Mini-Pronk

[Stealth]

This is just awesome news. Couldn't be happier for you guys!

[mikecon]

Congratulations guys!

[yjm10]

Congrats! May the force be with him!

[Allistair]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!

[RHC]

Congratulations! That is awesome he will be close enough for you to watch.

That's for documenting the journey, it is really helping and will be helping a lot of families for a long time to come.

[MBH400]

Fantastic news, Pronk. It will be nice to have him close to home - I hope the videos keep coming now that you won't have to hop on a plane! Any initial thoughts on the Rollins coaching staff hitting philosophy?

[lynnelles]

Congratulations to Steven and you both. Well deserved!

[tom.guerry]

great school ! Coongrats.

[Pronk]

Fantastic news, Pronk. It will be nice to have him close to home - I hope the videos keep coming now that you won't have to hop on a plane! Any initial thoughts on the Rollins coaching staff hitting philosophy?

You know I am not sure but I don't think they wanted Steven for his bunting skills (100% on sac bunts this year haha both times successful). The game they came to watch Steven did a lot of favors for himself hitting the home run in the 0-0 tie in the 7th inning and the pitcher was so hot with 14ks that game, they offered him too. They do like when you get hits off the plus arms and unfortunately with our schedule it's hard to evaluate. I really do feel like he ended up by his Sr. year a better hitter than some of the kids signed with SEC/ACC type schools, the bigger stars, but the fact is those kids play on the big stage more often, and get better looks. Just the nature of the beast.

I've thought very seriously about enrolling my little one at Oviedo HS, we went to watch them the other night and there is no doubt Steven would have played for them somewhere, but as a 10th grader that was up in the air he wasn't very good yet. Very easy to quit baseball at that age if you get passed over plus we had no choice in the matter part of the deal where my wife works is the kids must attend.

Getting back to successes the home run in districts was off a D-1 kid who was district MVP as a Jr. but as a Sr. was out for 2 months with a broken hand. Finally in regionals last Thursday he went 2-3 off a kid with 10 wins and a .22 ERA, and so the point is the college was tracking him and what he did against the type of pitching he'll see on the next level. They specifically called to say congrats going 2-3 of that kid in regionals. They knew when we were playing an easier team not to pay too much attention to that game.

My feeling he'll need that fall season to get used to speed of the game but he's also in the Futures Wood Bat League this summer. A lot of freshman get to teams like that and sit for a year or two but I get the impression he has a chance to crack that lineup if he looks ready to swing like he's capable of.

[Pronk]

Fantastic news, Pronk. It will be nice to have him close to home - I hope the videos keep coming now that you won't have to hop on a plane! Any initial thoughts on the Rollins coaching staff hitting philosophy?

You know I am not sure but I don't think they wanted Steven for his bunting skills (100% on sac bunts this year haha both times successful). The game they came to watch Steven did a lot of favors for himself hitting the home run in the 0-0 tie in the 7th inning and the pitcher was so hot with 14ks that game, they offered him too. They do like when you get hits off the plus arms and unfortunately with our schedule it's hard to evaluate. I really do feel like he ended up by his Sr. year a better hitter than some of the kids signed with SEC/ACC type schools, the bigger stars, but the fact is those kids play on the big stage more often, and get better looks. Just the nature of the beast.

I've thought very seriously about enrolling my little one at Oviedo HS, we went to watch them the other night and there is no doubt Steven would have played for them somewhere, but as a 10th grader that was up in the air he wasn't very good yet. Very easy to quit baseball at that age if you get passed over plus we had no choice in the matter part of the deal where my wife works is the kids must attend.

Getting back to successes the home run in districts was off a D-1 kid who was district MVP as a Jr. but as a Sr. was out for 2 months with a broken hand. Finally in regionals last Thursday he went 2-3 off a kid with 10 wins and a .22 ERA, and so the point is the college was tracking him and what he did against the type of pitching he'll see on the next level. They specifically called to say congrats going 2-3 of that kid in regionals. They knew when we were playing an easier team not to pay too much attention to that game.

My feeling he'll need that fall season to get used to speed of the game but he's also in the Futures Wood Bat League this summer. A lot of freshman get to teams like that and sit for a year or two but I get the impression he has a chance to crack that lineup if he looks ready to swing like he's capable of.

