by mid-summer and be in pretty good shape by the start of fall practices. 

Also, there are usually plenty of mens leagues that would be happy to have a college P on their roster with plenty of flexibility for him to pitch once in a while.  But he will not want to do so if he is taking an extended break from throwing.

seaver41, from our experience, there are academic D3's where taking a summer off would not make a huge difference and there are academic D3's where taking a summer off, as shortnquick properly summarizes, could put your son in a potentially very deep hole.

In one sense, I understand the desire to take a Summer off after all the hard work.

On the other hand, it is all that hard work which probably helped create an opportunity which starts in about 4-5 months.If the D3 is also a top 50 type ranked program, "playing" is earned starting in the Fall and cannot be assumed based on the past.

If the D3 does not have a Fall practice schedule, perhaps taking time off won't be a major issue. If the team does have a full Fall schedule, they are usually scrimmages beginning very early.  Showing up not ready to pitch and complete could jeopardize all the past work. 

Talk with the coaching staff. They are the very best resource.

That's what I love about this forum, post something and you get a variety of great responses.  I'm going to over all of this advice and the suggestions with him and take it from there.  Thanks all.

seaver41,

Some really good suggestions have been posted above.Definitely ask the college coach what he wants your son to do regarding pitching this summer.I would encourage him to work out regularly(daily) this summer in a strength and conditioning program.Arrive on campus bigger,faster,and stronger than ever.Show the coaching staff and all the other players that you are there to compete for playing time right out of the gate.

Good luck to your son !