@Francis7 I am so sorry that the journey has been bumpy so far. Believe me, it happens to the best of us and the most important thing is to recognize it and make the best decision for your child. Wishing him much success in his new home.
@PTWood posted:@Francis7 I am so sorry that the journey has been bumpy so far. Believe me, it happens to the best of us and the most important thing is to recognize it and make the best decision for your child. Wishing him much success in his new home.
Thanks. If anything, it gives perspective and really reminds you to appreciate the good things because nothing is guaranteed.
@Francis7 posted:How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player?
*Last year (2021-2022)*
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else?
*Juco*
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend?
*He will graduate with an AA after 4 total semesters*
If he switched schools, why did he switch?
*everyone in Juco is there to switch (obvious but important to the climate in a competitive Juco program)*
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it?*He got more playing time as the season progressed. In Feb he saw very little and by April he was playing regularly but not every game. He got enough AB’s to get a rhythm going (maybe 60). Also he played like eleventy five thousand innings of intersquad
*
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year?
*I can only speak to my perspective as a Dad; He would put it differently:
1. He dropped into a two-year process for which the only way out was a stretcher, getting cut, or his coach endorsing him to his next opportunity. There was no “one and done” scenario where he would find his great 4 year after 1 year.
2. It was [edited]. Second year has not been that way, and I think that speaks to (my) expectations being reset and (his) resolve, and different team dynamics. He is very thankful for the experience.*
Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent?
*Fall was quite difficult, but by end of Spring we could see/appreciate where things were going for him. I would classify as “unexpected” vs missed expectations.*
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent?
*Like Ron Washington’s character said in Hatteberg’s living room: “ITS INCREDIBLY HARD.” Embrace that and things might just go easier than expected
This is a tough time from a mental health perspective. For any man going off to school, but in a special way for these boys. I don’t have any advice there besides to be aware, be a solid, and stay in touch with your son.*
My take on this is different. Relatively speaking, it is NOT that hard.
Being 18 and shipped off to World War II is hard. Living in extreme poverty is hard. Living during the Great Depression was hard.
Kids these days, in general, are soft. Extremely soft. Prior to the pandemic, the softest generation of All Time, and that left them completely unprepared mentally for any adversity from the pandemic.
And, parents and kids have in general unrealistic expectations as to just how great they are or how easy the road will be, and in my opinion this is fueled by the completely over the top bizarre travel ball industry that is driven overwhelmingly by the money from the families of slightly better than mediocre talent.
”My kid hit a Double in 16U against a Ole Miss commit = if he just gets a chance he can be a 3rd or 4th round pick” and “a scout told him he’s got a nice swing” kind of thing. * And hey, look, looking back I fell into that trap myself from time to time when my son was in high school! *
My son got 5 at bats as a freshman. At a D3. In a lower level D3 conference. Now as a sophomore so far he’s still not starting but has appeared in all but one game so far.
He’s getting a huge percentage of school paid for at a great academic institution. He’s making close close friends with his teammates. He’s learning what hard work truly is. He is one of the kings of campus in terms of female attention etc. He’s getting a very good education. His spring break trip to Florida was a blast: 9 games in 7 days, a day off for sightseeing, complete trip paid for, great food, sunshine etc…
Its not exactly hard times in a soup line…
@3and2Fastball posted:My take on this is different. Relatively speaking, it is NOT that hard.
Being 18 and shipped off to World War II is hard. Living in extreme poverty is hard. Living during the Great Depression was hard.
hey @3and2Fastball, the “incredibly hard” line is from Moneyball, and he certainly wasn’t suggesting playing 1st base was like shipping off to war. He means it’s harder than it looks, which I think you’re saying, too.
My kids have finished the journey. They’re young professionals. They had quality college baseball/softball careers. How often does it come up in conversation? Almost never. They have younger cousins who are college athletes. Being an athlete comes up at Thanksgiving.
College is a stage of your life. Then you move on to the next stage. There’s so much more to accomplish in life. Don’t get stuck dwelling on a past stage whether it was positive or negative. You might get stuck there.
@3and2Fastball posted:My take on this is different. Relatively speaking, it is NOT that hard.
Being 18 and shipped off to World War II is hard. Living in extreme poverty is hard. Living during the Great Depression was hard.
Kids these days, in general, are soft. Extremely soft. Prior to the pandemic, the softest generation of All Time, and that left them completely unprepared mentally for any adversity from the pandemic.
And, parents and kids have in general unrealistic expectations as to just how great they are or how easy the road will be, and in my opinion this is fueled by the completely over the top bizarre travel ball industry that is driven overwhelmingly by the money from the families of slightly better than mediocre talent.
”My kid hit a Double in 16U against a Ole Miss commit = if he just gets a chance he can be a 3rd or 4th round pick” and “a scout told him he’s got a nice swing” kind of thing. * And hey, look, looking back I fell into that trap myself from time to time when my son was in high school! *
My son got 5 at bats as a freshman. At a D3. In a lower level D3 conference. Now as a sophomore so far he’s still not starting but has appeared in all but one game so far.
He’s getting a huge percentage of school paid for at a great academic institution. He’s making close close friends with his teammates. He’s learning what hard work truly is. He is one of the kings of campus in terms of female attention etc. He’s getting a very good education. His spring break trip to Florida was a blast: 9 games in 7 days, a day off for sightseeing, complete trip paid for, great food, sunshine etc…
Its not exactly hard times in a soup line…
I grew up in a different state from where I live now and where my kids were born. I'm also one of those older dads. I was almost 40 and almost 42 when my kids were born. (Wife is much younger than me.) So, I grew up in a different place and time.
When my kids were young, we took them on a tour of where I grew up. Stuff like "This was my first house growing up" and "This was my middle school."
When the kids saw how far the middle school was from the house, they asked me how I got there and I said "I walked."
Hearing that, my son, who was around 10 at the time asked: "Grandma let you walk THAT FAR to school?"
And, my answer without hesitation was: "No. Grandma MADE ME walk that far to school."
Kids are different these days. But, a lot of that is because of how the parents treat them.
@3and2Fastball posted:My take on this is different. Relatively speaking, it is NOT that hard.
Being 18 and shipped off to World War II is hard. Living in extreme poverty is hard. Living during the Great Depression was hard.
Kids these days, in general, are soft. Extremely soft. Prior to the pandemic, the softest generation of All Time, and that left them completely unprepared mentally for any adversity from the pandemic.
And, parents and kids have in general unrealistic expectations as to just how great they are or how easy the road will be, and in my opinion this is fueled by the completely over the top bizarre travel ball industry that is driven overwhelmingly by the money from the families of slightly better than mediocre talent.
”My kid hit a Double in 16U against a Ole Miss commit = if he just gets a chance he can be a 3rd or 4th round pick” and “a scout told him he’s got a nice swing” kind of thing. * And hey, look, looking back I fell into that trap myself from time to time when my son was in high school! *
My son got 5 at bats as a freshman. At a D3. In a lower level D3 conference. Now as a sophomore so far he’s still not starting but has appeared in all but one game so far.
He’s getting a huge percentage of school paid for at a great academic institution. He’s making close close friends with his teammates. He’s learning what hard work truly is. He is one of the kings of campus in terms of female attention etc. He’s getting a very good education. His spring break trip to Florida was a blast: 9 games in 7 days, a day off for sightseeing, complete trip paid for, great food, sunshine etc…
Its not exactly hard times in a soup line…
This is the equivalent of "I walked up hill both ways to school" argument. Yes parents are unrealistic about their kids, and baseball is blah blah blah blah blah....etc....
But calling this "the softest generation of All Time" (emphasis on your capitals, not mine) because they've never experienced generational hardships to your standards seems a bit overboard and a tired argument that's overused. How do you even quantify "the softest generation of All Time"? As I tell my kids "you don't know what someone else is going through, have some empathy".
@nycdad posted:This is the equivalent of "I walked up hill both ways to school" argument. Yes parents are unrealistic about their kids, and baseball is blah blah blah blah blah....etc....
But calling this "the softest generation of All Time" (emphasis on your capitals, not mine) because they've never experienced generational hardships to your standards seems a bit overboard and a tired argument that's overused. How do you even quantify "the softest generation of All Time"? As I tell my kids "you don't know what someone else is going through, have some empathy".
Fair enough. Then let me ask you with all seriousness: which generation is or has been softer? Millennials perhaps, as they didn’t have to go through a pandemic during their youth?
Asking sincerely, I have an open mind
Can the argument be made that kids have changed because parents have changed and parents have changed because the world has changed and the world has changed because the kids who changed grew up and became adults who changed the world....never mind...my head hurts.
This will go down a rabbit hole that no one will want it to go down because this will get political very fast. Or at least perceived to be political.
