Which Player makes it?

Don't ever worry about the backlash. If that is something that factors into your decisions then you need to get out of coaching because you have to put your best out there. If the freshman is better than the junior then they play.

You play the game with your best players who have the best attitudes. Stick with that and you will accomplish great things. Once you let something outside of the team influence a decision it just gets easier and easier for those outside influences to play bigger parts of decisions made.

1. Give everybody a white tryout shirt. That way they are not seniors or freshman, just ballplayers.
2. Pick your 18 best to make a team (some may want 20, or 22 but that's up to you). Give yourself your best shot to win ballgames and succeed as a team. That's your varsity.
3. Now take the rest and figure out JV by eliminating the elders. Some have freshman teams, some don't (we don't). A freshman team may allow you to put a Jr on JV, but that is not part of our equation. So we eliminate juniors and seniors and focus our JV team on underclassmen. Some will develop and some will have the game pass them by.
4. Factor in grades - no sense keeping someone who can't help you play. Depending on your school/district rules, may be just as important as their time in the 60.

In most scenarios, it all shakes out just fine. Most questionable juniors do not turn into senior studs. At the same time, there is just about an equal chance a freshman stud turns into a marginal junior. Trust your experience and your gut and then run with what you picked.

the best players make the team--cas closed

Can't remember which ML manager said this but," If you listen to the man in the stands, you'll soon be sitting up there with him." Do the best thing for the team and don't worry about the backlash.

quote:

Problem is that 2 of the freshman are better than the Jr. Would you put both freshman on varsity and deal with the backlash.

Backlash? aint coaching fun.