Where to begin?

Welcome to the site.  How hard does your son throw?  If a Perfect Game showcase is within budget, this would be a good thing to check out.  There are many benefits and advantages to going to one of theirs.  You can search and read up on it here.  At one of their showcases, your son will know quickly where he stands compared to other very good players, will get measurables posted by a trusted source and will get a rating that coaches everywhere will relate to. Meanwhile, make sure he is getting good pitching instruction, educates himself on best pitcher conditioning programs and is working as hard as he can to continue improving his game.  The velo answer will help with other more specific advice.

His fastball was 80 at the Iowa camp. His coach timed him at 84 at school but I put a lot more stock in the camps just because those are verified readings.  His offspeed was 67-69.  Keeping in mind that he was 14 at the time of the camp I really don't know where that falls.  Physically he still has some maturing to do so I know there is room for growth in that fast ball.

Not good enough to get on a D1 program radar yet.  Good enough to go ahead with a PG showcase.  Good instruction, pitcher conditioning, hard work and a few big ones I left out... take care of those grades and enjoy the HS ride.  Combine all of the above and I suspect you and he will have a much more clear picture of where he might fit in a year or so.

LTD,

 

Totally agree with cabbagedad's list of pitching instruction, PG showcase, conditioning and academics.  Extremely important list.

 

The biggest challenge your son may face is exposure due to your location...Nebraska is not exactly the center of the baseball universe.  You need some type of exposure strategy whether it is a couple showcases, travel teams, camps, etc...Come up with a plan to get in front of the college coaches that interest your son and seem like a good fit.  There are countless options and don't be afraid to change your approach.  We changed our approach at least a couple times due to my son's intended academic major.  Changing course is a common occurence with teenage boys but you have to know where you are and where you need to go.  For example:  We relied heavily on his national travel team at first.  He was getting exposure and offers but not necessarily from the schools he wanted to attend.   We continued with the national travel team but augmented that with targeted camps, and academic showcases.  Once we made that slight change, everything changed and he had more choices that were in line with his goals.  I'm summarizing, but you get the idea.

 

In addition, as a Dad I would try to learn as much about college baseball recruiting across a broad spectrum of schools as possible.   Learn their recruiting and admissions processes and what it takes so you can share and guide your son to the best possible school for him.  There is alot ot learn.   HSBBWeb is the best site for that.  There are so many knowledgeable people that have been through it many times and are willing to share their experiences.

 

Good luck and keep the questions coming! 

 

80, even if it's not cruising speed, for a fastball at age 14 is pretty good.  Try to get a velocity reading for his cruising speed this summer to track velocity increase over the next 2 yrs.  

 

It sounds like he has the build to potentially throw hard.  

 

I would recommend taking a few practice tests for the ACT or SAT this summer.  

LivingtheDream, the one thing that no one has touched on here is the big fish in the little pond issue your son will be facing.  I would recommend he gets to a PG event ASAP so your son can really understand how hard he has to work to achieve his dream.

 

Lionbaseball and I have touched on this before on here....in his neck of the woods a Varsity pitcher throwing 80+ would be a baseball God...in my neck of the woods that would be called a JV pitcher.  Case in point, my kid played a PG tourney last weekend and was struck out on a pitch that was 79.2 mph according to the score board...my kid plays 12u! Is that an unusual speed for 12u, well no.  There have been three 12u PG tourneys this year, in the 2 previous tourneys the highest recorded pitch was 76, by two different kids, with several 75's thrown in there.

 

I'm not saying anything bad about your son's speed I'm trying to make a point that there are bigger ponds out there and he needs to work extra hard to compete with those kids.  This can be hard for a player who is dominating his own pond to understand.

 

Best of luck!

 

Next spring try to attend college baseball games at all three levels (D1 to D3). Sit as close to the action as possible. It will give you perspective on where your son potentially fits in based on how much he can improve in the next couple of years. When my son was a high school freshman I started attending college games. I engaged parents of players. I haven't met a parent yet who doesn't like talking about their son's journey from high school to college ball. I still find the conversation interesting when I attend local games. Even though my son is past recruiting age.