Naturally, everyone's experiences are vastly different. My daughter was the school's top recruit and she knew she would start as a freshman. This wasn't a promise from the coach but rather she had a strong belief if herself and a history of outstanding achievements. Fortunately for her, she was part of a strong recruiting class which resulted in four other freshmen starting as freshmen. This is rare. Still, the upperclassmen were cruel. The other freshmen in that recruiting class didn't make it into the season. For the rest of the recruiting classes, only one freshman would start for any of those classes. As it is with human nature, there were constant complaints about politics, abilities, and how much money parents raised in fundraisers.
Per "kids today," nothing changes, and kids today are no different than at any other time. Their challenges are different and, perhaps their parents are different. IMO, you have players in college who are driven and will not accept being anything less than the best. Many of them, but not all, also are competitive in the classroom. There are those there that view athletics as an avenue to an education and while still competitive, want to make sure that they get a quality education. Then, and we all know this even if some don't want to admit it, there are players in college who are playing because they don't want to disappoint their parents. With the level of play and requirements to play at these higher levels, they soon weed themselves out but do so in various ways. JMHO!
I do think the level of athleticism has increased, which makes current Baseball more difficult
A pitcher from our area was drafted in the 3rd Round twenty years ago because he threw 90. My D3 kid and his teammates will annihilate 90 mph fastballs if there isn’t a great offspeed pitch to keep them off balance.
Theres a Shortstop on my son’s team who runs a 6.6 sixty, that was unheard of in D3 ball recently. Lots of pitchers on his team throwing mid 80’s or higher, etc etc
there are players in college who are playing because they don't want to disappoint their parents.
Years ago I had the opportunity to meet Dr Joel Fish. I was introduced by a friend who became a youth sports advocate after his NBA career.
Dr Fish is the head of the Center for Sports Psychology. They have many Team USA and professional teams under contract. But he said in numbers their largest client base is teen travel kids whose parents have screwed them up mentally with pressure to perform. He told me a majority want to quit the travel sport but don’t dare tell their parents. They don’t like playing anymore. But due to the time and money the parents have invested they don’t dare quit.
He said if they don’t quit travel they tend to quit when they get to college and don’t have the parents hanging over them.
@PitchingFan posted:This will go down a rabbit hole that no one will want it to go down because this will get political very fast. Or at least perceived to be political.
For the best of HSBBW politics, please visit this thread, classic.....
This one could have easily gone down that same path. And still might.
That was the train wreck no one could turn away from. Every day I was like not going to read it. But I had to.
There used to be a political topics room. The rule was don’t leave the room with your politics. When the site changed platforms the forum disappeared.
@PitchingFan posted:This one could have easily gone down that same path. And still might.
That was the train wreck no one could turn away from. Every day I was like not going to read it. But I had to.
Is the last paragraph a clever reference to all the suspicious train derailments that have occurred in the past 60 days?
This one is/was a truly beautiful thread, representative of the best of HSBBW.
No Adbono. Buttttt since you brought it up. Just kidding.
@3and2Fastball posted:Fair enough. Then let me ask you with all seriousness: which generation is or has been softer? Millennials perhaps, as they didn’t have to go through a pandemic during their youth?
Asking sincerely, I have an open mind
I get what you're saying, and sorry I should have probably been more nuanced in my response. I think my age group (I'm late 40s) probably have it easier than kids today. But I have friends that lost family in 9/11 and they'd likely disagree. I just don't want to pigeon hole an entire generation. It may be a cop out but I don't think I could say classify one.
@nycdad posted:I get what you're saying, and sorry I should have probably been more nuanced in my response. I think my age group (I'm late 40s) probably have it easier than kids today. But I have friends that lost family in 9/11 and they'd likely disagree. I just don't want to pigeon hole an entire generation. It may be a cop out but I don't think I could say classify one.
I'd say I was pretty lucky to be born in 1966. I was too young to be drafted into the Vietnam war and too old to consider serving in Iraqi Freedom. My generation focused on work-life balance and had enough money to buy a house and save for retirement. Overall, if I'm honest I'm pretty soft in many ways. But I worry about my kids future all the time: the risk of war; diminishing influence of religion; political divisiveness; evils of social media/porn; the biases of media outlets; the list is long. I don't think todays generation has it easy at all.
So baseball serves as a bit of a compass for them. Learn how to get along with others. Be positive and supportive. Learn how to face failure. Have goals. Learn that hard work has intrinsic value. And importantly, keep them so busy they can't get in too much trouble as teens.
