What surprised you most about College Ball?

The first thing would be how difficult it is to earn playing time.  The second was the things that I saw on the field were not necessary what the Head Coach is seeing on the field in the games.  Some kids did not perform but were left in the lineup.  Others who did not perform were given one chance and then sent back to the bench.  I also saw an incredible amount of talent across the spectrum of D1.  Incredible talent.  I saw young men who had little talent blossom into exceptional college players and get drafted.   I saw incredibly talented players piss away their talent while receiving many chances to turn it around.  They had no interest in turning it around based on their actions.  

Injuries happen.  You've got to move forward or move on.

I saw incredible team chemistry that is just hard to describe and fleeting.  Also, I saw young men with incredible talent not get drafted.  It takes incredible god given talent, hard work, and luck to get drafted.   

What surprised me most was the talent and effort it takes to get on the field. I, too, am surprised about the grades, but then I know a few kids who struggled with that without college sports, my oldest son and myself being two of them - and we both had great grades in HSI (and he) were not responsible enough to go to class regularly and put forth the effort to study. Thankfully after a few years off and making squat for a living and not a lot of future, we both went back to college and got great grades due to effort. So with college sports being even more time consuming than anything I dealt with in college, I can see those who do not care enough would very much struggle.

The other thing I see on my son's team is the camaraderie with each other and how much they pull for each other no matter what their personal situation is on the team.

I guess the biggest surprise has been seeing how few players get the experience they think they are signing up for when they commit.

Nobody anticipates injuries, cuts, transfers, bench time, burn out or grade struggles. But they are the norm.

Very, very few players stay at the school to which they committed, earn substantial playing time early, remain healthy and productive and in the lineup or rotation, and graduate more or less on time with decent grades and a meaningful degree. What we might consider to be a "normal" college baseball career is very rare.

Nearly everyone has at least one major setback. College baseball is hard. That doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. It just means it will test you and toughen you in ways you can't predict.

This year I watched my freshman son, and many of his former teammates, play at DI/DII/DIII and JuCo. I guess the most surprising thing to me was the relative scarcity of good pitching at all levels. Up until college my son has always played with or against a few kids who have dominated on the mound. I rarely saw that in college games this year.

Swampboy posted:

Nearly everyone has at least one major setback. College baseball is hard. That doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. It just means it will test you and toughen you in ways you can't predict.

Yup - exactly right!!  Nearly everyone...if not everyone.

I guess the other thing is - and we see it written here all the time, yet somehow it just doesn't sink in until you see it firsthand or as a parent through your son and that is the amount of time and energy it takes to play college baseball.  5:00 am till midnight - nearly every day.  Aside from joining the military it has to be one of the hardest things these young men will ever do.

playball2011 posted:

interested in opinions about what you learned after sons first yr. mine was injured but I learned the following:

1. There can be many injuries, sons school had five who needed surgery(not all were P). Injuries can happen to anyone anytime. Many are "career ending" 

2. Shocked by number of players, esp Freshmen who have grade issues. Many were just lazy, immature, first time being responsible. College is diff than high school!! Few lost scholarships and are now gone. 

3.  College Ball is a business. You have to fight for your spot and work hard to keep it. Nothing is given. I saw Jr. Who was a prev starter get replaced by someone better.  Also-coaches come/go without warning. Be prepared to show you belong when new one arrives. 

We talk on here a lot about son getting recruited.  That's only first step. Getting playing time, being at school through Sr. Yr are not givens. Injuries, cut scholarships, slumps, players wanting to transfer are all possible. 

All good points and ones that I learned first hand.  Nothing is a given - I saw a strong, good-hitting Senior leave the team halfway through his final year when he lost his starting position to a Sophomore who just happened to be hitting incrementally better.

It is hard to juggle the academics and athletics.  It's been beaten to death here before, but as you said - it's not high school.  The academics and athletics are both on a new level.  Some kids adjust, some have a more difficult time.

I played D1. My daughter played D1 softball. So by the time it was my son's turn there weren't any surprises. Generationally, the athletes today are more disciplined and work a lot harder at strength and conditioning than I did. I never thought off season was that hard. I was in good shape. My son was ripped. My kids said the season was a break from what they went through in the off season.

The things I have heard the most from former players as well as my own kids:

The amount of time and energy it takes.

The struggle to juggle the academic workload along with the baseball requirements.

The "You need to figure it out" vs "Let me help you figure it out."

The importance of actually being mentally tough.

You can preach it to the cows come home but until one actually experiences it then and only then does it really sink in.

College baseball is a grind. Instant gratification it is not. Learning to embrace the grind and the process goes a long ways.

MidAtlanticDad posted:

This year I watched my freshman son, and many of his former teammates, play at DI/DII/DIII and JuCo. I guess the most surprising thing to me was the relative scarcity of good pitching at all levels. Up until college my son has always played with or against a few kids who have dominated on the mound. I rarely saw that in college games this year.

Much of this is because hitters are so much better. That is why pitchers are such a premium in college. All the hitters in the lineup were most likely one, two, three or four hitter in HS and travel. 

It can be done, but usually not consistently. A pitcher may have a dominating game but get shelled in the next.  

One other thought - depending on the program, parents may have to get used to hearing their son 'critiqued' by fans in the ballpark.  Everything from taunts, boos, someone sitting near you who isn't impressed with your son...to critiques on fan message boards and articles in print/online with their own assessment of the team and your son too in some cases.

Overall, I got a kick out of it, but sometimes it can sting at least just a little.

justbaseball posted:

One other thought - depending on the program, parents may have to get used to hearing their son 'critiqued' by fans in the ballpark.  Everything from taunts, boos, someone sitting near you who isn't impressed with your son...to critiques on fan message boards and articles in print/online with their own assessment of the team and your son too in some cases.

Overall, I got a kick out of it, but sometimes it can sting.

Justbaseball,

This reminds me of a funny anecdote from my son playing in a summer league. My son was a d3 pitcher playing in the Great Lakes league, and had played very well. His team got to the playoffs and  he was scheduled as the starter for an away game. It was an elimination game. 

We got to the park early and son was warming up. The opposing team has a lot of local support, Locals probably go to this teams games more than others. But clearly they were casual fans. 

A young man behind me commented he has seen better, harder throwing pitchers in the local little league. Now my son was never know for his velocity, he was a mid 80's pitcher. He was always referred to as a crafty lefty. He and his friends were guffawing at the comment. I could not keep my mouth shut (I know no surprise.) But my only comment was Just watch. I did not let it escalate and I knew it was a risk. After all he may have had a off night. He proceeded to pitch 6.2 innings of 4 hit baseball. Only one hitter even got to second. He did not strike out a lot, but induced a lot of fly balls and weak grounders. 

The young man and his friends did not have a lot to say.

The opposing teams pitcher, pitched very well also. The only reason we won was because an errant throw from the catcher went into center field and the runner on second ended up scoring. 

It was a good night of baseball. 

The thing that surprised me most is how the things you cannot control have a lot of control. I am speaking mainly of injury. We had 2 pitchers require TJ ( my son being one ) and a starting infielder lose the second half of the year plus all of next year to a back issue. Luck and injuries are a bigger part of the equation than I had realized. 

Good thread. Most of my surprises were mentioned. Like Coach May said until your son and family been through it its hard tell anyone.

Several of the players my son played with are in the bigs right now. 

Fun following the kids wotking their way through pro ball and I am so happy for kids I know from my sons time playing or kids on here.

I can't emphasis enough to players taking this on:

1. Be prepared to manage your time.
2. Just because someone else can do something doesn't mean you can.
3. Stay focused on the task at hand.
4. You are responsible for you. Don't put that in someone else's hands.
5. Grind. It's not about where you are today. It's about where your going.
6. Be prepared to compete. Every swing in BP. Every GB. Every single rep. Every single day.
7. Things change in a hurry. Never be satisfied with where you are. Don't be discouraged about where you are.
8. The line up and the depth chart tell you what they think about you as a player. Your performance, work ethic, attitude and decision making will determine how satisfied you are with their decisions.
9. Excuses are the symptoms of a disease. If you find yourself making excuses you need to see the Doctor. His name is called DRshutupandfindsolutions.
10. It's not the coaches job to make you like him. It's your job to make the coach like you. Coaches like winner's. Win every second of every day. He will let you know when your not winning. Otherwise your just fine.

