When did your son make/start varsity?

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I could only tally one son.

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quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
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I could only tally one son.

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Sorry about that Woodrow - I always seem to sc-rew these things (polls) up. Please answer for the son who progressed the fastest. If they were all the same, then we'll just have to tally your vote multiple times

If you don't mind, please post the answers for your sons here.

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Son 1

On varsity as sophomore.
Started on varsity that same year.

Son 2

On varsity as junior.
Started on varsity as junior.
Injured his junior year.
Due to injuries did not play senior year.

Tally ho!



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I voted on the poll, but want to clarify my votes. My son played full time on the jv and helped a little on varsity and was called up for the playoffs both his freshman and sophomore years. Then started in both his junior and senior years.

Thanks Woody and CELTDAD!

We are getting a nice response to this poll. It looks like over 50% were on varsity as freshman.

To make it interesting, perhaps people can post about their respective sons.

My son was called up late season to varsity as as a sophmore and became a varsity starter as a junior. These things are relative of course. Mine had a graduating class of over 1100 and well over a 100 tried out for the freshmen team. We were thrilled with the opportunites he got including making the freshmen team and getting to play thereafter.

Tradition at our field was that 1 Freshman could play varsity. 2 players competed for that spot, my 5'10" son and another player that was 6'4" (now playing D-1 Football). It was head to head as both hit fielded and threw well. The other guy had a little more pop in his bat and got the nod. He pretty much rode the bench the whole season getting an inning in here and there (he deserved much better). My son played the maximum number of games allowed(hit over .600), we had a Freshman, JV and Varsity team then, so he would play 2 Freshman and 1 JV each week and never sat an inning.

Started Varsity his sophomore year as a 3rd Baseman and Pitcher.

Coach eventually ran off the other player who was ranked a 10 by PG. A classic case of an overbearing father critical of coaching decisions regarding his son and playing time, some justified, but in the end it did not matter and he left baseball. He would have been drafted out of HS for sure.

Another fctor might be the size of the schools as there is a big range in high school.

quote:

Originally posted by 2bagger:
Another fctor might be the size of the schools as there is a big range in high school.

Yes that is a factor. Also, there are schools in the hotbed areas such as California, Florida, and Texas that are probably cutting players that might be all-league players or higher somewhere else.

Still interesting to see the numbers however.

I hope people don't become discouraged by the numbers either. I've seen kids who did not start until they were seniors go on to have fine collegiate careers.

My older son was #2 varsity pitcher as a freshman behind Big Mike Goodman who went on to pitch at UNLV. When my oldest was a senior, his younger brother was #2 varsity starter. Younger is now a senior himself, and hoping to find that freshman to come in and follow the tradition. It won't be one of my own this time

I'm getting old.....'tis almost done for me.

This is very interesting CD.

My son was on Varsity as a freshman, but got very limited playing time, he dressed for both Varsity and the high school colt team (No formal JV allowed in county). It was a busy spring with 48 games to be dressed for. Started at catcher most of the colt games, went to the Colt World series with that team.

Sophomore year didn't expect much playing time with Senior catcher, but current college pitching coach saw him play catcher at fall tournament, he told high school coach that son should be his starting catcher. Senior catcher was then moved to shortstop and voila (or is it viola?), starting catcher come spring.

That Senior catcher was drafted by Minnesota in the 50th round, as a catcher, but chose to take a scholarship to University of Florida that was offered that summer. He played one year and hung up his spikes, focusing on his education. We stay close with him and his family and he is very happy.

Son caught for next 3 years and his team won the Florida 6A state championship his Senior year.

Gun made/started every game, including the bi-district playoffs, as a freshman. His High School is in Texas District 2/5A. This is the largest school classification in Texas. Gun's graduation class is currently 779, almost 3,000 kids in the school total. He's the only 4 year varsity starter. Spent equal time behind the plate and 1st base, his freshman year, before unseating the junior starter behind the plate.

GED10DaD

Bum, Jr. didn't make varsity until his junior year. Perplexing at the time, as he was went 8-0 on J.V.

