TX HS journey begins...1/30/15...

Congratulations and good luck.  It's a great ride! 

UtilityDad, I'm at the other end of the spectrum. My 2015 is starting his senior year. I remember like yesterday when my son started his hugh school career. He played on 9th grade team and then made varsity as a sophomore (1 of only 2). You are correct in your assessment that time FLIES BY!!  I cannot believe it is almost over. I have enjoyed his high school experience. There have been some ups and downs. Lots of coaches in the bleachers, self included😉. In the end, the coach wants to win and is going to put the kids in position HE thinks best helps HIs team be successful. You will not slways agree with him, but he had the final say. My advice to you is to enjoy every second, the wins and the losses, because in a very short four years your son will magically transform into a young man and leave your home. That may be to pursue baseball at the next level or become a "regular" student. The vacuum that is left is hard to adjust to, especially in our case as our son is the last of 4, so that makes it especially hard. Again, enjoy the ride and nurture your relationship with your son. Best of luck!

The curious part of school ball is the relatively few games involved.  There are about 100 to 120 games in a HS career.  If you played travel from Age 9 to 14 there were probably 400+ games in that time.  Your son may have the same number of games left in the next 4 years as he would have played in one year of travel ball.

 

You will find that every one of them matters because there are so few.  Depending on the rules for making the State Playoffs winning the District can make or break a season.  If you are in a tough district you cannot afford any bad games.  It can be a pressure cooker. 

 

If you want a great laugh go to the Golden Threads here and find the one about parents in the stands.  It is about 12 pages and is a hoot.  Even if you don't get them all now...you will.  Enjoy every minute of it.

 

UtilityDad - Your post is awesome!  I'm glad you feel the same way I do.  HS baseball was a wonderful experience especially for our younger son.  Lifetime memories!

 

I wishing your son and your family a similar experience and look forward to your updates over the next several years.

 

All the best!! 

I have one playing in his first college game next weekend and a soph. that starts baseball in Texas on Friday.  It goes by fast. 

UtilityDad2018,

 

Over the years, a number of parents have used our forums to share their high school baseball journey.  Some of their sons were prospects on their way to college or pro ball; for others, high school was the highest level their sons would play.

 

Regardless of which category your son is in, it's still baseball, it's still worth celebrating, and I hope you share the joy (and other emotions) with us here.

 

Welcome to the site!

When my son was 12 and I started getting an inkling he had pretty decent baseball ability, we had a conversation in our van on the way to practice at a local park.  I remember the conversation as if it happened yesterday (he is now 17 and a junior in HS).  We spoke of his upcoming baseball journey and, more importantly, the things that could derail his dreams of playing baseball for a living (every twelve year old's dream).

 

Our conversation went from "what it takes" to compete at the next level, to how many of his friends would fall away from the sport they all loved at the time.  There were many reasons (girls, music, academics--both good and bad, talent level, drugs, etc.), but many of those on his 12 year old team now have nothing to do with baseball.

 

Flash forward to this season:  Only four players from that 12 year old team play HS ball.  Maybe two of them will continue to play ball at the next level.  My son's biggest dose of reality also came this season, when his best friend decided not to play.  The kid would have been a returning varsity starter, but chose to get a job so he'd be able to take his girlfriend out more often (believe me, many tried to talk him out of it but couldn't).  There are many more factors surrounding this player that I won't get into on this board, but I know in my heart if a few things had gone differently, he'd still be playing.  I'm also equally sure his situation is not unique to what many on this board have seen with other players.  In the end his reasoning for not playing this year was, and I quote:  "I'm not going to play ball in college, so I may as well get started with my life.". 

 

Seriously?  I cannot think of a BETTER reason to CONTINUE playing baseball in HS!  It's gone before you know it boys, so enjoy it while it lasts.  Tomorrow is promised to no one.

 

UtilityDAD, enjoy the ride.  There will be days you'll disagree with the coach, your son, your wife, and just about everybody else in the immediate area.  Forgive, forget and press on.  Enjoy this beautiful game and take great pride in your son's ability to play it.  I know I am.

 

GHHS jr's actual season begins 2/28, but the team has already had three scrimmages and another scheduled for this Saturday.  Bring on the HS season!

I think this is a YMMV situation epending on the culture of your town and your school. We recently (one year ago) moved from Denver to a small town in southeastern Colorado. In Denver, you can be a first round draft pick and no one in town has even heard of you. IN fact, Halliday went to the school around the corner from my house and I barely knew his name. Here in this town of under 8,000 baseball is king. The school has seven state titles in the past 20 years and has produced four major league pitchers. Think football in small town Texas. That's what baseball is here. If you're a stud on the baseball  team, you're a celebrity. Your picture is in the paper every couple of days and your a hero to younger kids. My son is eating it up with a spoon and, whereas he'd never talked about high school ball in the past (only college), now it's a focused goal. He loves it here in the small pond.

Nice post. Congrats and best of luck with your son's first HS season. There is nothing better than playing for your High School and community IMO. Hopefully you have a cross town rival or some other big rival that makes it even more special. 

Exciting times for all of the incoming HS fresman and their parents.

 

Like others I love the HS baseball season.  Watching my son and his friends play for their school.

 

Last year the team tied the deepest run into the playoffs in school history.  Lots of one run games.  Son doesn't hit much in the summer as his future is on the mound but wouldn't ya know the 9 hole hitting DH caught fire during the playoffs and hit close to .500.  Seems he was in the mix in the outcome of almost every game somehow.  Still get a little misty thinking back on it. 

 

Soak it all in.

+1!  My son's journey through HS baseball was awesome and happened way too quick.  It culminated in the baseball team winning the district for the first time in 25 years, runner up in regionals and making it to the state tournament for the first time ever (lost in the state quarterfinals).

 

Fortunately, his baseball "career" continued on through JuCo and now at a D2 university.  Opening day is Saturday!

Nice post Utility. Son also is starting out the HS journey with tryouts end of this week. I can't wait to see how this all unfolds. Rest assured, I will do my best to absorb the great advice of this site as best I can and sit back and enjoy the ride. Good luck to you and all this HS season and beyond. Lots of fun ahead!

Welcome, neighbor! My son just got home from the Garland batting cages.

 

He's a junior. I've been on HSBBW since he was about your son's age.

 

Hang on! Sounds like you have a ballplayer.  

My 2018 son's high school tryouts start on Friday.  However, we have a MRI scheduled this morning for his throwing shoulder.  And he does not play year round.  Wish us luck.  He either gets a go or no-go phone call on Thursday afternoon.