Keep working, get to a few PG events, keep feeding him that Nebraska Beef and get him into the weight room if he isn't there now. My son is moving on to D1 this summer and is not as big as yours at 19....he was 78-81 at the same age. 

 

PS: I've also heard this rumor about the "N" on the Cornhuskers helmets....does it really stand for NOWLEDGE? 

Go to the Perfect Game website.  If it's a regular showcase, you can apply online. 

 

Be sure to keep coming back to HSBBW as he progresses in his journey.  You will likely find it to be an invaluable tool for his HS experience as well as the recruiting process, regardless of what level he ends up.  

Thank you all so much. Living in Omaha we are fortunate to have easy access to watching the best teams in college baseball every June but we should take him to some other levels.
He has a great pitching coach but really only sees him a couple of times per year. How often should he be seeing him?
And I agree with the big fish in a little pond statement.  He is on a different level than most kids his age around here.
So, for this summer we'll finish the season.  We have the PBR Showcase right here in August, will look at a PG Showcase. Then work on conditioning and with his pitching coach in the off season.  And of course keeping his grades up. Does that sound like a plan?

Great plan.  As far as pitching coach frequency, the concern would be the fact that bad habits can be hard to break and easy to fall back into.  This is the case with most players whether it be hitting, pitching, fielding or throwing.  So, I'd talk to your pitch coach about that and see what he thinks.  He knows your boy and your situation better than we do.  For example, are you or someone else close to him good about reinforcing the primary points he takes away from instruction?

 

 

BTW, I definitely didn't mean from the stands during games 

LOL!  I assumed.  That drives me insane watching a kid look to their parent in the stands instead of the coach.  But after a game if he has struggled with a particular thing Dad will discuss it with him.  In the moment he doesn't want to hear it but he knows Dad is right.  It is hard when you are sitting behind home plate and can see exactly what he is doing wrong but can't do anything to help him in the moment.

If it's pick on Nebraska time I heard this one get week of the Colorado-Nebraska football game. It was back when both were ranked powerhouses.

 

What do you call a jacuzzi full of Nebraska cheerleaders?

 

Gorillas in the Mist.

 

almost as good as Iowa=idiots out wandering around.

Sorry had to stand up for my Huskers.

Like Shoveit mine was less than that velocity at 14 and now D1 commit. Best advice get him in the gym with someone who knows what they are doing with pitchers.

Scott ... It is very uncool to post on a site and advertise a competitor. Providing a link is the height of chutzpah.

Backstopdad,
Are you talking about a trainer?  Or pitching coach?  I feel confident that we have the best available pitching coach but haven't really done much with trainers. That really is our next step. He has size and length and getting some muscle behind it will be important.

+1 RJM

This is the second thread I've seen with the same link posted. All of the same information, and probably a lot more, is available right here on HSBBW and for free. Don't pay for information that is readily available. Plus, there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here who are willing to answer questions and provide advice, all for FREE. Read past threads, checkout the recruiting timelines and helpful articles and get to know the people on this board. It's worth way more than anything you will pay for.

 

I was referring to a trainer.  Sorry that wasn't necessarily clear.

 

We are lucky to have someone that works closely with Cressey Performance in our area.  My son has worked with this person for the last 18 months (2016 grad for reference).  3-4 days a week in summer and fall when not on the road and 2 days during the HS season so serious about it.

 

Honestly I don't know if any of this training has helped his velocity (he has added 3 mph to top end every year since 13 with exception of one year had a 5 mph jump), but I know for sure he is in outstanding shape, arm has never felt better, and he recovers much faster.

 

Good luck to your son.

OK, Scott, you've posted a grand total of twice on this site and have mentioned the organization you are promoting five times.  Stop.  If you wish to pedal your goods, do it the right way and contact the proper channels here and advertise properly.  This is not your typical public message board where nobody cares about the occasional spammer trying to bump views to their own site.  This will have the reverse affect you desire and there are many of your potential customers here who will dislike you instead of build trust with you.  Could it just be ironic that you and another poster both joined today and blasted the site with your organization mentions?   Rhetorical question.  We pay attention here.  Start over and do the right thing.