<p>My S, a rising senior, recently completed his season with average stats for his hs baseball jr season. Coach dislikes my S, plain & simple. Doesn't pay attention to my S during practices and has a quick trigger to bench him for any minor thing during a game; stike out, caught stealing etc even when he was hitting good. Coach also seems to have loyalty to play seniors regardless of ability.</p>
<p>This coach also doesn't believe in travel baseball and plays/promotes kids associated with community ball, summer rec league more. I believe he wants to "take credit" for these kids who don't do travel ball. This guy thinks he is IT ie you don't need to go any further than the hs coach for college recruiting. Big ego. Most kids associated with travel baseball programs in this area are coached/have lessons etc with their travel baseball coaches during the off season. They are the ones penalized with less playing time as to not allow them notoriety or success. If you don't play, how can you show your talent?</p>
<p>Needless to say, my S started 1/2 the games as the other non travel kids and was clearly the better player. When given the opportunity to pinch hit (with 2 outs, in the last inning, etc as was usually the case), my S blew it (my S's admission) and then coach says he isn't hitting well, soooo, he was benched. I say, it was very convenient. Would never give my son a chance to really succeed as he had with the other non travel players. Coach said to my S that he will have alot of baseball in the summer!?? Not a spectacular season, S disappointed not given more opportunities by this coach who wants to be the one to decide who should play college ball and who shouldn't.</p>
<p>Funny part is, as the season started, my S received an email stating he was a recruit for a D1 school within our state. My S initiated an email conversation based on being seen at a summer tourney/showcase attended by an assist coach for this school. My S was then invited to an "unofficial visit" to see the campus, see a home game etc via email. Son (and a few other recruits that were invited that day) met with the coaches after the home game on the field. Each coach spoke individually with each recruit. The asst coach said he will be going to my S's travel games this summer to watch him play and wanted my S to keep in touch with hs stats and progress.(eek!) S was then invited to the school's camp this summer to play infront of the coaches. Now what???? What does my son say about his hs season/stats????? Will this be the end for him???? How important is the hs stats given the fact he (and other travel kids) weren't given the same opportunities to show their talent during that season? Do college coaches seek the opinions of the hs coaches??? How can my S ask this hs coach for a reference or recommendation??? What will the college coaches think if he doesn't use his hs coach as a reference??? Why is this coach playing "GOD" and doing this to him???? </p>
<p>He will be starting his travel season shortly in hopes of redeeming himself so to speak. He belongs to an elite travel program who are "invited" to tourneys and showcases.</p>
<p>Have him tell the college coaches what’s going on with the high school coach. It sounds like most people would find this petty, and if your son was good enough to be invited for a visit, they’re obviously interested in his skill. Maybe talk up his travel program?</p>
<p>I don’t know about baseball, but with girls volleyball, the travel team and experience are way more important that the high school season. D2 also had a hs coach who didn’t believe in her and wouldn’t give her the opportunity to prove herself. We emphasized the travel experience in recruiting. Her highlights DVD was only of her travel play. Her athletic resume emphasized her travel stats. Pictures were only of her travel team play. </p>
<p>Play down the hs. Don’t even mention it except to note varsity membership and position. If asked, he can say that the coach plays predominantly the seniors. Say he’ll get his turn next year. But talk up the travel ball. Good luck at the showcases.</p>
<p>You will not be the first parent nor last to feel the wrath of a High School baseball coach. Some coaches are good, and some aren’t good. It is something most of us have to deal with one way or another. For the moment, forget about High School baseball…it is merely a warm up for travel baseball in your situation.</p>
<p>What is important is that your son perform well for his travel baseball team, communicate with the college coaches (within the rules) and only discuss your High School baseball situation when asked. Most of these college coaches know the good High School coaches in their area. It sounds like you have a good thing going with this one college. Make sure your son follows up with this college to include his travel schedule, summer progress and academic & athletic achievement. The more visibility he gets the more options should come his way. July 1 is coming up, so you should get some calls from those schools that are interested in him right now. Your son needs to stay aggressive and continue to call/email coaches for more schools he is interested in whether they contact him or not. Remember, the coaches can only call him once a week after July 1. Your son can call them unlimited times. The recruiting process is difficult. Some doors will close and some doors will open for him. Be persistent, be polite and always keep the line of communication open with these coaches. Best of luck, and feel free to PM me if you have questions.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the positive outlook! It was devastating for us as parents to watch our son go thru the season knowing no matter what he did, how he practiced, what contributions he made during the games (and there were some timely, game winning hits) it didn’t matter. </p>
<p>My S was hopeful in the first half of the season that he could “win over” this coach with his hard work and dedication. Then to watch him realize it will never happen, the season basically a waste, was very hard and he questioned his worth as a player and his future of course. We figured our S was either going to give up on his passion or continue to work hard in spite of his coach. He chose to continue to work hard even if the coach dismissed him or ignored him every single day. I say good for him! My S refuses to let this guy win. As he sat on the bench, he became even hungrier to play the game. The good news is he never waivered in his decision to continue with the recruiting process with this college as not many student athletes get to experience this journey.</p>
<p>The best part of elite travel ball is the opportunies to be seen. But the decision to perform well will be in my S’s hands. If anything his hs coach made him stronger. I think he is ready, lord knows he hasn’t peaked yet this year! </p>
<p>Thanks again for your replies and advice. It’s nice to know others have been thru this and can help.</p>
<p>OP: Remind your son that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team… time on the high school playing field is NOT necessarily indicative of success in college sports.</p>