That all said, my 2023 thinks Millennials are a bunch of entitled, weak sauce, man bun narcissists... He cracks me up.
@Dadbelly2023 posted:I'd say I was pretty lucky to be born in 1966. I was too young to be drafted into the Vietnam war and too old to consider serving in Iraqi Freedom. My generation focused on work-life balance and had enough money to buy a house and save for retirement. Overall, if I'm honest I'm pretty soft in many ways. But I worry about my kids future all the time: the risk of war; diminishing influence of religion; political divisiveness; evils of social media/porn; the biases of media outlets; the list is long. I don't think todays generation has it easy at all.
Interesting, I was born in 1969 same generation. I would have been comfortable arguing that ours was the last generation that wasn't coddled, was sent out to play for the day without needing to check in or be worried about it, was trained to crush the world because that is what America does, understood what the cold war was and meant and why it had to be won and so forth....the people in my generation at least that I associate with have struggled with work life balance and many have raised kids to soft to effectively compete. I guess experiences vary.
I did my best to raise 2 well rounded kids who are prepared to go crush the world because that is they are supposed to do. I also worry about today generation but that is because I believe to many of them are soft or worse....I think baseball people are typically in the upper percentiles of success the general rank and file are way way behind.
Why can’t they be like we were?
Perfect in every way.
What’s the matter with kids today?
-Bye Bye Birdie 1960
@Dadbelly2023 posted:I'd say I was pretty lucky to be born in 1966. I was too young to be drafted into the Vietnam war and too old to consider serving in Iraqi Freedom. My generation focused on work-life balance and had enough money to buy a house and save for retirement. Overall, if I'm honest I'm pretty soft in many ways. But I worry about my kids future all the time: the risk of war; diminishing influence of religion; political divisiveness; evils of social media/porn; the biases of media outlets; the list is long. I don't think todays generation has it easy at all.
1966 here too. The leading edge of Gen X.
I’ll try to get us back on topic@Francis7 posted:Anyone willing to answer some or all of the following questions?
How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player?
Freshman this year
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else?
JUCO (FL)
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend?
Should have AA after 3 semesters. 2 yr commitment here, then hopefully off to somewhere he’s as happy
If he switched schools, why did he switch?
#JUCORoute
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it?Everyday starter with a few innings on the mound here and there. Leading team in several offensive stats.
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year?
In the beginning of the fall season it took a little time to get used to the physical grind and the quality of the pitching day in and day out. Once he did, he starting having more success and started rapidly climbing the lineup card.
It wasn’t really a surprise, because I’ve been watching this conference for a long time, but the number of scouts/recruiters in the fall is insane.
Looking ahead at the “recruiting out of JUCO” phase, has me in a weird place mentally. I know it’s driven by his JUCO coach, and we trust him… still just seems a little strange.Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent?
For my wife and I, it really couldn’t be going any better!
For our son, he’s really enjoyed getting to know some high caliber players from around the country. He’s playing against some great competition, which he loves. He enjoys the coaches a lot also, which has been a big plus.Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent?
He definitely made the right choice going JUCO! Just this spring he’s had over 100 plate appearances so far. Find a place where there is a path to playing time.
1. Control what you can control! 2.When you get the chance to grab that bull by the horns, don’t you dare let it go!Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why?
TBD
Way to go Tug Tide! Your son definetly made a great choice!
@Francis7 posted:Anyone willing to answer some or all of the following questions?
How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player? Spring of 2020…..infamous COVID YEAR
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else? D1
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend? Currently at 2nd and hopefully final school
If he switched schools, why did he switch? Not only just lack of playing time but more importantly lack of explanation of reason for this after 3 years there
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it? Very little. Received his first start as a pitcher against a nationally ranked power and had a bad outing. Didn’t see the field much for the next 2 1/2 years
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year? Time management and the fact that college baseball was a lifestyle that you have to dedicate to a lot of things, not only the sport
Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent? Son and dad’s expectations both missed the mark
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent? If it looks like a duck sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s a friggin duck! We all see what we want to see in a situation and a program and hear the stories but never “believe it will happen to my kid”….well it will! Son was one of 2 LHP on team. Had 9 2/3 ip in his 3rd year there when he made his team aware he would enter portal after end of season. Saw 14 more innings the final month of season. Transferred to a P5 school and after 5 starts has more innings than he had at former school in 3 years! Listen to the stories you hear….they will come true !
