need advice on how to handle a situation

Overall yes I agree your son needs to have a talk with the coach and see what's going on.  Couple of questions though

 

1.  What level school - D1, D2, D3, etc...

2.  Was he recruited by this coach

3.  Does he receive athletic money

 

You can never go wrong with the player having a conversation with the coach.  May not be what you want to hear but at least you know where you stand.  If your son doesn't get a straight answer or the answer doesn't resemble what ends up happening that might be a red flag it's time to change schools if baseball is that important.  Overall the academics need to come first but if you can go to a new school that has your major and get a fair chance then go for it.

Hi Dad and welcome to the site.  I like Coach2709's advice and will be interested to hear the answers to his questions.  Yes, you did properly advise your son to talk to the coach.  One additional thing comes to mind here though...  yes, college fall ball includes inter-squads and that is where opportunity can be had but before and during that time, there is usually a fair amount of practices, reps, drills, etc.  This is also where opportunities and/or inter-squad playing time is earned.  So, to say he is being given no shot may not be entirely accurate. 

 

There could be a few things going on here.  Without knowing your son and his competition better, it's hard to know.  He may be  better than most of the others and the coach needs to see the others to determine who will be joining your son.  The coach may have determined during practices, drills and reps that your son isn't ready to compete for a starter or backup role yet.  Or it may just be a numbers thing where he hasn't had the chance to give him his turns in the rotation of players.  Again, though, if your son truly doesn't have a clue why, he should ask the coach.

Thanks guys:

Coach2707: He is at a D2, he was recruited by the current coach, however, because the process happened very late,he doesn't receive any athletic funds this year.

 

Cabbage: That's and interesting perspective, one that did not cross my mind. I guess it's possible he's the best at his position and coach has already made up his mind about him. If not, and it is just a numbers thing or he just isn't ready to compete at this level, would the coach not have communicated that to him? He really doesn't have a clue and feels like he is just twisting in the wind. That's why I encouraged him to speak with the coach. I think my boy just wants to know where he stands so he can prepare himself mentally. Thanks for the input fellas!

Jersey dad, here's a couple of other thoughts/comments for you.

 

1.  Did your son complete everything he needed to do with the NCAA Eligibility Center, and was he certified as a Qualifier for Division II based on his HS academic record?  Sometimes, I hear about coaches who "set kids aside" until they know for certain that they'll be eligible for competition.

 

2.  As many on this site will tell you, it's usually better to be a scholarship player, because the scholarship guys are usually given more opportunities to "fail" and still have a shot at making the line-up.  Do you know if this program is fully-funded with 9 scholarships to be divided among the players?  I would feel just a bit better about your son's chances if this program doesn't have the full allotment of scholarships.

No money means he is a walk on and nothing is to say the coach has to give him a roster spot in the spring.  But maybe if the coach is going to keep him, he doesnt need to play.

I would definitely go speak to the coach, he is the only one who will have the answer as to why he hasn't played much.

Thanks for the answers and to be honest everyone here is just best guessing.  We don't know how good your son is or how good the team is and without that knowledge it's impossible for us to know what's going on.  I truly believe if your son respectfully goes to the coach and asks where he stands and what the coach sees his role is on the team he will get an honest answer.  It may be good news or it may be bad news but until you ask you never know.

He is definitely eligible and I understand that scholarship is better than non scholarship. Not certain about the full allotment of scholarships.
I want to be clear, I'm not a whinning parent and we don't want what we don't earn. We were just curious is the coach's level of communication was atypical and if I gave my son proper advice by encouraging him to speak with coach privately.
I sincerely appreciate everyone's information,  input, and insight!

You're fine and at no point have I thought "here comes another whining parent".  It was good advice you gave and good that you came here to confirm it.  Hope the meeting with your son and coach goes well.

Thanks again!

No disrespect implied, but most 18yr olds are not completely honest with dad....  He has been playing ball for sometime and should have a pretty good idea where he stacks up against his competition. 

 

   

He does have a really good idea of where he stacks up with the competition and most 18 year olds may not be completely honest with dad, but I think you misunderstood.

 

This is a tough situation and I feel for your son. I've been through a similar situation.

 

The first half of my senior year I hardly got any opportunities. It was frustrating at first but I stayed positive. It got to the point where I had to go in a talk with my coach (probably one of the least desirable things I've done with in my college career). 

 

I made sure to go in to the meeting with a team first attitude. I explained to him that I wanted more opportunities to show I can help the team win and play better. I knew I could perform and improve the team and I wanted to chance to do so. My coach responded well and I began to see the field more. When I did get some playing time I more than held my own and our team most definitely benefited from my presence on the field.

 

My point is you can't be selfish. Coaches aren't dumb. They know if a kid is begging for more playing time in a selfish way or not. Coaches know each players' work ethic. Coaches know who seriously wants to put the team before self.

 

Good luck to you son and reiterate to him the importance of giving 100% on every pitch, every ground ball, every swing in the cage, every second he's on the field. It will pay off!

To learn how to do above well will benefit someone in the work place, family, personal relationships and many other applications in life.  It's an example of being able to see the world through someone else's eyes (the coach's in this case) as well as your own.

Excellent post Austin, thanks so much for your input.