Hi all!

I need some advice! With my son signing early to play at UK this past fall I thought that it would take the pressure off of him and it would allow him to relax for an awsome high school senior season this spring. I still think that he will but he is so exicited about going to UK he seems to want to look past the spring. Those of you who have son's that signed early last year did you have this problem? I hope once the high school team gets moving he will refocus on that team but it bothers me a little also. Am I wrong to be concerened?

Buckeyecat,
Congratulations to your son! Don’t be concerned. Your son has a firm grip on the Holy Grail. All the work he had done has finally paid off. When he steps on the high school baseball field this spring he knows has an image to maintain. You don’t have to mention that, he’s well aware of that. He will be continually reminded of who he and where he’s going by everyone. When his name goes in the news paper it will always be preceded by “Kentucky signee” or “Future Wildcat”.
Enjoy it!
Fungo

Congrats to your son and his signing with UK! Obviously he is a hardworker and has set himself some high goals that he achieved....he should be very proud of himself.

I'm sure that there are many different reactions and various ways our kids handle themselves after making their commitments. I have two kids who signed early their senior years.....baseball and swimming. I USED to think the same thing as you.....now the pressure is off and they can enjoy the remainder of their senior year. WRONG!!!! At least in theory it was a good thought! Instead of relaxing and enjoying....they BOTH felt they needed to have STELLAR senior seasons to "justify" to everyone else that they indeed merited those early signings. The results? BOTH over-tried, over-stressed, and over-analyzed EVERYTHING and wound up having less than stellar seasons.

I'm sure that there are many ways our kids have approached that senior season after signing...and your son is not alone in how he is approaching it. Needless to say....signing early can effect different kids in different ways. Good luck....I'm sure you'll get some useful feedback here..and I'm also sure you aren't alone in your particular situation. However your son handles this...it is a great way for him to learn a little something about himself...and sometimes THAT is the best lesson.

Buckeyecat - It will work out fine. I think that it's a very normal thing for people (including adults) to look forward to something that they are excited about. Despite the excitement over going to college next fall, he will enjoy his senior season.

My own son who had signed already, was very focused and had a great senior year. I felt that the boys that hadn't signed had more distraction feeling like they "had" to perform during the spring. Those that had signed, had the blessing of knowing they had a place to go and could just play ball.

Academics was another subject in our house though. For my less than academically focused son who got out of class at 11:30, that is where my concerns hung. He often used part of his afternoon though in getting the field ready when practice/games started. Baseball, as always, helped to keep him somewhat focused in the classroom once again.

So, I say share in his celebration and envisioning his future. Baseball will take care of itself and he needs to keep his focus on his grades.

Enjoy this spring, it will go verrrrrry fast!

I don't think you will have to worry too much about the baseball aspect, as Fungo mentioned early signees are usually team leaders and want to go out strong in thier senior year. I would caution you to pay close attention to the grades though. My son was ranked 11th in his class through the fall semester of his senior year. He didn't sign early but when he found out he had been accepted to Lafayette he lost focus in the classroom, we had never had to worry about grades and didn't realize he was slacking off. He got a letter from the school that required him to explain why they should maintain their academic scholarship based on his final semester grades. Needless to say that put a scare into him. I think he had heard too many times that colleges don't pay attention to your last semester, let your kids know that they certainly do. He had to send a letter of explanation to the acceptance commmittee and fortunately they didn't revoke anything but it could have happened.

Thanks for some great responses to my question! It nice to be able post a concern on here and get some very thoughtful insights. That is what makes this area of the message board so special! After reading the posts from all of you I also think that the baseball will take care of itself once it gets going. Another thing that will help is that there are 3 other early signees on the high school team as well and they should be a very good team.

I never thought about the school work being a problem after he pulled a 4.0 the first quarter but I will drive that point home as well to keep it going. He is in the running for some academic money so I'm hoping that will motivate him also.