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why? Working on year 4 with Covid year still available
@Dadbelly2023 posted:But I worry about my kids future all the time: the risk of war; diminishing influence of religion; political divisiveness; evils of social media/porn; the biases of media outlets; the list is long. I don't think todays generation has it easy at all.
Emphasis mine. My understanding is even enrolled college kids can be drafted; though lower hanging fruit in say a non didactic GAP year would be more "at risk"... Food for thought to those applicable. Certainly crossed my mind.
@2019Lefty21 - nails it with: "We all see what we want to see in a situation and a program"
This is perhaps the most important warning that I would now offer to anyone in the recruiting phase.
One thing that I will never forget and kick myself now about with the coach at my son's former school:
He recruited my son hard. Texted with him a lot...almost everyday just before he verbally committed. When we had the visit with him, before committing, he said something to me, my wife and son: "I realize that you could go D1 and play with a Power 5 and I wouldn't blame anyone who makes that decision. But, at our school we can offer you...(and then he went into his sales pitch)."
And, when he said it, my first internal private thought was "Does he think I'm an idiot? There's no chance in hell that my kid is getting offered by a P5."
It just came across as very insincere and rubbed me the wrong way. But, I ignored it and focused on "what I wanted to hear" and that was a mistake. Because, in the end, despite everything that I heard about him, the coach turned out to be different than what we had heard (and wanted to hear).
Some of the best advice I got was from 9and7dad on my very first post:
I'd say the head coach that recruits him now won't be the same guy he plays for. It will be the same human being with the same name, but he'll be a different guy. He won't be nearly as friendly, and he won't make as much time or show the same kind of interest.
I don't think that has been true in our case, we've been pleased - but it was good to go in with that mindset, and I've never forgotten the way he phrased it.
I have a theory. In some cases coaches will recruit you because they don't want you to play for that "other" team. That happens a lot here in FL.
With all the things that you have posted here in the past few months, sounds like your son was not happy being far from home along with his injuries, not necessarily because the coach wasn't living up to his or your expectations. It works both ways.
Most successful HCs are tough to live with, no matter the division or conference or sport. They show you their best side during recruitment. The player has to prove he/she belongs, to get the respect that they feel that they are entitled to. The more successful the program the tougher the coach will be.
That's been like that since my son went off to play. He called many times that he wanted to come home. He managed to get through it.
I can assure you not too many have played for a HC as tough as Jack Leggett. But he stayed the course, and look what he is doing now!
Playing a sport in college and the coaches expectations that come with it is really tough. It doesn't work for everyone.
The HC is not going to be your BFF.
@anotherparent posted:Some of the best advice I got was from 9and7dad on my very first post:
I'd say the head coach that recruits him now won't be the same guy he plays for. It will be the same human being with the same name, but he'll be a different guy. He won't be nearly as friendly, and he won't make as much time or show the same kind of interest.
I don't think that has been true in our case, we've been pleased - but it was good to go in with that mindset, and I've never forgotten the way he phrased it.
Then there’s the coach who recruits the player and leaves for greener pastures after a couple of seasons. The new coach comes in and is the polar opposite as a person.
The plus side is my son learned in college, in life you will have to work for and with people you don’t like and deal with it.
How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player? Fall, 2018
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else? D1
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend? He attended one school, graduated in three years and did the first year of a teaching program before he got drafted.
If he switched schools, why did he switch? NA
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it? He pitched out of the bullpen for a the first few games, got his first win on I think his fourth game.
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year? HIs and mine were different. I was surprised at how well he handled academics. I'm not sure what surprised or challenged him.
Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent? I never really talked to his high school coach, but for some reason it surprised me how little I spoke to his college coach. I think we had four conversations — the offer, after his first win when HC told me he at least didn't suck, a game where he gave up four home runs and PC sought us out to say he did a great job doing what they asked him to and he was an example to younger kids of keeping his head high and putting his team in a position to win (really????) and the field at senior night, when HC asked if he might come back next year.
Kid just was so happy to play and to work hard and I think that alleviated any surprises.
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent? Go in ready to work your butt off, listen to your coaches, keep your mouth shut and be ready to learn both in class and on the field.
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why? Yes.
@PTWood posted:Ok. Doing this for HS:
How long ago was your son a HS freshman baseball player?
4 years agoDid he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different HS did he attend?
No. Changed schools in January of his Junior year so 2 schools.
If he switched schools, why did he switch?
He was told he would not be allowed to play baseball his junior year because he did not play for his HS coach’s travel organization the previous summer. He was told that the only pathway back to playing on the HS team included him playing exclusively for his HS coach’s travel organization the upcoming summer (summer between junior and senior year). Playing for the other organization was key to his college recruitment (he committed to Mississippi State fall of his junior year) and continuing to play outside of his coach’s travel team was key to his continued development as a player. Hardest part was leaving his basketball team which was ranked #8 in the nation when he left. He was fine leaving basketball behind because baseball was always his favorite but his basketball teammates and coaches were amazing.
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it?
He was on the JV team his freshman year and played every inning, primarily in RF. Loved the JV coach and played well. His sophomore year he was on varsity. Sat at the very beginning of the year for playing basketball (basketball playoffs overlapped with one pre season baseball scrimmage). Then got some innings as DH but often had a pinch runner for him. Finally earned some innings in LF close to play offs. Switched HSs and started every inning for a nationally ranked team primarily in RF. He just finished his Rookie year in the minors for the Padres, started practically every inning in CF. Batted .372 and stole 10 bases with an OPS of 1.000. Was the Padres player of the year for the Arizona Complex league.What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year?
Biggest surprise is that some coaches are more wedded to their system of doing things than to fostering the unique talents of each player. And that sometimes, no matter what you do, you will never be a coach’s cup a tee so listen to the cues. If you have a quiet son and the coach loves a team that yells and screams all game it might not be a good fit. If the starting outfielders are all tall and long and your son is compact (or vis-a-versa) it might not be a good fit. If the coach talks about the importance of tucking in your shirt and a clean locker and your kid has organizational issues, it might not be a good fit. We applied this to his college selection after learning this in HS.Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent?
Major “miss” at his first school but so many lessons were learned. And mind you, he still would have stayed if he had been able to play with a different organization in the summer because he loved the school. But he wanted to play HS baseball. Ever since his first HS, major “meets”expectations. So far each level has prepared him for the next and although his journey is not over, we feel as though he is mentally prepared for the challenges baseball brings him.
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent?
Work hard, stay true to yourself and drown out the noise (rankings, comparisons, etc). Your journey is uniquely yours so learn what you can from other people’s experiences but do not be afraid to forge your own path.
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why?
N/A currently chasing his professional dream and no longer has college eligibility
I just wanted to say that my son is a high school player in the same city, and we avoided this school because of what happened to your son and the others. I've always been grateful that the truth about how the coach there operates came out. So thanks!
I'm thrilled for your son's successes and hope he has a long and wonderful career.
@SunnyMom Thanks for reaching out. It was a tough thing to go through but there are lessons in everything. He is in a better place for having gone through it all! Wishing your son tons of success!!
@Francis7 posted:Anyone willing to answer some or all of the following questions?
How long ago was your son a college freshman baseball player? 2016 Baseball season
What level was he playing? Juco, D3, D2 or D1? Something else? D1
Did he stay at that school through graduation? If not, how many different colleges did he attend? YES ALL 4 YEARS
If he switched schools, why did he switch? N/A
How much did your son play as a freshman? If he did not play, was he redshirted? If he was redshirted, when was he told about it? HE WAS A STARTER FROM GAME 1
What were the biggest surprises and challenges for your son freshman year? Pitchers especially P5 relievers threw hard
Overall, how was your son's experience as a freshman baseball player? Did it meet, surpass or miss his expectations? How about in regard to your expectations as a parent? Surpassed his expectations to start every game. I was happy to attend most games knowing he would be in the lineup.
Based on your son's experience as a freshman baseball player and your's as the parent, what advice would you have for the freshman player and his parent? Parent: Enjoy the ride and let the coaches coach. Attend as many games possible . Player: Make sure you get schoolwork done to player. Time management is key.
Did your son complete 4 years of college baseball eligibility? If not, why? Yes His graduation year was the season before Covid. He was fortunate
I just had a (now) funny recollection of something my son learned freshman year. My son always had a “don’t need no stink’n protection” attitude about padding. He called it “old school cool.”
Then Nick Burdi hit him in the arm with a 100 mph fastball. Burdi would come out of the pen throwing one inning of smoke. He came out of the game after an inning. He couldn’t lift his arm for three days. When he returned he wore an arm guard from that day forward. He figured since he caved he also went with a stride leg shin guard.