<p>This message is for anyone who is considering going to, or whose son is considering going to Wesleyan to play varsity baseball. What I am about to say may generally apply to other, similar schools, which do not offer sports scholarships and which do not take seem to intercollegiate sports very seriously. Up front I plead guilty to taking baseball and sports very seriously; I believe that for some kids they can be a vital part of the college experience. I have worked professionally in baseball for many years, as well as being involved in youth and amateur baseball as a volunteer. Back when my boy, after being wooed by the baseball coach, decided to go to Wesleyan, professional baseball men that I know warned me that many coaches at this level are incompetent, insecure types who "think they are God" and remain employed not because they know how to work, how to teach or how to win, but because they are willing to work for the puny salaries paid by some D-3 schools. The Wesleyan baseball coach turned out to be of this type. I imagine there are a lot of players at Wesleyan like my son, who may not have D-1 or professional ability, but who work just as hard at their game, training all and playing virtually year-round. Then they find themselves at the mercy of an emotionally distant petty tyrant who makes arbitrary and laughable baseball decisions, plays favorites, punishes players he dislikes personally and has fostered a tense, "every man out for himself" ethic on the team. Of course, this coach has a losing record (48-88 over the past 4 years), despite the fact that Wesleyan has the largest student body of any of the schools in its NESCAC division, but he keeps his job. I would go into more detail about the experiences of my son and some of his teammates, except that I am speaking entirely for myself and I am concerned that they may be identified and retaliated against. In closing, I feel misled and disappointed by Wesleyan, whose administration should remember that coaches such as this one act in their name. If Wesleyan does not care about baseball or intercollegiate sports in general, they should be honest about it and drop them; if they do believe in what they say -- that varsity sports have moral and educational value -- then their coaches should be accountable for failing their student-athletes.</p>
<p>That's harsh. I also don't think it's true. Speaking from a "trackie"'s point of view, Wesleyan has an excellent track team; many of my friends have gone on to have successful careers running track at that school. That is evidence that Wesleyan is dedicated to performing well in at least one sport. As such, I don't believe it is the school's fault that the Wesleyan baseball team is so bad. There are bad coaches in every sport, just as there are good coaches in every sport. I'm sorry that baseball at Wesleyan just seems to have a bad coach.</p>
<p>I've heard very good things about the men's lacrosse coach in particular. so I don't think it's wesleyan athletics dept in general that's at fault. it's sad that the baseball program is in that state, though...</p>
<p>Wesleyan men's crew team has an outstanding coach who has been at Wes for more than 20 years. The men's team is very competitive and has won many regattas.Recently they were only one of two Division III out of twelve teams racing in Tampa Florida (against Yale, among other Div I teams) and they came in second!!</p>
<p>I'm sorry you have had a negative experience with the Wes baseball coach, however, our student's life as an athlete has been exhilirating.</p>
<p>mamamax, are you on wesleyan's crew team?</p>
<p>My student is on the crew team. They won the Sullivan Cup today .</p>
<p>I agree with BaseballDa on the baseball aspect, but I will note that this is not true of Wesleyan athletics as a whole. Men's soccer, men's ice hockey, and men's lacrosse all have coaches who have been named conference Coach of the Year within the past three years, and our men's lacrosse coach has been named national Coach of the Year three times. Men's basketball has a great young coach, and our field hockey coach was recently inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame.</p>
<p>That said, everything said about baseball is true. We brought in a coach who took one of the most successful baseball programs in New England in the '80s and '90s and needed only three years to turn it into a laughingstock. It's almost embarrassing to watch Wesleyan try to field (the team gave up 40 unearned runs in it's first 15 games), and his bullpen management is nothing short of sheer idiocy. I still fail to see any justification for allowing him to keep his job this long. It really is just sad.</p>
<p>This may be true of the baseball coach, but you cannot generalize. The men's lacrosse coach and the team are excellent. You need to look at every sport and situation indivicually and be careful not to generalize.</p>
<p>Wow.. I read Baseball Da's synopsis on the baseball program at Wes.
I have to admit that he is dead on with the portrayal of the coach and the program in general.
I am not a professional coach, however I am a professional parent. My son was a varsity player his entire 4 years at Wes.
He stuck it out and played no matter what because of his love of the game.
I can not tell you how many times we had discussed the current philosophy of the coaching staff (ha ha there is NO staff. No pitching coach, no pitching program No hitting coach, No hitting program.)
However Woodworth did write a "phamplet" called the rythem of baseball. (A cut and past manual)
When senior players quit the team and seasoned veteran and their parents can't believe what is going on, that should tell you something.
I live close to Wes., about a 45 min drive. I went to 5 games my son's entire collegiate career. Why, because the coach is a JOKE. Training and practice are a joke.
Very few alum will support this schools program. Let me rephrase. Very few "Woodworth" alum and/or parents will support this program with "Woody" at the helm. ARE YOU LISTENING WES????
His time on the diamond was frustrating which in turn soured his Wes experience.
My son's advice to any ball player thinking of a Wesleyan University education. - DON'T
My advice if you really love baseball and you can get into Wes. APPLY to the other schools in the little three or even the rest of the NESCAC. Williams, Amherst etc.</p>
<p>You need to support your athletes on and off the field.</p>
<p>Enough said on baseball at Wes.
