JV Baseball

As a parent of freshman twinboys, what expectations should i have or expect this year from high school baseball. They both have played travel baseball since they were ten. They have been very fortunate in the past by playing for very good coaches that have tought them to play the game the right way. Just concerned. Any thoughts?

 

it all depends on the Coach. The good ones develope players in their JV program, and win. If I had any advice it would be: relax, enjoy watching your boys grow into men, support the program and stay out of the politics. The next four years will fly by FAST, trust me. It is a great experience.

 

it all depends on the coach

their goal freshman yr.to be on varsity bench at the end of year.It will be a 4yrs. rollercoaster ride, fast and up and down! The hardest thing for you is to not talk to coach (keep mouth shut).Travel ball since 10,if they are hard workers and improve every year,they should be fine..but keep your eye on them.

 

I agree with PLOWBOY in saying enjoy the ride! Hopefully you will have a Coach that really cares about the program and will give your boys all the opportunities that are available to them.

 

the advice I give freshmen parents...

Short version... "Sit your ass down in the bleachers and keep your mouth shut!"

Long version... "This ain't rec ball, travel ball or middle school ball. Nobody really cares about your opinion of how the high school program is run. There is one head coach and you ain't him."
"Volunteer to help in any way the coaching staff sees fit, but don't expect it to have anything to do with the players, practice or games. Work the concession stand, help raise funds and work on the field. These are ways you can contribute."
"Never coach your kid from the stands. Your opinions, your methods etc. are not of value here and expressing them won't help your kid(s)."
"Don't expect the high school coach to manage as well as Tony La Russa or Bobby Cox... your kids certainly aren't Albert Pujols or Chipper Jones."
"Your job now is to support your kid(s) AND the program they are playing in. The best things you can do are, get some quality private instruction, sign them up for camps and be sure they play in competitive off season leagues/tournaments. Make sure they are getting the job done in the classroom. Start attending showcases so that when they reach the summer before their junior year, they will have the chance to play with a top showcase team."
"Have fun, enjoy the ride and remember it IS just high school ball!"

 

Expectations

Beware of expectations, They will be the biggest obsticals that you will have to overcome. Having been exposed to JV ball recently I can personally say that if you have any expectations you may be dissapointed. Don't expect the coaching to be a step above TB , most JV programs have a teacher that played HS ball and can drive the bus for a coach, Knowlege of the game is limited and you'll be lucky if they can teach your boys anything. Be thankful if you have a coach that can actually throw batting practice from behind a screen, and hit fly balls to the OF. Hopefully the boys are not pitchers and looking to learn how to pitch because they won't learn it here, if they don't know it by now they won't learn it at this level. JV baseball is UGLY !!! Good pitching makes for very little excitement, as hitters are not strong enough to compete with strong pitching, and umpiring is questionable at best, and don't forget about feilding, the errors keep coming and coming and coming. Freshman usally will have to play behind Sophmores because they sat last year and deserve to play this year, go figure. Now I'm sure your situtation will not be as bad as mine was but just don't expect anything wonderful at the JV level and you won't be dissapointed. If your boys become discouraged about JV ball there's always TB in the summer.

 

The guy's above have said it all. Facts are, most every kid trying out played on a travel team and most every parent thinks they had good coaching along the way. The best thing you can do is just sit back and see how it plays out. If your kids are really good enough, they will play - if not, they won't. Either way the decision of "their being good enough" doesn't rest with you now. So just sit back and be supportive to your two boy's.

 

I agree with most of this post except the sit down and shut up aspect...and I'll tell you why.

My daughter played softball for a large Triangle based high school . As a family we were able to catch a good portion of the boys varsity games. We had a family friend with a son that played on the varsity team. Here's what I saw.

The girls game was loud with cheers from the bench and the fans; and yes, some coaching from the stands. It was never disrespectful towards the coach. All in all it was exciting and emotional.

Then we would catch the boy's game. You could hear a pin drop; every parent sitting there as if there their son was facing his execution. I could not believe how afraid the parents were to cheer or raise their voice in the chance that the head coach could think they were trouble makers or second guessing the coaching staff. I saw a kid from Cary High School hit back to back home runs then get pitched to again, with an open base, and guess what, he hit his third deep over the center field fence. Not one parent was mad or upset or even showed any type of body language that could have been taken the wrong way by the coach.

My point is this. There is not a place for second guessing the coaching staff but there is a place for taking your place in the stands and cheering. Cheering loud, and yes, once in a while coaching from the stands and don't be afraid. Few of these coaches, in particular the J.V. coaches, are the next Ray Tanner.

Every high school coach and program is better off with bleachers that are packed with supportive, loud baseball parents who love their son and the team so much that in the heat of the moment, once in a while, they may or may not say something the coach could find offensive.

Be supportive! Be helpful! Be kind! Be honest! But please be loud, be passionate, and don't be afraid of offending the coach out of fear of what might happen to your son. This quiet approach is not good for your son, the team, the coach, nor the school.

 

Absolutely you should be supportive of the team! Absolutely you shouldn't "coach 'em up" from the stands. In baseball, this is an irritant to the high school coach, but more so, is a red flag to recruiters.

These kids, boys and girls, are of the age that they need to learn to stand up for themselves and not have parents directing them in any way on the playing field. There is time after the game, away from the coaches and other players/parents, to discuss things from the game.

By letting the kid handle any issues with the coach that may arise, you are allowing your kid to grow into being their own person... a valuable life lesson that can be learned by playing a sport.

 

Thanks for the helpfull info.