We talk about finding the right fit for our sons. That might include the school, the curriculum, the coaching staff, the team, facilities, weather, geography, scholarship amount, the program.

How many have ever taken into consideration where your son will spend lots of time, on the field?

Was watching a game yesterday and the announcer was explaining about the park dimensions and in his opinion it was a pitchers park. The strength of this program is built on pitching.
In discussion with someone this morning I realized that where my son plays the makeup of the players is built on that philosophy, very few HR's go out of the park. We are essentially a team made up of pitching and speed very few power hitters.

So, was wondering if any of you ever thought about this, if your son is a power hitter, would he consider the field and field dimensions part of the right fit? If he is a pitcher, would he prefer to pitch where very few balls could make it out of the park.

This is something that never crossed my mind in the recruiting process. But looking back at places I have been to, I understand why coaches may recruit with this in mind and why some teams have more power in the lineup and others have more on the mound.

TPM, as if our decision-making isn't already hard enough!

We absolutely considered this... at least in part, but it didn't play a significant role for son. My son's number one choice and the school that recruited him the heaviest for several months was a school with a short RF... perfect for a leftie hitter! They made no bones about it... and we realized what he could do in that park too.

Should be something you consider along with all the other things. It's something to take into consideration when looking at the program's stats too. Those stats can be contributed to by the field in part.

TPM


Great point---add to this thinking the element of what kind of game a team plays--do they look for speed or power---my son got his situation because they liked a fast outfield--he ran a 6.4/6.5 and was not the fasted outfielder on the team


These are all elements that need to be considered

Excellent point, as I have an 08, this is part of his consideration. However, with this being brought up, I think we may revisit this item, possibly placing a bit more emphasis on it.

quote:

TPM, as if our decision-making isn't already hard enough!

I agree. Most Freshmen will be doing well to find a coach who will give them a chance to play. You can over think your decision and things can change drastically before you arrive on campus.

Good question Tiger Paw Mom!

We hadn't considered the dimensions OR altitude of the school our son chose, In fact, he has always played at a mile high ... duh.

We do know that HR's sail out more often up here, and son has actually led the state in HR's (or been high on the list) for a couple of years but I had never stopped to consider the altitude advantage.

Then, his scout (son is a DFE) asked son's dad the other day, where had he hit his homers this year, meaning to what part of the field and whether home or away. As if those hit on our home field with its altitude and dimensions is of less value than those hit elsewhere.

So, it's wise to wonder what this means to not only those recruiting your son for a particular college team and its unique field, but how any prowess there may be interpreted by those scouting him. I guess. I mean, what do I know? I am a baseball mom.

The environment of the ballpark and other facilities (weight training, academic tutoring, physical therapy, etc.) was part of the consideration and comparison of various offers. But, mainly as an gauge of the support and commitment to the program and players by the school and the community. It was clear that baseball was an important sport in Fresno both to the school and culturally within the community, and their facilities reflect that.