govols10

Has Watson committed to anyone yet? If not - what are the leading college choices?

Where can I find this ranking so that I can review the complete list?

I have seen him pitch and agree he is good. Lot's of first pitch strikes and good control. He throws with John Mitchell who is one of the best pitching coaches in Middle Tennessee.

I keep hearing this name - who does he play for in the summer?

I am by no means an expert but have had many conversations about pitching speeds with people that are far more experienced. A long time high school coach and a well respected pitching coach have both said the same thing - an average high school fastball is low 80's. Most believe that there are kids that can touch upper 80's but these are the few exceptions and not the rule for a high school pitcher. I agree with a previous post that the change up is one of the most under rated yet most effective pitches, especially for a someone with a good fastball.

Who are the best pitchers this year?

I would suggest that if you ask 20 people this question you will get 15 different opinios. I have read a great deal about this subject, had many long discussions, and have seen 100's of adds that guarantee 5 - 10 miles per hour faster if you do thier program. Some of the things that have already been listed seem to be consitent with the most common drills I hear or read - do long toss as often as possible, use a resistence band as often as possible - especially after pitching for recovery, and the rice bucket. As for the rice - we use a trash can filled with rice and mostly do this during the off season to build arm strength. This is a very old technique but seems to work. My son's summer coach pitched in the major's for 9 years and said they had rice buckets in the locker room all the time. One thing important to keeping young arms healthy is recovery and if you feel pain STOP. Over the past few years I have seen many coaches put stress on young arms to win regardless of the cost. Winning becomes more important than the career of a talented young pitcher. 3 weeks ago I saw a 13 year old kid throw 15 innings in 3 diffent games in one day during a big tournament for the sake of winning. The team won the tournament but I would argue the kid lost.

This past weekend the Shoetiques went to Cincinnati Ohio and played in the Cincy Summer Classic hosted by the Cincy Flames. There were 30 teams in the field and the Shoetiques won 1st place going 5 - 0 for the weekend. Good win for the Shoetiques and good win for Middle Tennessee!!!!

I apologize for being off topic but how is the Warrior program doing in Panama?

The 12U Shoetiques played in Knoxville this past weekend in a tournament with mostly East Tn teams. They held their own going 4-1 and lost by 1 run in the championship game. One win was against the Knoxville Stars ranked 21 in the country on Travel Ball Select. That was a quality win for Middle Tn. Hats off to the programs in the East Tn area. Great experience with good coaches, parents, and competitive kids - especially the Knoxville Impact. What a class organization with awesome kids,parents and coaches. The Knoxville Thunder and Knoxville Fire parents along with every other team we interacted with were also awesome. Great job East Tn making the out of town teams feel welcome and playing the game the right way!!!

Excellent topic and one I have heard debated at diamonds all over the Southeast over the past couple of years. It is my opinion that most kids will gravitate to the sport they enjoy the most and that will influence the choices they make and NOT rules and regulations set by TSSAA or anyone else. My son is still a year away from high school but made the choice 3 years ago to play baseball only. We have given him every opportunity to play other sports and he has even been encouraged by some family members to play football but he has stuck to his committment of playing a sport that he loves more than anything. As for family time - it depends on what your definition is. We spend countless days at fields across the country as a family. I am asked every day as soon as I get home from work to play catch, batting cages, etc and in doing so we always get to talk about the other things in his life. Our vacations as a family are always baseball related and we have a blast. We are lucky to play with a good group of parents and coaches on his travel team and they have become our extended family - we look forward to seeing them every weekend. The point is there is no right or wrong answer - it is a matter of choice for the kids and the parents. It is my opinion - right or wrong - that we are to support our kids in whatever keeps them interested, active and out of trouble regardless of what that may be - one sport, two sports, no sports at all. The most important part is that we are getting them around positive influences that teach them important lessons outside the lines.

Just a note that is relavent to this topic and the Shoetiques. John Mitchell - the coach of the 12 year old Shoetique team was recently inducted into the Metro Schools Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations John!!! We are all very proud of you and your contributions to developing young baseball players that learn to play the game the right way!!!! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

I see a great deal of discussion on speed but who has the best change up? I have talked to people that have pitched at the major league level and to coaches at the college level who say the change up is a pitch that is not developed enough at young ages. The belief seems to be that the curve ball is overused and the change up is not used enough. Thoughts?

My son plays in the 12 year old division this year. There are some great teams at this age group from Tn. Some of the best teams that I know of at this age group are: Shoetiques - Knoxville Impact - Juice - Jackson Coyotes - Knoxville Stars - Memphis Travlers - Franklin Heat - and a new team that just formed called the Tn Dores. I may have missed someone and if so I apologize but these are the most competitive teams that I have seen at this age group over the past couple of years. Game Day Baseball in Memphis has some excellent tournaments to test your metal. There are a couple of tournaments that draws talent from all over the country. One is Border Wars and the other is Battle of the South which pulls teams from as far away as California. USSSA does a great job at posting real time results for thier AAA and Majors tournaments. There are always Tn teams in the mix in each of those World Series events. I am not as familiar with some of the other age groups but know that Tn has some of the best talent in the southeast.