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I've heard many stories where a kid goes into college to play baseball very excited and optimistic as a freshman and then it doesn't work out. Maybe he partied too much? Maybe he blew off classes and/or studying?  Maybe he had a disagreement or conflict with the coaches?

For those who had players or knew one closely where it didn't work out freshman year of college, as hoped and expected, what advice would you give to HS kids about to enter college? What are your recommended do's and don'ts?

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Three things immediately come to mind without even blinking....

1) The work begins before you step foot on campus.   You want to be in the best shape possible to compete for future playing time with bigger teammates and more experienced teammates.   Spring playing time is won in the Fall.

2) Stay ahead of your academics.   If there is a freshmen requirement for study hall, you need to be there.   Too often players fall behind on their academics and get in the coaches doghouse.....coaches are checking, so don't think for a second academics are optional.

3) Be a great teammate.  The reality is you won't like everybody and everybody won't like you, but when you are in the clubhouse or on the practice field be a great teammate and support everybody.

Last edited by fenwaysouth

As always, Fenway is on point.  I'd add that the kid needs to understand that's he's swimming in a different pool now.  It's not high school, and it's not travel ball.  The freshman is 18 and has probably been one of the best players on whatever team he's played on all his life.  He's now competing for innings against 21 and 22 year old men who are battle tested at the college level.  He's probably no longer one of the best players in the dugout, just one of many good players, with the difference being he's unproven and untested.  While he should be confident in his own abilities, he needs to understand that hard work and a proper attitude are what's going to help lead to his success, not just ability or the physical gifts he has.

Last edited by 9and7dad

Show up both in shape and rested. Chances are, you're about to be more challenged physically than you've ever been. As others here have mentioned, you're about to compete against guys who are equally skilled and benefit from the experience of having competed at the college level for more than a year. Showing up fatigued will just steepen the incline.

Last edited by Prepster
@Francis7 posted:

I've heard many stories where a kid goes into college to play baseball very excited and optimistic as a freshman and then it doesn't work out. Maybe he partied too much? Maybe he blew off classes and/or studying?  Maybe he had a disagreement or conflict with the coaches?

For those who had players or knew one closely where it didn't work out freshman year of college, as hoped and expected, what advice would you give to HS kids about to enter college? What are your recommended do's and don'ts?

The best and simplest piece of advice is to stay the course and put in the work. One of the more interesting college baseball petri dishes I have observed over the past several years is the California Juco that Bob (Consultant) often references.  I can't tell you how many kids I've seen show up there and get either no playing time or, more often, red shirt for a year, put in the work in the weight room and at practice, earn their way onto the field the following year, have a successful season or two, and go on to a 4 year school at some level.   Sometimes it's the local D2 or a NAIA nobody's heard of, but sometimes it's Cal or Cal Poly, and often enough it's the draft as well. Of course a lot of players hang it up after one year and go on to be firemen, teachers, engineers, etc.

Same thing with the D1 dropdowns who end up there.  Sometimes Juco is the last gasp of their baseball career and a way of learning that they're ready to get on with their careers,  but sometimes they find whatever it was they were missing and get back to D1. 

In the D3 world, besides all the good advice above, I think one thing to be aware of what does the coach really want from you?  I've seen PO's turned into position players, and vice versa.  Sometimes it works great, and sometimes it doesn't.  Coming out of HS my son was a contact hitter and base-stealer.  His coach wanted him to be a masher. He learned to adapt.

This may have been covered already.

Fall of  your freshman year, show up in the ablsolute best shape of  your life. You do not want to be the palyer sucking wind. 

I know there is a lot of disagreement on Running, however be prepared to run. You do not want to be one of the stragglers. You want to be able to keep up with the guys at the head of the pack. 

Some coaches use this to see who comes in ready to play and in playing shape. 

I agree with All of the replies.

I found that players respond well when they hear what other players have done or would have done better, if given another chance.

I connect HS Seniors with local Collegiate League Teams, since most can carry at least 1 HS Graduate that is committed to attend College that year.

Even though the playing time is scant, the experience of riding the bench or the bull pen with college players in a less restrictive environment provides the BEST knowledge of what's expected .

In addition to the prep experience, there's no better way to see college pitching.

I recommend incoming Freshman DO NOT play summer baseball with their piers. Even the bat boy learns from being with the boys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@fenwaysouth posted:

Three things immediately come to mind without even blinking....

1) The work begins before you step foot on campus.   You want to be in the best shape possible to compete for future playing time with bigger teammates and more experienced teammates.   Spring playing time is won in the Fall.

2) Stay ahead of your academics.   If there is a freshmen requirement for study hall, you need to be there.   Too often players fall behind on their academics and get in the coaches doghouse.....coaches are checking, so don't think for a second academics are optional.

3) Be a great teammate.  The reality is you won't like everybody and everybody won't like you, but when you are in the clubhouse or on the practice field be a great teammate and support everybody.

#1 is a given.  #3 I think is awesome advice.  I have a freshman son now and what I see is falling behind in academics.   In college, you need to be even more structured with your time and make sure you have a process you follow so you don't miss anything.  I personally can not wait for in-class learning to come back so RJM's correct advice, go to class, happens.  Learning remote is full of distractions and for those of you who had your freshman defer a year, I think that was smart.   So #2 on this list is very important because it's so easy to fall behind (parties, girls, baseball even in the age of covid).  The problem is with 18/19-year-old young men is that they tend to learn by doing (falling behind) rather than by listening to advice.  My son will be fine in the end but the midterm scramble to get grades up is just an unnecessary unforced error.  

Last edited by Gunner Mack Jr.

