VA Wesleyan Showcase

It was the first one i ever took my younger son to. I thought it would be good experience and wasn't as expensive as some. i thought they did a pretty good job with the "talk" they give to the kids. Unfortunately it was very rainy and very cold so baseball wise it was hard to see what any kid could do.

I'd recommend it for a kid who's a freshman or sophomore, or any kid looking to playball in the tidewater area. Though they draw some coaches from other areas there aren't too many.

I have heard very good things about this event...especially for those looking at smaller schools. Although we never attended (due to a conflict with a different event), I have heard nothing bad about it.

I attended this showcase last year and it is a good starter showcase for younger kids, as mrmom mentioned. I found the coaches Q and A to be very helpful, they basically put all the coaches up on a stage with a mic and take turns answering questions by the parents and kids.

In regards to the colleges that were there, it was mainly small schools in the Virginia area, such as VCU, ODU, VMI, Richmond, Randolph-Macon, Christopher Newport, Hampden-Sydney, and William and Mary. About 10 major league organizations participated as well.

I am very familiar with the VWC Showcase. It is a solid regional showcase with 15 or so colleges and 5-10 pro scouts covering VA and NC.


You can PM me with any questions.

We've been there, albeit a long time ago. Good starter showcase, to see what this kind of stuff is about and see where you stand.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Thanks. By the way, it seems that the consensus is that this showcase is a good starter showcase. Is that because of the size, talent level...??? My son is a rising junior and has been to a few showcases/camps. He's considering this one because he is interested in some of the schools that have attended in the past.

Redbird5 sent you a PM.

There's an awful lot of good baseball played at those "small schools" (ODU, VCU-small???), and some very fine players at all of the schools on the list. There's never a bad time to get first exposed to schools that you might like. The state of Virginia is blessed with some outstanding large universities as well as tremendous "smaller" schools that are very serious about, and have had great success in, their sports programs.

BBDad1

If your son is interested in tidewater schools and is a rising junior he should definately attend...also i would consider writing/emailing to tell those he's interested in of your interest and that he will be there. That will pretty much guarantee they will circle his name and give him a little more than a cursory look.

quote:

Originally posted by mrmom:
BBDad1

If your son is interested in tidewater schools and is a rising junior he should definately attend...

What?? According to you, this is only ODU and VWC. THAT couldn't be further from the truth. This year's lineup of confirmed schools is pretty impressive with many D1 schools including: Coastal Carolina, U of New Orleans, JMU, Richmond, Radford, VMI, W&M, Va Tech, Liberty, Hofstra, Albany & VCU.

This does not include D3 schools like VWC, Methodist, CNU, etc.

Many top name players have been in this showcase like David Wright (NYM), Ryan Zimmerman (WAS) and BJ Upton (TAM).

This is a solid showcase for all levels of players. Kids travel from all over the mid-Atlantic to attend.

Here is the website with the confirmed schools: VWC Showcase.

I have spoken with Nick Boothe and spots are still available for both sessions. If you have any questions, contact Nick Boothe directly at nboothe@vwc.edu or 757.455.3348. He has done as much for kids around here as anyone.

Ah Redbird,

As is sometimes, not always, the case your testosterone level is lacking an outlet...or you just got up on the wrong side of the bed, maybe your wife is mad...whatever.

If you want to take issue...great...but please read for content

First of all, you yourself described it as a good regional showcase -- I agree....if for no other reason than not disagreeing -- my comment was just an "amplifying comment" to add resoluteness to the endorsement (you may need a dictionary here RB) .

I sent my younger son there as his first showcase and should you check you'll find that in other threads I fully support/endorse/...whatever this showcase.

What I said is "if his son was interested in the tidewater schools he should definately attend. For me, that would also include, in addition to VWC and ODU...CNU, Will and Mary and Norfolk State...but who's counting. Notice I didn't say if you're NOT interested in the Tidewater area you should definately NOT attend....that's how you read it though....why is your glass not half full RB?

That said, since you're from the area perhaps it is technically not correct to call them "Tidewater schools"...not everyone in Va. would consider it as strictly as you...

The real idea was, and still is, that if you want him to attend a "tidewater school definately i.e., for sure, without a doubt, do not fail, must, don't miss etc...attending

Now then, since we're both in agreement that this is a good regional showcase I guess I can get back to what I was doing and you can get back to "kicking your dog"!!

mrmom,

Some of your comments are funny...some aren't. Just like your information and use of smilies.

Your posts read as if the only schools in attendance are "Tidewater" schools. You also said "though they draw some coaches from other areas there aren't too many" The 14 or so confirmed schools from outside of Tidewater, are considered "not many"? And, yes, this is using your loose and inaccurate interpretation of what is "Tidewater".

Nice attempt on the petty insults, BTW.

Thanks RB...the important thing is the person asking got the info he needed!

I have a teammate who is going, our coach said it was a very good showcase.

My son went to maybe 2 or 3 showcases at VW. To put this in context, he also went to 4 Perfect Game showcases, half a dozen camps throughout Virginia and N.C., and a couple of other baseball "exposure" functions. Most of the VW events he went to were as heavily attended by coaches and scouts as any of the other events. They were well run and very well organized. If your child is interested in going to school locally- and by that I mean in this general area to include perhaps mid-atlantic to northeast states, I can think of no better, cost effective place to be, especially if you live local to VW. The caveat to this is that past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Still, having said all that- if he were still in high school, I'd send him there again!

good showcase, if weather cooperates. It was a bear 3-4 years ago, its always a **** shoot....around Va Beach. You never know what mother nature will throw at you.
From what I saw, alot of scouts, college and pro.