Threw a no-hitter in his first varsity start the following year.

Bum,

Must have been some upperclassmen studs in front of Bum Jr.

I know our high school went the last 4 years with a Senior (#1) and Junior (#2) starter each year. The Junior then becomes the #1 his Senior year. Sons senior year the #1 blew out his knee beating out an infield hit halfway thru season, so the sophomore, in the wings so to speak, moved up to #2.

With so few games in HS season (25, 2 per week) I guess the formula worked. But you better have that 3 and 4 available in case you need them.

Warningtrack son started and played every inning as a freshman on varsity. I am hoping my youngest (freshman next year) makes the freshman team. I will have two totally different experiences. Puts things in perspective.

Son wasn't really called up to varsity as a freshman but traveled with the team and took in-and-out with the team during warm-ups while the starting catcher warmed up the starting pitcher. Never got an at bat but dutifully did as he was asked. As a Sophomore he battled the upperclassman for the starting job throughout preseason/tournaments and won the job. Been starting ever since. The young man he replaced is playing ball up in Arkansas today. It was a fine battle for the starting job. The other kid had a fine bat and found a place for himself at 1st base.

Backstop, Bum, Jr. would have definitely held his own against them. The next two years were definitely special for him. But the point is not that.. the point is, in the end, it didn't matter when he made varsity. Baseball is not a sprint, but a marathon. Parents need to know that.

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"Baseball is not a sprint, but a marathon. Parents need to know that."

Not only that, but baseball is also about getting a good parking spot. One that's close to the action, yet safe from foul balls. A tough accomplishment. A cherished spot.

A short...!

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OH no Woody- we park as far away as possible to avoid foul balls!!!Drives me crazy (ovbiously I'm not the driver or I'd park where I wanted to).

cabbage made varsity as a freshman and started about 1/3 way into season. Size of school (about 800 total) and strength of team (not) had much to do with it. It was amusing at times as he was used to plug holes behind the plate and at 1B even though was a very small lefty then. He hates to lose and would trade starting for being part of a winning team. The good news is it looks like they'll get there by his 2012 senior season and he will have been a big contributor in getting them there (barring injury or unforseen ??)

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Like I've said before...

"One foul ball through any of the windows on my ol' Chrysler and it's totaled!"

Yup, I've got to be very wary!




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Sorry for the diversion.

Now back to the...






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My son didn't make varsity until junior year. Like Bum we couldn't figure it out. First game of varsity junir year he hit homeruns in his first 3 at bats. Went on to have a very good year.

I also agree that although everyone would love to make varsity as a freshman, it really doesn't matter when it happens. What matters most is what you do when you get there.

Son made varsity as a freshman and started from the the first game. He batted ninth all year. Says he hasn't seen near as many fastballs in the last couple of years as he saw his freshman year.

Older son made varsity and started as a sophomore. The younger one was on varsity as an 8th grader and began starting toward the end of that year.

My son was a starting varsity pitcher his freshman year. Played position on JV when he wasn't pitching. Sophmore year, was starting 2nd baseman on varsity when he wasn't pitching. We are in AAAAA in Georgia in a very competitive region. The region included all the High Schools around East Cobb.

In all honesty, part of the reason he started was because he was pretty good, but part of it was a lack of depth on the pitching staff. He held his own and made 2nd team all-region his freshman year as a pitcher, so the other coaches must have thought he was pretty good as well.

My son played jv all of freshman season and moved up to varsity in post season in time for a state championship but was a varsity starter as a sophmore. This is his last year at HS then it's off to play at the next level.

Small K-12 school. Starting varsity DH as a 150 pound 13 year old 8th grader. The seniors actually went to the coach and said they needed him in the lineup - he could/can hit. It was tough on him, but it matured him mentally. Starting IF/P ever since. This is his last year in HS, too. Hoping to announce some good news soon.

