2014 year in review

So with 2014 winding down. What were your most memorable moments of the year? As a coach, parent or just a fan what sticks out the most in your head about this past year?

Mine personally was my daughter getting a solid triple at her allstar game. The second was her goal of 50 mph pitching speed.

Please share

WARRIORMIKE said:

So with 2014 winding down. What were your most memorable moments of the year? As a coach, parent or just a fan what sticks out the most in your head about this past year?

Mine personally was my daughter getting a solid triple at her allstar game. The second was her goal of 50 mph pitching speed.

Please share

Click to expand...

As a parent the best thing I saw this year form my 13 year old was hitting a walk off home run to win a tournament elimination game. Everyone went crazy, the smile on her face looking up in the stands to find me after she hit home plate was priceless.

I was the proudest dad in the world when my 9 year old pitched a perfect game to get to the championship game in a recent tournament, no walks 16 K's, only two bunts put in play. She also had a 10 pitch at bat to draw a walk and score our only run.

As a coach I love just seeing girls progress, girls that didnt want to slide when the season started, and are now sliding all over the place. Or the girl who never hit the ball, and the smile on her face the game when she gets a hit. Most of the things I remeber as a coach has nothing to do with winning or losing, it has to do with building relationships with players and families. I have coached teams when we havent lost a game, and coached teams when we couldnt buy a win, but no matter what the girls have fun and for the most part the relaitonships built between everyone are genuine and will last for a long time. They also become better ball players, that is important to. Finishing second in a big tournament was my biggest memory form this year, after going undefeated, it was nice to see the girls respond to adveristy and battle all the way back form the losers bracket. They most definately learned resilience. I challenged each and every one of them and they responded

DD injuring knee in HS ball late April and told she would be out 12-16 weeks.
DD rehabbing her a$$ off and getting cleared to be back on the field in under 8 weeks.
DD finishing her summer season back at full strength (increasing her time on field each week).
DD going through fall ball without any knee issues.
DD signing NLI in November.
DD offered additional academic monies on top of athletic monies, fully funding her education (revisited yearly of course).

DD remaining in remission is the most important thing to me! Seeing her blossom as a player but truly owning her pitching. Having people ask her during fall ball if she was an all-star, after not being chosen - priceless. (Hindsight- I'm actually glad she wasn't chosen. It lit her fire and also taught me to just point the direction but let her travel the road.) Grateful that I found this board....... Ever so....

Not SB related: Oldest DD has a career! Family is in harmony.....

I expected DD would have a great first year of college ball. But certainly did not expect she would finish 2014 signed with Carolina. It has been a really good year!

I'll go with first year 16u DD getting intentionally walked twice in the 16u NSA State C'ship game...to get to the cleanup hitter behind her.

Well, almost. The first time we had a RISP with first base open. DD was in the box before the opposing team's coach signalled his catcher, so DD didn't get the memo or realize that the catcher was standing straight up with glove straight out. DD bats left and Miggied one of the pitches in the oppo gap for the rbi...not quite high/outside enough but the next at-bat there wasn't a pitch in the neighborhood.

Runner up has to be the time I coined a new word by shortening "Miguel Cabrerra" to the common "Miggy," but THEN turned it into a verb...AND conjugated it as above. Yep, there I go again living vicariously thru myself.

My DD taking steps to practice and work harder on her hitting and getting to see the payoff this Fall after moving up to 12u was my favorite memory of the year. She hit a grand slam in a 1-1 game in the bottom of the 4th to help move the team along in bracket play. I'll never forget the smile on her face.

My DD committed this year so obviously that is a highlight. But her HS team winning districts for the first time in a long time and then winning sectionals was also a highlight. This is the last pitch of the district final and if you know my DD she never reacts like this which makes it fun for me to watch.

2014 was a roller coaster ride for us. We felt like we were "sucker punched" a couple of times during the recruiting process, but all things ended better than we ever imagined when DD verballed to a great school that came out of nowhere. After DD verballed, my DW and I thanked God for "unanswered prayers"! While a part of me misses the excitement of the recruiting process, I smile every time I hit "delete" on an email inviting my DD to another skills camp/clinic.

JAD, you miss the recruitment process? I don't miss it one bit......lol.