<p>One additional suggestion…request your travel coach talk to college coach about your son and situation. It is better coming from a third party and someone of authority. Do not bad mouth the HS coach, no matter how much you want to. Most travel coaches will do this for you as it furthers their program. The travel coach could initiate the conversation on your son’s behalf. My son’s travel coach was very instrumental in opening some doors and opportunities for him. He also kept after them on his behalf when communications slowed down. My son’s junior year hs coach had no clue about recruiting, or managing a hs baseball team. We put the head coaches name on some forms, but used the travel coach as the contact and reference. I only know of one school that tried to call the high school coach, and he didn’t return their call…go figure. Trust me, there are a lot of high school baseball tragedies out there. You will get past this, but your son has to put this out of his mind and focus on the goal. Think how nice it will be next year with a college committment, and you don’t have to worry about HS baseball in the least. Good luck.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what we were thinking; leave the hs coach out of it. We just didn’t know if it would raise a red flag with the college coaches especially when they ask for stats etc and contact info for hs. The travel coach(s) seems to know alot of the college coaches within our state at all levels and has had success in placing players with the right schools for both academics, athletic needs/wants and the college’s program needs and what type of player they desire. He has already asked of my son’s academic interests/major and schools he’s interested in that he would want to play baseball for. </p>
<p>Believe me we would love nothing more than for our son to be able to announce his committment to his hs coach preseason next yr. I’ll cross my fingers on that one!</p>
<p>Thanks for your help and being so positive. I know it’s going to be a wild ride!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it, really. It’s about summer ball performance and showcase performance; the rest athletically is pretty much secondary because schools recognize the inconsistency with HS coaches. I remember reading last year a local player from my area not even making his HS team, training hard during the spring season instead, playing summer ball competitively, and getting signed to a D1 school just a few months after being cut from his HS team.</p>
<p>I sound like a broken record on this subject but… log on to [High</a> School Baseball Web](<a href=“http://www.hsbaseballweb.com%5DHigh”>http://www.hsbaseballweb.com)
You will learn everything you need to know about baseball and playing at the next level. Read the recruiting section 1st before asking questions. There are numerous stories like yours. The good news is that despite some really bad hs coaches kids still do get signed to play in college. Typically the hs coach plays only a small role in the recruiting process. College coaches know who the good hs coaches are and take the rest with a healthy degree of skepticism.</p>
<p>Totally agree with Sammy on this one. <a href=“http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/[/url]”>http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/</a> is a great site if you are just looking for baseball info. I frequent that site as well, and it has been a fantastic resource over the last two years for my son’s college recruiting efforts. This site and that site were instrumental in learning from others and developing a recruiting strategy. However, the two sites are vastly different in their focus. This site and its contributors take more of an academic first approach. HSBW is a baseball first website that does have some academic threads. Some of the old timers on their site can be a little “crotchedy” if baseball is not first and foremost. Good luck.</p>
<p>fenwaysouth- lol- “a little crochedy” ??? There are a few that can be very onery but do mean well. Fortunately there are more posters on the hsbbweb that are finally pushing academics.</p>
<p>Great thread! Thanks for sharing. I have a similar situation. Though the coach does play my daughter in her main sport, she received no recognition in her junior year. It’s as though she is invisible. When we visited with a college coach I asked outright how important high school titles are in the recruiting process. That college coach sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, “I don’t put weight on them because it’s all political.” That being said, my daughter decided not to dwell on it and let it drag her down in her senior year of high school. Agreed–it’s the travel and club team participation in showcases that count.</p>
<p>^^Excellent attitude for her to have. I’m not sure what sport you’re talking about, 22wins, but if it’s anything like mine (soccer) then the recognition is ENTIRELY political. One coach nominated his entire starting 11 for the 11 all-league players! I also watched a friend of mine, who is a STARTER on a top-20 team in the U.S. and has a college scholarship next year, get shafted two years in a row in favor of another girl who is also good, but not as integral to the team, simply because she was the coach’s “favorite.”</p>
<p>Coaches are savants, and while high school coaches are usually well-intentioned, I’ve found that a lot of them don’t know the realities of their own sport too well.</p>
<p>Perspective. Yes a lot of HS coaches have good intentions for their players and programs, and many don’t. Some coaches will improve over time, and others won’t. HS coaches can be an obstacle if you let it be an obstacle. They can also be helpful if you’re lucky enough to get one who understands the college recruiting process and cares about their players & program. </p>
<p>A lot of recruiting questions can be answered by looking at it from the recruiting college coach’s perspective as 22wins points out. If you were the recruiting coach, would you put a lot of emphasis on HS sport (awards, results, stats) or would you put more emphasis on travel team strength of schedule, results, stats, awards as well as elite camps and national tournaments…i know where my money is going 100% of the time.</p>
<p>Same thing happens in swimming - I thought our D’s two female coaches acted like a couple of sorority girls, the politics were so childish and petty. Luckily, it’s about the stats no matter what team your child was on to get them. None of the college coaches who recruited our D (she left off the HS coach info on her recruiting pages) even asked for the names of any of her coaches, nor did they express an interest in contacting them. HS and club coaches often think they have more sway than they actually do in the college recruiting process. We decided that for our D’s sport, they really didn’t matter at all (I know it would just kill them to hear this!)</p>
<p>Be polite and respectful if asked about HS coach. But realize that it is your son’s abilities that matter and if he has been asked to camp to be seen, then go and do his very best!</p>
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