MIH jr made and started on Varsity as a Freshman. 1B and #4 pitcher mostly in relief. He plays on a relatively high profile summer team that provided some credibility. He was also lucky enough to play varsity football in the fall which gave the baseball coaches (who also help coach football) a chance to see him against older players. While only a 2A school, one of the seniors was a MLB draft first round pick, had 2 other seniors sign high level D-1 scholarships and played against another first rounder in the state playoffs.

mood jr. was called up to varsity after a few games of sophomore season last year. Fairly rare at his HS but new coach is looking to build the program beyond the previous "seniors are starters" coaching philosophies. He started every game after being called up, most at short a few stints at 3rd and started 3 games on the mound highlighted by a complete game 4 hitter. He will likely start this year as the #1 starter as a Junior.

Junior made the varsity club his freshman year and rotated DH, 1B, 3B all season; hitting 7th in the lineup. His sophomore year started at 1B and hit 4th in the lineup. Can't wait to get the snow/ice off the grass and get the season started

Joe made varsity as a freshman and played 1B then caught the next 3 years.
Michael made Varsity as a freshman and started every game at SS for all 4 years. Mike even played 1 game on varsity as an 8th grader because of injuries and exams. He went 2-3 that game. At the end of his 4 years he holds every offensive record except Hr's at his HS.

redbirdjr made varsity his sophomore year and has started ssince then.

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Can't wait to get the snow/ice off the grass and get the season started

Just looked at the calendar. We get started one month from today! Woo-hoo!!!

Coach Merc that is pretty cool. Your boys are awesome.

I am going to do a little projecting since Just Watching, Jr. played varsity summer and fall ball as a rising sophomore, but has not played high school varsity. It appears as if he would be one of the top five or six batters on the varsity as a Sophomore, but his best positions are filled by better hitters and the team might lose too much defense at the other positions if he were to play. As a pitcher, he would rank no higher than fifth best on the varsity. Since he would rather get his innings in as a pitcher and start in the field, he is looking forward to playing JV this coming season, maybe playing for the varsity in a pinch this year, and making it as a starter (both field and pitching) as a Junior. I'll write back in a year when we see how it goes.

Son made varsity as a junior, started as a junior.

We were not perplexed. Our school size is about 3000. 31 year legend of a HC. Multiple state championships. Every good ball player "chooses" to go there. If you are good enough to make the squad of 45 total guys (freshman team 15, Jv 15, Varsity 15 guys) you have to wait out the logjam of equally talented players to graduate or get in trouble.

Here is how out HC would show love to the non varsity kids though. In California they used to have a rule that if you played varsity.. even just one at bat or defensive inning...a player could not transfer without sitting out a year... even if you were a freshman. So if our coach wanted to lock up a kid he would give you a varsity at bat. When my son got invited up as a freshman (to the RBI Easter Tournament at Jackie Robinson Stadium) and got an at bat (an oppo hit he was late on)he felt so loved he practically levitated the bus home.

mediumpapi, started as a Freshman and has played SS every inning since.

Struck out in his very first at bat. But tripled in two insurance runs in the 7th inning.

Ha! I don't remember what I did yesterday but I remember that day (almost four years ago) like it WAS yesterday!

Small town here, built our first high school when son was a freshman. Only had 9th and 10th grades, played a JV schedule the first year, as a starting 1B and pitcher. As a 10th grader the school manned a JV team and V team, he was starting varsity 1B and did some pitching. 11th grade was tri-captain and 1B/LHP made all conference 10th and 11th grade.
The boys are working hard to get to states and missed last year by one game....
They play in a pretty tough conference of much larger schools, so have taken a beaten these past 3 years.

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"I don't remember what I did yesterday."

I know you forgot where you parked last night.
Do you wanna' guess where you parked?
Go ahead and point towards your car papi.



Nice try, but you're getting colder.
Nope, colder again papi. Brrr!




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RR23JR -- made it to varsity as a pitcher during freshman year . He was primarily a spot starter (started 2 games 0-1) and mostly relief pitcher/DH. During state playoffs, Starting 3b went on weekend vacation and he got the start in the first game of the playoffs against the eventual state champs.

He was really proud of that day!

He was later named starting 3b his sophomore year.

We'll see what the next 2 years brings him.