The Starting Lineup Dilemma

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You can also check out Netting Pros on X , instagram , facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects . I'm going to start off today's show with a story To start the season

. One year , we took our team to IMG Academy in Florida . Being from Ohio , we were looking for great weather , fantastic facilities and excellent competition , and that is what IMG Academy was able to do for us . We decided to have a cookout at the beach with the players and parents before the season got started and just get everybody together .

While sitting down at a table with my coaching staff , a very outspoken parent walked up to me and while we were eating a burger fresh off the grill and made the following statement Well , I'm looking at what's keeping us from winning a state championship this year . His son was a two-year starter and had high expectations for the team .

We had a very good team and we also , as a coaching staff and team , wanted to make a deep run in the tournament at the end of the season . I still look back at that day and appreciate the honesty . Was he right ? Depends on who you talk to , I guess . Well , we lost in the district finals to a tough opponent on a throwing error in the 10th inning .

One to nothing . So that brings me to today's topic .

Is the high school baseball coach doing what's best for the team and his players ? High school baseball coaches is full go across the country . Tough decisions are being made daily by coaches which players will get playing time , which players are going to sit the bench . Before the season , everyone is excited .

But once that regular season begins , a starting lineup has to be announced and it's tough for players , their parents and the coaches who have to make those decisions . Parents , I get it . If you want what's best for your son , you want him to succeed , to thrive , to feel confident in his abilities .

That's why you invest in training , you attend his games and support his journey in baseball . But sometimes the best thing you can do for him isn't stepping in , it's stepping back . Let's talk about the coaching staff and the importance of letting failure be a teacher , not a roadblock

. A baseball team functions best when players , parents and coaches work together . Coaches dedicate years to the game , developing strategies , teaching fundamentals and making decisions that serve the team as a whole . When players and parents second guess those decisions , it creates division instead of unity .

Trust the process , trust the leadership and do your best to back the coaches . I'll be the first to tell you coaches make mistakes and they're not perfect . They're human . Your son might not always like the coaches decisions . Coaches make mistakes and they're not perfect . They're human . Your son might not always like the coach's decisions .

Maybe he's batting lower in the lineup than he expected . Maybe he's not seeing as much playing time as he hoped for . That's tough , but instead of running to the coach or the administration to demand answers , use it as a teaching moment .

Encourage him to put in the extra work , to have a mature conversation with the coach , to seek feedback and to control what he can control and failure . It's essential . Baseball is a game of imperfection . If a player gets a hit three out of ten times , he's considered to be a pretty good player .

That means failure happens more often than success , and the players who rise above are the ones who learn not to fear it but to embrace it . Striking out teaches a hitter what adjustments need to be made . A tough loss teaches a team where they need to improve . Getting benched teaches a player about effort , attitude and perseverance .

Failure is a lesson , not a punishment . When parents interfere , when they rush to protect their son from difficulty , they rob them of the opportunity to grow , to face adversity , to become resilient and to learn . Success is earned , not given . So it might be tough at times , but the best thing you can do is

back the coaching staff . Unlike travel baseball , high school baseball coaches have to consider the players' grades , behavior in school , are they on time , how they perform in practice and are they good teammates , to name a few . Teach your son that respect , hard work , accountability matter .

Let him fail , let him struggle , let him figure it out , because that's how he becomes a competitor , a leader and a man who doesn't break at the first sign of adversity and , trust me , he'll be much better for it .

That's all for today's show . Please be sure to tune in every Wednesday for a new episode here on Baseball Coaches Unplugged , where I sit down with some of the best coaches around the country . Baseball Coaches Unplugged is proud to be partnered with the netting professionals , improving programs . One facility at a time , one facility at a time .

Contact them today at 844-620-2707 , or visit them online at wwwnettingproscom . As always , I'm your host Coach Ken Carpenter . Thanks for joining me and thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged .