SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

In speaking with a few Coaches around the area it sounds if the numbers for Baseball is declining?

Any thoughts on why?

My guess is because kids are getting lazy and can't keep their grades up

I know Valley, Minford, and Wheelersburg numbers are all down this year.

It's a shame. Kids these days are expected to pick one maybe two sports and "concentrate" only on those. Weightlifting for Football begins two weeks after their last game, basketball open gyms begin 2 weeks after their last game, summer time is now for football and basketball. Kids don't realize baseball could be their ticket to the next level. Oh well!! What can you do other then try and sell the sport as much as possible. Unless OHSAA gets involved and begins limiting the other sports a little more then they do now then maybe the summer baseball will increase and then it will trickle down to the spring baseball.

Piketon numbers up to 30

Wellston has 36 players out for baseball.

Baseball is terrible.

Go Troll somewhere else.
Baseball is America's game

Its not quick enough, it is slow and boring.

Kids are lazy! I don't believe South Point made any cuts and kept all the kids that went out!

not many kids going out for baseball at south webster either

I'm sure many things can explain why numbers are down this year. One thing for
sure, it takes a special athlete that can come to the plate clear their mind and hit
a breaking pitch, off speed or fastball low and away. Many entering high school realize this and either work hard at it or decide not to play.

I see things like AAU basketball interfering in this area. Kids are choosing to keep playing hoops instead of moving on to baseball. Often times, many of the kids that are in AAU aren't the quality enough to be there, but sometimes the parents are re-living the olden days through their kids with it.

When I was in school baseball was an after thought. I chose not to play Highschool baseball instead play legion and senior leage baseball. I think it has to do with competing sports lie track and AAU sports. Nobody goes out and try's to find a top notch baseball coach they just find the first teacher with a coaching certifcate to fill the position. I think that more effert needs to be placed on building a winning baseball team as oposed to just feilding a team.

Short answer yes, the numbers are going down. Why? There are a variety of reasons and I agree the OHSAA will have to do something or the numbers will continue to slide (no pun intended).

Camps, leagues, open fields/gyms, weights and the 10 practice rule all play a role. I DO NOT blame the coach's, heck, they are only doing what the state allows them to do. During the last 4 years my son played basketball and baseball. He would concentrate on basketball during basketball season and attend baseball things when he could. During baseball, he concentrated on baseball and went to basketball activites when he could attend those.

I know Burg is down this year in numbers with about 24 students in grades 9-12.

I think kids my age ( i just recently graduated) are too lazy to put in the work that is needed to be a average player. I mean batting .500 is good but compared to other sports percentages its horrible. I also believe that AAU basketball is taking away some players. My little brother just told me he was contacted by a AAU coach asking him to try out for the team. My brother kindly said no thank you, spring and summer is baseball season.

Kenny Bixx wrote:Its not quick enough, it is slow and boring.

I presume you have never been to a game involving conference rivals or a tournament game? Maybe your too slow for baseball, a thinking man's game.

AAU basketball for one.

Mostly, soccer. Kids are choosing to play it at a younger age instead of baseball. Too much ground needs made up in terms of baseball skills if you haven't played at the lower levels and now try to compete in high school baseball.

I think parents push the kids more toward the non-failure sports.
They don't want to see their little boy be embarrassed when he has a strikeout or drops a fly ball.
Baseball is mostly a failure sport.
A lot of the kids in today's society are not tough.
Baseball is a tough game, especially mentally, hence not as many kids play today.

good answer, i think you hit the nail on the head. and a lot of good athletes hate to fail, so they wont even try baseball because it will hurt their ego. people forget, even babe ruth struck out, i know that saying is old and worn out, but it is true

I talked to some people and it sounds like part of Minfords problem is the jv coach they had last year. i heard several quit because of him and some had played baseball for years. i spoke to a couple of parents and they said they would not let there kid play this year if this same coach was going to be the jv coach again and i think he was going to be and that is why many did not come out. Thats to bad.