However, my son did graduate, (got a picture of him and Roth to prove it) so whenever he hangs up those cleats he'll have a first rate education.
No sour grapes, my son had ample playing time, still plays baseball and hasn't looked back.</p>
<p>I have no first-hand knowledge of Wes baseball, but the coaching style certainly sounds like a serious problem. I do note that the current coach has some credentials... he was NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and as a student was captain of the '94 Wes team that was runner-up for the national Div III championship. Last year the team was 6-6 in NESCAC, according to the school Web site.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. Wesleyan is a baseball program/school that I am considering, although it is not my top choice.</p>
<p>There’s no guarantee of playing time at any college; doesn’t matter how good you were in high school. In Division 3 you see the whole range of talent; the best players on a team are generally as good as a Division 1 player, but probably lack size or come from a small high school, or something like that. Politics plays a bigger role in Div. 3 than Div. 1. The Wesleyan coach always played one non-deserving senior player, and always favored the more experienced player over a first-year player. So a really talented frosh wouldn’t bump a solid, steady senior who’s started for two years. That’s just the reality of most programs. Now, pitching is different, of course- no politics in pitching- all pitchers get a shot; if a frosh is the best, they pitch against the top teams, get the most starts, etc. There’s more to small college sports than winning, in other words.</p>
<p>Ask a Wesleyan player if “most programs are like this.”</p>
<p>Watched practice and met the Wes coach Friday and talked to several current players - Did not see or hear anything that matched BaseballDa’s comments. Would be interested to hear from other players if they are out there. Not discrediting his comments, just saying that is not what we observed. Wes is among my sons top picks so we want to know more.</p>
<p>So Mr. BaseballDa, you’ve got a beef with the Wes coach. Get over it. Encourage your son to transfer if he hates the program and school. You wrote that since Wesleyan’s student body is larger than other NESCAC schools that they should have a better winning percentage than they do. That comment shows you’re against the program for personal reasons: Do you think they post signs around the Wes campus asking students to come try out for the baseball team? Just a really silly comment on your part. Anyway, the majority of baseball players at Wesleyan (or Amherst, Williams, Harvard- any elite school) would not have gotten in had they not been on the coach’s list. It works the same way at every school. Schools have an absolute minimum for impact athletes: around 1100 SATs, with a 3.0 GPA in high school. And the coach is not going to push for a kid that he doesn’t think can hack it- that will get him in trouble with admissions and administration over time. Anyway, impact players get a big break on admissions standards. For those players who the coach expects to make the team and contribute, the standards are a little higher, around a 1200 and 3.3 GPA, but still well below the overall standards for the college.
Maybe the current Wesleyan coach isn’t great, I don’t know, but your son should have gone there for the school, not the baseball program. Back when I played, I played against some coaches that were clearly good: former Amherst coach, the Brandeis coach, UMaine coach- all clearly great baseball men. Going into college I thought I could have it all- a fun, challenging athletic career, great social life, as well as a rich learning experience. Baseball didn’t work out that well, and part of it was due to the program and coach, but more of it was that it was a distraction in my life- and I wasn’t mature enough to overcome all the other normal pressures facing a teenager away from home. Bottom line is, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get playing time in college, that you’ll get along with the coach, that you’ll do well academically and socially, etc. Transferring colleges is not that difficult- that would have been the best option for your son. Coaches take a chance on players by giving them the admissions boost; the player should at least love the college they’re going to, because if baseball doesn’t work out at least they can focus on the real reason they’re in college.</p>
<p>Totally agree with Nicholson. My cousin went to a NESCAC school as a recruited athlete; the summer before his freshman year, the coach who recruited him quit and went to another school, only to be replaced by a novice (and incompetent) young coach who only stayed for one season. During that season, my cousin injured himself and has never been able to play his sport again. But guess what? He had a top-notch college experience, because he chose the college based on the total educational experience he wanted to have. Kids who play sports at NESCAC schools work very hard at their sports and take them seriously, but they usually understand the role sports should play in their lives.</p>
<p>Baybird902: I do not know who you spoke to or whether they were willing or able to give you their candid opinions, but nothing I have seen or heard since my original posting has changed my opinion of the Wesleyan coach. Obviously, an opinion is just that, but I would add – apropos of some of the other responses – that I have nothing personal against the coach or Wesleyan; my son loved the school and enjoyed his teammates. What I do have is decades of professional experience in and around professional and amateur baseball, as well as what I have heard from my son and many other Wes players (some of whom were 4-year starters), based on which I would strongly advise your son to consider if he intends baseball to be an important part of his college experience. If not, I would recommend that he go to Wesleyan where he will get a wonderful academic education.</p>
<p>BaseballDa, your posts provide insight into Wesleyan, warts and all… did you have reservations about the coach when you first met him?</p>
<p>Not really. I wasn’t that involved and he seemed to want my son as a player, which naturally impressed both of us. Today, finding out more about the coach is pretty high on both of our “what I’d do different” lists.</p>
<p>how is it that this thread is two years old and you’ve managed to post an avg of only 1.25 times a year, usually around admissions season?</p>