[LITHTHUNDER]

Congrats to you and Steven!! That's awesome..

[redwill]

Congrats to you and Steven!! That's awesome..

I second that

[Teacherman]

Great news. And I think a great fit. Why? Because the odds are he'll have every opportunity to succeed. DII's are less likely to recruit over you. Nothing would irritate me more, than being a freshman playing behind a senior and then the coach recruiting over me when the senior graduates. If I wasn't good enough why did you offer me in the first place? The cut throat nature of DI baseball is criminal....IMO. Ever watch the College World Series? See those dugouts full of players? ALL of them were told they would play. Some of them were drafted. Yet they rarely step foot on the DI field. If my son threw 90mph in high school....I would highly discourage him from choosing a DI program. That program likely has several 90mph throwers....and there is too much survival of the fittest for me. And too much politics. But at a DII.....you'll get every opportunity to succeed....because you are probably the only 90mph thrower they have. Just my pet peave.

As Pronk said, Steven's bat showed up late. He needs at bats. He needs the opportunity to fail....he needs the opportunity to learn....without getting yanked from the lineup too quickly. Don't get me wrong....I'm not against competition. But I am against dishonest coaching and recruiting. And that is the name of the game at DI.

And the fact is....if you're good enough....you will get to the next level. If not.....wow....you had a wonderful college experience because you got to play.

Off my soap box.

I think this is a great opportunity.

What's he going to study? Website shows a very nice looking campus. Nice facilities. Cincinnati catcher Ryan Hanigan went to school there.

[Al Oha]

...

I think this is a great opportunity.

What's he going to study? Website shows a very nice looking campus. Nice facilities.

Crummer Graduate School of Business. One of the best in the nation. If it's not baseball, he'll get a terrific education. Keep up the grades, Big Guy!

[Pronk]

Thanks all...

As far as course of study, its' tough he's a young libertarian minded kid and sees himself as one of these Rand Paul/Ted Cruz type guys. Then he watches Mad Men and loves the idea of business, but in either case what I told him is that really Poly Sci might not be the best major but sheesh I hate to do that, I mean that's what I wanted to do at his age too. I told him if he really liked politics then bust his butt, get the in the major leagues, and make a name for yourself, HA!!! But I did tell him that most of these stars you see out there in that world earned their stripes elsewhere, be it law, being a physician, etc.

And there is the part that might want to teach and coach, and of course once you are a college athlete at this level those opportunities will arise. They are a liberal arts school so I think you really do get a year or two to change your mind without too much harm.

And D1 is cutthroat out there. One kid we saw a lot was committed to a major D1 program, they followed him last summer, and didn't care for his velocity drop at East Cobb and dropped him. I think UCF gobbled him up quickly as he was a lefty with good stuff, (though Steven can hit him) but still imagine if you are a Sr. you haven't been looking around at all, and your school decides to rescind the offer before the NLI is signed. That can be very difficult on that kid, scrambling and finding something late.

That guy who's a bit of a negative guy but realistic TG something or other, made the claim that 50% of D1 ball players end up dropping out. You don't see as many transfers in other sports but that is baseball. The one player who did well from our school a few years ago started at Palm Beach Atlantic for a year, moved to Santa Fe a JUCO in Gainesville and went from not getting offered much at all at our school to being able to pick his dream school (Florida) because he had so many offers. That's another side look at the rosters the JUCO kids come in after two years of solid playing, and if you haven't gotten onto the field, that kid will likely be a step ahead of you.

I'll say this, for Steven it was down to Rollins or a JUCO. We had a JUCO lined up from a Florida guy coaching up north, he played at UCF started his coaching career in HS ball down here, and hits the area pretty hard and has an excellent track record of finding spots for kids after the two years (and some signed pro contracts). It was a very tempting situation but the chance to go to a great school and play at home was too hard to pass up. This conference is loaded with good players, too, heck Rollins I saw beat Ohio St. in 2009 and 2010, so some years it would seem you can compete with the some of the teams from D1 conferences up north, The D1s down here and in Georgia/SC despite seeming mid-tier by name are really upper tier in baseball.