WIN - What's Important Now

Wow coach. So much wisdom but I REALLY like #10!!

#9 of Coach May's post isn't just about baseball. It's a life lesson. If you want to know who isn't going anywhere in a company watch who is complaining around the water cooler. Those people going somewhere are at their desks finding solutions to the problems.

Son was Freshman this past year and thinking about our talks over last fall and this past spring season remind me of these themes-

Take care of your classroom responsibilities.

Control your off time activities and actions.

Take advantage of the opportunities given to you when they are presented.

Hustle and grind every day, even when no one is looking, outwork you team mates. 

Don't ever complain.

Get prepared for failure on the field, deal with it head on, then flush it and bounce back.

Realize this is a dream come true and you are part of a privileged fraternity.

My son dealt with all of these while at school in some fashion. He isn't perfect and is a young man who is growing up. Great thread, i hope people take the time to read it and let it sink in.

Everybody throws 90+. Better develop some good secondary stuff... quick! Guys can really hit with no easy outs.

There is a kid (well I call him a "kid" he's 25) who I coach with who pitched in both D3 and D1.  In high school he pitched and played 1B.   He has a good swing.  I asked him about hitting in college ball.  He said he could hit D3 pitching but in D1 there was no way he was gonna be able to get base hits against most D1's.  The difference was pretty huge.   He always got DH'ed for in D1 and he was grateful for that because he didn't want to look silly.  In D3 they let him hit and he was a productive D3 hitter.

He said that in D3 you would occasionally run into D1 type pitchers but in D1 everybody could really pitch.

Years ago at our Texas Rangers Area Code tryout at Rice University, I spoke to the parents about their son's future. Prior to my speech, I visited with Ralph Garr, Braves scout and former National League batting champion.

My question, "Ralph who was your hitting instructor?

Ralph said Henry. I said what did Henry Aaron tell you about hitting?

Henry said "Ralph figure it out for yourself"!

The morale of the story is to teach the young player to "self teach" and to have a plan on the field and in the classroom.  The coach, teacher, the parents is your guide.

Bob

This is my favorite photo, a young lady looking into the Australian outback

3and2Fastball posted:

There is a kid (well I call him a "kid" he's 25) who I coach with who pitched in both D3 and D1.  In high school he pitched and played 1B.   He has a good swing.  I asked him about hitting in college ball.  He said he could hit D3 pitching but in D1 there was no way he was gonna be able to get base hits against most D1's.  The difference was pretty huge.   He always got DH'ed for in D1 and he was grateful for that because he didn't want to look silly.  In D3 they let him hit and he was a productive D3 hitter.

He said that in D3 you would occasionally run into D1 type pitchers but in D1 everybody could really pitch.

I would think this depends on the level of D3 and level of D1 pitching, to be honest.  One way to honestly evaluate this would be Summer Wood bat league competition.  Our son was a D3 guy and did more than just fine in one of the top Wood bat leagues and in games against Team USA during each Summer he played.  The current D3 CWS champion had players in the Northwoods and NECBL last Summer and 3 of them made the All Star games and were among the top hitters in each league and for their teams.  The difference should be  noticeable D3 to D1,  but it is not huge other than at the top levels of D1. Even then, some of the top D3 hitters can do just fine.

The huge jump is D3 to Milb following the draft.

Each post in this thread has terrific examples of the adjustments to be made.

One not mentioned which I was surprised about was the intensity of the rivalry games, games in the post season conference tournament and the NCAA regionals.  The games and competition are at an extremely high intensity level and then when you get a rivalry game in the post season tournaments, it is awfully impressive to see how hard guys compete, and the focus needed to succeed in those types of situations.

Phil Brickman: The key to being a big league pitcher is the 3 R's: readiness, recuperation, and conditioning!

time management