Expert: John Priest - 3/12/2009

Question
My son, age 16 and a sophomore, recently tried out for the JV high school team.  He made the first cut but didn't make the second.  Needless to say, he was very upset. He went to all open gym workouts except one.  I know he gave the open gyms and tryouts everything he had, and he's a really good ballplayer.  He does both outfield and pitching.  He worked extremely hard, has a really good attitude about it, is a really good kid and felt he did really well at the tryouts but yet didn't make the team.  He really wants to play college ball and hopefully go as far as he can with baseball.  He is going to talk to the coach to find out what he could do to improve.  My question is, what can we do to keep him going forward toward his goal.  He does winter track in the offseason and he plays Town ball in the spring and fall as well. He played on the Town All Star team last summer. What can he/we do to help him prepare for tryouts next year.  He is especially concerned that if he doesn't make the high school team, his chance of playing college ball is very limited.  Thank you.

Answer
Julie,
The sophomore year is the hardest year to make the team and it is also one of the least important.  You son should now start to prepare for the summer season by going to the batting cage, getting instruction, and possibly practicing with the high school team.  It may be a possibility for him to be a manager.  This can, if the coach agrees, be a opportunity to practice with the team.  He may not get in all the drills but he will be able to field fly balls and ground balls during batting practice.  If he is a pitcher he can work out a deal to be the BP pitcher.  
If his goal is to play in college he should be prepared to play on a team above the town all-star team.  Play on a travel team that competes on a state wide level or higher.  You want to get as much exposure to college scouts as possible.  Go to showcase camps like Perfect Game or Top 96 (www.perfectgame.org or www.top96.com) they will give you good exposure plus you will be compare to other players and rated based on your ability.  Sometimes these camps are good because of the exposure you get but they can bring you back down to reality.  If you are good they will let you know and if you are bad they will also let you know.  
You should not have to motivate your son, he should be motivated by the possibility of playing college ball.  Make sure he gets the exposure he needs this summer.  Play a good fall season. Check if their are college camps he would like to go to (preferably to the colleges he would like to attend)  If everything goes well he may get scouts coming to his games next spring.  The summer after sophomore year and the spring of junior year are the most important.

Good Luck,
John Priest