Klay got the call up from JV yesterday. In his first at bat he didn't waste any time. He turned on the first pitch he saw and hit a two hopper right over the thirdbase bag. His second at bat he hit a line drive into RC for a base hit. Third at bat gerounded out to ss. Fourth at bat he k'd with bases loaded in the 7th on a check swing that was called a swing. Bummer...
Not a bad debut though.
Pretty cool seeing both boys' names in the paper this morning for hits.
Not a bad debut though.
Pretty cool seeing both boys' names in the paper this morning for hits.
- 25,347
- 261
Spencie
Senior Member
Today is my daughters last college softball game day. Started at 5 years old and now a college senior. It's been a good ride.
- 25,347
- 261
Wow! Glad she had the chance to play in college. Hope my boys have the desire to do that and get the chance.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
Good stuff felllas...that's how it's supposed to be. Our first game is Monday. We're basically ready.
The team qualified for the conference playoff so there's at least two more games to play.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
Haven't updated this yet this year so here goes. My daughter's Senior year of HS softball has begun. They've played pretty good so far this year and even won the small tourney they hosted last weekend. She has been playing 2nd base exclusively this year and man has she made a few awesome plays. Had one ripped in the hole between first and second, she makes a diving stop and flips it hard from her belly at least 30 feet to get a fast runner out. Coach even boasted to the girls the very next day that that was by far the best play he has seen on the softball field.......he's in his late 80's and been coaching baseball/softball for a long, long time. Sure makes her daddy proud!!
Tonight she has a game and my son starts his travel baseball season later in the evening as well. Nice sunny and dry evening of softball/baseball, don't get much better!!
Tonight she has a game and my son starts his travel baseball season later in the evening as well. Nice sunny and dry evening of softball/baseball, don't get much better!!
- 25,347
- 261
- 25,347
- 261
We finished up our JR High season, but baseball continues! Mason has been practicing for the last couple of weeks with a Pony league team down in the Hillsboro Rec league. I've watched every practice, helped out minimally, and have really enjoyed watching these kids. They have three coaches for this team, and they all seem to be solid baseball folks. I'm relieved about that as that has not always been my experience with rec leagues. I think they have put together a decent team. All of their infielders have played travel ball, and they look pretty solid. Two solid pitchers, and enough others to fill in the gaps. I'm anxious to see how they do once games start on the 15th. I don't see them being dominate, but competitive.
He will also be playing on a 17U team. I know most of the boys on that team, some of which are exceptional players. I think he will learn a lot once they get rolling. They have a later start date as most of those kids are still busy with HS ball.
His pitching has finally popped. Until this spring, he has always been extremely accurate for his age, had better velocity, and good off speed stuff. This year, he hasn't had the magic. He's been tolerable, and our go-to, but just not over-powering. It had really messed with his confidence and he was terribly frustrated. It's that way with anything when you know you have better capability than you are displaying. He has finally got the bugs worked out. It was simple things too, but took us a while and a lot of work on his part to get it back. I'm proud of him for putting in the effort and battling through the "I can't do it anymore" syndrome. Everything is really on track right now, but more importantly, when it slides off the rails again, he will know he can work through it. It's the same with anything in life.
Play ball!
He will also be playing on a 17U team. I know most of the boys on that team, some of which are exceptional players. I think he will learn a lot once they get rolling. They have a later start date as most of those kids are still busy with HS ball.
His pitching has finally popped. Until this spring, he has always been extremely accurate for his age, had better velocity, and good off speed stuff. This year, he hasn't had the magic. He's been tolerable, and our go-to, but just not over-powering. It had really messed with his confidence and he was terribly frustrated. It's that way with anything when you know you have better capability than you are displaying. He has finally got the bugs worked out. It was simple things too, but took us a while and a lot of work on his part to get it back. I'm proud of him for putting in the effort and battling through the "I can't do it anymore" syndrome. Everything is really on track right now, but more importantly, when it slides off the rails again, he will know he can work through it. It's the same with anything in life.
Play ball!
From my experience, the toughest thing about being a pitcher, and a baseball player in general, is the ability to play "loose." Sure, there are certain techniques and skills that can be honed and mechanics that can always be worked on.... But if you're not playing loose you're not playing to your full potential. It's a mental thing. Dwelling on what you're doing wrong and racking your brain to figure out how to correct it usually only leads to mental blocks and frustration. It sounds like Mason has worked through that, which is a very valuable lesson for a young ballplayer. Glad to hear he's doing well.
I only hope he's not throwing curve balls. I see a TON of young kids throwing breaking balls nowadays. IMO, there's just no need for it at that age. Well-placed fastballs and an occasional change up is all that's needed, even up to high school. The problem I usually see is kids can't spot their fastball, so they use breaking balls to get them out of trouble.
Last edited: