Cannonball
Ex "Expert"
- Feb 25, 2009
- 4,881
- 113
Players are starting to come home for Christmas and so, I'm sure some of you can post some of the impressions of your dd's first semester of college ball. Others can post about current or past experiences. Here are some observations since many of my former players are wanting to come in and hit.
- The facilities at the various schools greatly vary. Some players are hitting and fielding on turf. Others off of gym floors and with only a turf mat. It does seem to moving toward more players having turf facilities.
- The level of instruction greatly varies. One player said that her coach never coaches hitting. They have a hitting coach. Apparently, that person is more supervisor than coach. Another said that they get filmed all of the time. One said that they get filmed the first week and that is it.
- Most schools hit with wood during the off season. Many do the overload/under-load stuff.
- I'd bet it is about 50/50 that schools get a transfer in after break. I know when BB played, 3 of the 4 years she played, they had a transfer in after break.
- The weight-room has become extremely important. I can't say that one player plays in a program that does not lift and lift seriously.
- One thing I thought was shocking was that it seems various schools are all over the place with regards to monitoring players and their grades. However, for every player, that freshman year has required some type of study hall.
- I thought it interesting that for some schools, you have to earn your practice gear for spring ball.
- Player equipment varies greatly. Most schools have some type of bat program. Many have some type of warm-up program. Even fewer have some type of glove program. Shoes seem to be consistent in all programs. BB was fortunate that they had just about everything a player could ask for. Thank goodness. She went through bats like crazy. Her senior year, she broke four.
- One troubling aspect of what I hear from players coming back is that most don't talk much with their academic adviser. For BB, she stopped in that office all of the time.
- Finally, a few players area always shocked that the coach is not the same as they were when the player was recruited. LOL