I appreciate all the feedback and information. Son and I will be going down for the showcase. He received a Dear "son's name" prospect letter from Coach Boothe which was pretty cool and a few more from some of the other schools. I know coaches send a lot of letters out but at least it was addressed to him. Hopefully the weather will be nice.

i myself have attended this showcase twice and i must say that it is a very fun and organized camp and alot of very good schools attend. coach boothe is all about the kids and will do almost anything to make sure the players are happy and will help them out if they ask or if he sees that they need help. if you are still wondering if you should choose yes or no to go, i would say to choose yes, you will definitely get your moneys worth.

We have attended this camp and, in order to give potential attendees some assistance in deciding if this is a camp worth attending, my advice would be to attend as many camps as you can if you are serious about playing baseball after high school--and attend this camp if you can. I can tell you that you may never know where you will be seen, but I guarantee you that if you do nothing and expect to be "found", think again--go out and be seen. If you have a conflict, weigh the two (or more) options and choose wisely. I met David Wright at this camp and had a great converstation with him. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the ability to hear it straight from the coaches from all levels as they pass the microphone around was worthwhile. One downside, in our experience, about the camp was that the batting practice pitcher seemed to be tying to strike out hitters and he also pitched hundreds and hundreds of pitches (far too many) before giving up the job. The sad part was that most of his later pitches (last 200 or more) were down and away, while all of the scouts looked to see if anyone was pulling the ball hard. Trust me, for those parents and players out there who have never been through a showcase camp before, some things happen or don't happen and it's just luck--truly. I have seen a scout get a phone call on his cell phones just as my son was stepping into the box and he hit well, but the scout had walked away from the backstop to attend to the call. In another case, it's just a matter of who was pitching BP (tall vs. short, hard thrower vs. softer thrower, lefty vs. righty, etc.). The bottom line remains--you have to do your very best and hustle all the time...no matter what fate throws your way!

quote:

Originally posted by CFHS_DAD:
One downside, in our experience, about the camp was that the batting practice pitcher seemed to be tying to strike out hitters and he also pitched hundreds and hundreds of pitches (far too many) before giving up the job. The sad part was that most of his later pitches (last 200 or more) were down and away, while all of the scouts looked to see if anyone was pulling the ball hard.

Coaches throw BP with velocity to show bat speed or expose a lack of it. Also, scouts don't look for pulling balls, they look for complete hitters. As a matter of fact, they'd like to see a kid DRIVE the ball the other way, not just flare it. BP pitchers try to throw a couple inside, a couple down the middle and a couple away to see how good a hitter is.

quote:

Originally posted by CFHS_DAD:
I have seen a scout get a phone call on his cell phones just as my son was stepping into the box and he hit well, but the scout had walked away from the backstop to attend to the call.

This happens but it really isn't a big deal. The coaches and scouts talk and, even if you are on the phone, a good hitter's bat sounds different.

How beneficial would it be for a 2008 grad to attend this showcase?

tcw_17

Absolutely beneficial. Especially if he has not attended many showcases yet. This was one of the first showcases my 2005 grad attended; and he did it when he was a freshman. Northern Va is not that far to travel from for a quality showcase.

quote:

Originally posted by grasscutter:
tcw_17

Absolutely beneficial. Especially if he has not attended many showcases yet. This was one of the first showcases my 2005 grad attended; and he did it when he was a freshman. Northern Va is not that far to travel from for a quality showcase.

Just curious...what showcases are beter in NoVa?

Hi Redbird,
I think Grasscutter meant that it's not too far to go to the showcase from N. VA. and would be well worth the time. Hope all is well down there.
KT

golf,

Thanks. I didn't know which showcases he was referring to in NoVA. Do you know which ones are good in NoVa?


All is well down here. My son has grown 6 inches since the spring.

I don't of any showcases in NoVA that are better or worse, etc. As golfball explained for me, just stating that it's not that far to go.

quote:

Originally posted by grasscutter:
I don't of any showcases in NoVA that are better or worse, etc. As golfball explained for me, just stating that it's not that far to go.

Thanks...I misread it to mean there were showcases in NoVa.

I was wondering what was up there.

quote:

Originally posted by tcw_17:
How beneficial would it be for a 2008 grad to attend this showcase?

On a scale of one (low) to ten (high), and using COLA as an over and under.........under, way under.

cheers

My two cents..

We attended this event this past weekend.This was our first showcase, as my son is a 2010. I have nothing yet to make any comparisons to.

I can tell you that the youngun and his folks had a great time, and would recommend this to anyone else in our particular situation. Coach Boothe and his staff made every effort to ensure that things ran smoothly; every young man had the opportunity to show what he could do, both as a position player and offensively. The college coaches and pro scouts were available and would take the time to answer any questions either my son or I had regarding the process. I met folks from as far away as Upstate NY and Pittsburgh PA., so it wasn't just the local talent that was there.

Once the jitters wore off, my son seemed to relax and have fun. He even poked a double and a triple during the Saturday game in his two at bats.

All in all, well worth the trip. No doubt we will go again next year, as some of the colleges he's interested in were in attendance.

I was at the showcase also. I am a 2009 and i will definetly be attending next year also. Coach Boothe is a class act.

High Heat...what team was your son on?

paul

He was on Team #3, number 209.

I was on team 2 #515