Hi, Can anyone explain what this means to a NAIA freshman baseball player. Is it a bad thing?
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nbbm - The same thing that it means for a player at any other level. They will not use a year of eligibility that year.
As far as being a bad thing. Depends? For my son and many others, that RS year is a blessing on down the road. If he got to retain his scholarship, continues to learn, grows stronger physically and baseball wise.... hard to consider it a negative IMO.
As far as being a bad thing. Depends? For my son and many others, that RS year is a blessing on down the road. If he got to retain his scholarship, continues to learn, grows stronger physically and baseball wise.... hard to consider it a negative IMO.
nbbm,
Welcome to the HSBBW. To answer your question simply, no it's not a bad thing. Redshirting is a common practice in all levels of college ball. Your son will be able to use his freshman year to develop skills (and strength) and get adjusted to college life without losing a year of eligibility. IOW, he'll still have four years of athletic competition with a year of classes under his belt. He'll practice with the team and participate in team functions, but he won't travel or play in games during this year. Of course we'd all like to see our sons transition successfully to college ball and continue to stand out on the playing field, but please understand that isn't really the norm. Many if not most college freshmen play very limited roles in their first year as they learn to adjust to playing at the next level. It doesn't mean the coach thinks your son isn't good enough. There are lots of possible factors including other, perhaps more seasoned players already at his position. Maybe the coach just prefers older players and redshirts all freshmen. Coaches can also change their minds and activate redshirts during the season to fill needs. Hopefully this will all become clear once practice begins in a few weeks.
My son redshirted last year, and maybe the hardest part was finding out during the season that he wasn't going to get used. It all worked out fine, but I would think that knowing in advance is somewhat easier.
I hope this helps. I'm also sending you a PM.
Welcome to the HSBBW. To answer your question simply, no it's not a bad thing. Redshirting is a common practice in all levels of college ball. Your son will be able to use his freshman year to develop skills (and strength) and get adjusted to college life without losing a year of eligibility. IOW, he'll still have four years of athletic competition with a year of classes under his belt. He'll practice with the team and participate in team functions, but he won't travel or play in games during this year. Of course we'd all like to see our sons transition successfully to college ball and continue to stand out on the playing field, but please understand that isn't really the norm. Many if not most college freshmen play very limited roles in their first year as they learn to adjust to playing at the next level. It doesn't mean the coach thinks your son isn't good enough. There are lots of possible factors including other, perhaps more seasoned players already at his position. Maybe the coach just prefers older players and redshirts all freshmen. Coaches can also change their minds and activate redshirts during the season to fill needs. Hopefully this will all become clear once practice begins in a few weeks.
My son redshirted last year, and maybe the hardest part was finding out during the season that he wasn't going to get used. It all worked out fine, but I would think that knowing in advance is somewhat easier.
I hope this helps. I'm also sending you a PM.