Fungo any suggestions on how to avoid stressing out over all the hype once the season gets going? I know that getting off to a good start would really help.

Once again thanks to all of you and your insights. It sure is an exicting time to be a parent!

Beautiful school that your son will be attending. He may have heard some of this already, but he will be a "marked man" to an extent. If somebody whiffs him, and they will, they now are striking out a "college boy", "all american", or whatever other taunt the teen-aged minds can create. He'll hear some stuff, but just expect it, tell da Momma to stay calm, and realize he's envied by just about every player out there. No matter how his season goes, the NLI stands (and grades don't sound like an issue) so he can relax and let it fly. His future coaches may check in a little but by and large, it would be unusual for them to be very involved with his season. Summer workout expectations will come along somewhere along the way, but if UK is like most schools, he should run, run, and then run some more.

quote:

Fungo any suggestions on how to avoid stressing out over all the hype once the season gets going? I know that getting off to a good start would really help.

Just remember it is meaningless HYPE! But don't ask me because I didn't handle it very well.

Hokie - They do run at UK - they have a "hill" that they use actually!

Buckeye - I can tell you that I'm familiar with "hype" surrounding a season. My son's HS was state runner up his junior year, ranked 2nd in the state and nationally at 15th, to start the season his Senior year and had a packed house of scouts at every game to watch teammate who was a first round draft pick that year (senior year). I watched an entire group of young men play under what most would consider unusual and often stressful conditions. However, what that can do for players that are going on to college is typically a blessing. They get use to exposure, critics, packed stands, etc. - much more of a college type environment.

We had a game where kids from that school dressed up with sunglasses, carried clip boards and hair dryers which they used like radar guns. If one of our kids did something less than perfect, they mocked and yelled things. If our first round draft pick threw a ball, they moaned and heckled. One of my favorite memories from that game was when one of these kids stepped in front of a scout and the scout glarred at him and said "not in front of me you don't". The kid shrunk a bit and moved away!

So, like everything else in life, there's a lesson in whatever happens with his season. As a parent and a player, you have to stay as focused as you can on what matters!

Buckeyecat,

I think what will REALLY help in your son's situation in handling the pressure is the fact that he isn't alone on the team. You said he has three other early-signees as team mates. Both of my kids were the only ones on their teams who signed early and were dealing with alot of pressure from both opposing teams, press and sometimes even parents. I think since there are four of them on your son's team...it will be easier for them because just for the sheer fact of the number of them, they will be diluting the interest pool somewhat. It is hard to hit four targets at ONCE! But you know what, in retrospect....my kids let the pressure get to them and their performances that senior season altho not stellar weren't horrible either, but in the long run it was probably the BEST thing that could have happened to them. They learned how to deal with this kind of stuff BEFORE they got to college where the pressure to perform gets even greater. Yes, I would have wished for better senior seasons for them but in the grand scheme of things it really didn't matter. Now that they are both in college, it really is a distant and unimportant memory in the big picture. Just be prepared for your son to no longer be referred to just by his first name...he will now be known as "University of Kentucky bound-first name".... Which really is kinda cool!

Buckeye,

Excellent thoughts have been expressed here. My take is similar to luvbb. My son started out well but went into a mid-season slump basically due to an unreasonable "image" he was trying to live up to that he had created in his mind. He also was trying to do more at the plate than what was there. He was one guy targeted that the other team was determined not to let beat them and hence he would expand his strike zone at times such as in RBI situations. He learned a lot though.

I basically told him to focus on the team and not himself and this seemed to do the trick for him. Also, I told him his talent was plenty good enough for me and he needed to quit being so hard on one particular guy on his team - himself.

Once again thanks all! Your comments are exactly what I needed to see. It only seems natural to be concerned as a parent but in the long run it is a learning experience for him and we just need to be there to support, guide and direct them when it they need it.

Buckeyecat.............congratulations.

Could you PM me regarding UK recruiting experience when you have a moment.

"hill"...............yikes!!