Maybe Baseball in Our Region is Getting Recognized

staying power

As we get more and more support from our schools middle school baseball will add to the staying power of NC baseball. Around 2003 is when wake county's club group started gaining strength. As said several times on here the more instruction at younger age has made all the difference! Let's keep our nose to the grindstone and our youth will reap the benefits!

 

This is where I think we are lacking in to move forward. We have one hundred counties in NC and everyone of them has a different school system, each supporting or not supporting their sports programs. In most cases it is left up to the school and even parents to get funding for sports. Schools being build with a gym and maybe a field with a walking track around it. That's what you get. Case in point: Many years ago WSFCS system cut sports for the middle schools budget. Time past. Today some schools have a basketball, soccer and volleyball. All supported by parents. With a little money from the school for uniforms ect. Someone said let's start baseball. That went over like a fart in church. With schools having no fields coaches or anything. It was let's work thought the little leagues with parents running the show. With this can more politics and you had a couple of schools that were getting a group of players together. No school support. That was a few yeras ago. Guess were it is now, Same place it was at the start. No where. No support from the school system+no support from the school+no support from parents= NO MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL. Feeder programs to HS in Forsyth County come from travel teams and little league and with the way school zones are cut. You have no solid players base. Just transfers from one school to the next depends on the group at that time.

 

one putt - You are exactly right. I am going to throw out some schedules from my memory to show the difference...

1988 12 games 10 years old
1989 12 games / 5 all star games / 5 fall ball games / 11 year old
1990 14 games / 12 all star games / 8 fall ball games
1991 14 games / 3 all star games / fall ball cancelled
1992 14 games / 11 all star games / 6 fall ball games
1993 high school career started

the point is that up until I started playing high school I had played all of 116 games. That's including two all star teams that made it to the south east regional finals. You take away the luck of being in a great age group for all stars and that's 20 less games by 14 years old.

The ability to get out there and play a lot of games is definitely helping players get developed quicker and learn the game sooner. I have my other hang ups with the baseball but most of that isn't the players faults.

 

Right with that one. But, now we are seeing more showcase events(yet not true showcase) events. As some of the elite programs or now expanding to that feeder program role. This is where I see someone else coming in a taking it to even a high level.

 

PD, I agree with you that Middle School is part of the problem. Many schools have weak programs with no development. My boys had a unusually good experience with Buddy Jones (brother of Rick Jones at Tulane) and Scott and his assistants at Wesleyan. Many middle school programs are not funded, poorly coached and very little development. The good news is there is room for improvement.

 

There are very few Showcase teams in this state. I would say it is less than a dozen. But what has evolved are many of the showcase teams are now baseball academies with year round training. Most are coached by ex- ML players and are trained and practiced by outstanding professionals. Even those that are not directly coached by an academy are affiliated with one for their practices and off season workouts. There are not enough elite players in our state to continue to have an enormous growth of showcase teams.

What you are finding is a rapid rate of new travel teams.

I think it is great there are so many avenues for players to participate in. The opportunities to play are outstanding. Not everything should be revolved around playing at the next level. There is such a small group that have the talent to do that.

But getting back to the topic, NC continues to enjoy national recognition for the number of quality players in our state because of the successes of our Showcase teams in national tournaments and the success of our state colleges in the NCAA's.

 

I think Braves hit the nail on the head as to why we have seen more National recognition......UNC having solid showings in the NCAA World Series has definately help promote baseball in our State.....our showings in the PG events over the past several years have been excellent, AFLAC has brought some National attention as well....

We have more kids than ever staying involved in baseball year round as compared to previous years.....travel teams are at an all time high in the state.....I agree with Braves in that I don't think we have as many "elite" players in NC as some of the other states but we are making progress with quality programs helping deveolp more quality players year in and year out.

 

WOW!!! I can say that is the best way it could be said. No one person, team, or school gets the credit. It has been the combination of all these this at differ levels. Braves you can frame those words.

 

I tend to agree (no) however it really seems to matter to some (HS coaches) if you play with the BIG 3 (bags,canes and cubs).