My son got a 2.7 his first semester. His 50% academic ride was based on maintaining a 3.0 for the year. I went ballistic when I saw his grades. I told him it’s 3.3 spring semester.or you’re coming home. It was just a threat. But he, err I would have been a 20K per year loser if he didn’t meet the requirements.

He was so scared he got a 3.5 spring semester. I told him it’s the new bar. He topped it every semester. He had to deal with a sister five years older reminding him she graduated PBK while playing softball. Wow, did she rub it in! 

 

Last edited by RJM

Err umm yes.... what Fenway said, times about 1000. Spot on , in fact when my 21 committed we enjoyed the day, celebrated and had a great meal. The next day I sat down and said wonderful but now it really starts and you are on the clock. What you begin to do now and from here going forward is what will get you on the field to play in 16 months. Started with fall ball and working on a hitting approach that will work at the next level b/c the reality is HS is not even close most of the time, and this is a kid that hit .455,.512,.426 the last 3 seasons played and currently at .520 . Lots of work to do on and off the field. It ain’t easy so be prepared.

 

 Thanks Fenway!!

There should be no expectation that it will be easy.....none. These are only my observations and it hit me like a punch to the gut seeing it first hand. My point of view comes from observing a West Coast academic D1 program (non Power 5).  

1. If he doesn't get cut in the Fall...great

2. If he maintains decent grades...great

3. If he makes the team and is not asked to redshirt...great (redshirting as a freshman however may actually be the absolute right thing for some). On my son's team, a few of the freshman who redshirted left the program the following year for JC ball.

4. If he makes the travel roster....great (not all players on the roster travel with their team. Several players are left behind at campus, which sucks but it's a numbers game).

5. If he is included on the active game roster...great (not all players on the roster are added to the active game roster -  this includes home games).

6. If he gets some playing time...great. At higher levels, most freshman have a very tough time finding the field. The "Perfect Game #7 ranked SS in the state" getting playing time over a 22 year old redshirt junior is simply not the norm.

7. If he is handling the workload of being a student athlete and is supporting his teammates (especially his freshman teammates), while getting support back from them, then that's really great. 

The way I put it is that it's a mountain to climb, but your son can do it. After he climbs the mountain, there will be another mountain to climb, only difference is that he will be much stronger and smarter, which will make that mountain and the subsequent ones much much easier. Good luck!!!!!

WCP

    

Last edited by WestCoastPapa

JABMK- You are on the Money. My son attended UF and the team was shut down during football season. Coach had "practice" when there was a home football game.  No Tail gating , no alumni contact. 

Report for work outs at 7AM, On field at 8AM, classes at 10AM, back at field at 3PM, study at 6PM, Repeat. 6 days per week.

This was typical fall/winter schedule. The College experience consisted of Baseball/Baseball/ Academics

I'm sure this is not typical for all D1, but he did go to OmAHA 2 times in 3 seasons.

@JABMK posted:

There are 3 facets to a college experience...School, Baseball and social life. Unfortunately there is only time for 2.  Choose wisely!

There’s time for a social life. It just can’t come at the expense of academics and athletics. Get in your school and baseball work. Then go to the football or basketball game. Sometimes you have to pass on the game.

Those who point to time management as being critically important are so right, It brings back a memory that makes me laugh every time I think of it.

During either his freshman or sophomore year, my son and I were having lunch at a restaurant in his college town. Lost in thought for a moment, he snapped out of it all of a sudden and blurted out, "Dad, how in the world do regular students spend all their free time!? I don't get it!"

I think I shook my head and said something like, "I don't know, son." ...all the while, reminiscing about the myriad ways I'd wasted time when I'd been a student.

 

  1. If your son thinks that he is going to sleep in, wrong.
  2. The weight room is spelled weight room and not wait room for a reason.
  3. Be on time.  If you are 5 minutes early, you are 10 minutes late.  In fact, where my daughter went to play, they had assistant coaches pick random players each day to "follow" to make sure that they were first in class and in the first row.
  4. You need an organizer.  My daughter had one of those whiteboards that she put up.  She color coded everything.
  5. Get to know your professors and make sure that they know you.
  6. Plagiarism is a common trend now in high school.  Your professor will not only discover it but will turn you in to a committee that may recommend that you be removed from school.  (I had that happen to one of my athletes at a BIG 10 School.) 
  7. If you party and are underage and then get caught, depending upon the school, you can be removed from the team.  (That happened a lot a my daughter's school.)
  8. Beware that even though hazing has been banned by most all schools in America, it still happens. 
  9. For every position, more than one or two players have most likely been told that they can step in and play.  That was during recruitment.  Only one player is going to play that position the majority of the time.
  10. There is a decent chance that the coach who recruited you is not going to be the same person that is now coaching you.  I do believe that things are changing and that there are some people in recruitment who are more honest with the players and who let them know exactly what to expect when they arrive on campus.
  11. As mentioned, you most likely are not the big dog now.  Know that but don't be the pup on the porch.
  12. At most schools, as a freshman, you will have some type of academic study hall that is mandatory.  Believe that it is mandatory. 
@CoachB25 posted:
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Beware that even though hazing has been banned by most all schools in America, it still happens.

Great list coach!   I totally forgot about hazing.   My son's team was caught hazing his freshmen year, and the head coaches physical punishment for the whole team was very stiff.  The AD actually got involved.   This was back in 2011.   Supposedly, hazing was banned at the University from that point forward, and it was never mentioned by my son over his next 3 years.   I'd be a total fool to think that hazing activities stopped in 2011 at the University.   This is probably a topic for another thread, but you brought up a great point that I hadn't thought about in years.

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