Aloha Baseballmom_33 and welcome to the ever so happenin' lovely Ladies Lounge!! I think you will find this is a cozy resourceful little spot to be in at the HSBBW!! ( we have great food too and that never hurt in my book! ha !! )
I am a newbie myself and have a HS (6A) Junior son who will be starting his third year of Varsity baseball this Spring. You will find that there are alot of moms here at the HSBBW who have sons playing at all levels of highschool and especially college ball and even some in the MLB!! They are the ones with the true knowledge. I think you will find that almost everyone has a different story,..their sons all took different paths to get where they are now. To me its been VERY rewarding and interesting to listen to these stories that the ladies so willingly share to us newbies! I think you will need to read, review, and decide what will be the best fit for your family, and your son.
Sooo with that said, being a newbie peon my self, my personal knowledge and input will be limited. I can only tell you what we have been doing and what has worked for us so far:
My son played Little League for years & a summer of American Legion Ball all over the US before his HS season. Tried out for the Varsity team as a freshman and made it. ( yahooie!) After his first Varsity HS year, we moved to a highspeed summer tournament team. THAT is where my son really got the ball rolling so-to-speak. We found the teams to be faster, much more competitive,...GREATLY improved pitching,..scouts actually watching & taking notes!! ( exposure was greatly increased ) and over all it was challenging. My son was having to stretch and grow which has been very good and very humbling for the lil' hotshot!! He found out being a big frog from a small pond doesn't make you ready for the MLB!! Ha!
With that though, came lots of expenses and a complete family devotion to baseball ( other sibbling had to tag along or hang out with friends back home ). In other words we had to completely have the family commit 100% to baseball for the summer. That doesnt always work for everybody. There were sacrafices that we all had to be willing to make.
We also allowed my son to go to a summer camp at his college of choice,..THAT was worth every penny! He learned a ton and I feel he grew with that the most and got the most individual hands on instruction!!! Plus being on a college field and living in the college dorm for a week kept his desire to keep his grades up during the school year. Nothing like paid motivation! tee- hee!!
We are now starting to play Fall ball for the first time. Our team actually plays colleges,..so again,..more exposure to the big boys with college talent! Thats gotta be good we hope!
We also have been to a couple of showcases and that too was a good learning experience.
No college offers laying on the table yet,..but he's gotten good publicity and has generated some college interest rumblings. Those we are taking in stride,..one day at a time. We have a long way to go!!
Each step is a baby step,....hopefully getting closer and closer to his goal of playing college ball. All fingers and toes crossed!
I wish your son the very best of luck!!!
So glad you asked your question! I'm sure you will be hearing from others!!!
