Tagged: Win · First Base

I have to share this because I almost didn't believe it when I saw it.

My son is 12, travel ball, and has been working through First Base for about three weeks. He has always been a late swinger — coaches have told us that for two years and we've tried everything they suggested. Tee work, soft toss, staying short, you name it. Nothing stuck for more than a few days.

Last weekend he had a tournament. I wasn't expecting anything dramatic — we're still early in the process and I know this stuff takes time. But in his second at-bat Saturday he got a fastball middle-in that he has been late on his entire career and he absolutely crushed it. Line drive to the left-center gap. Stood at second base with this look on his face like he surprised himself.

On the way home I asked him what he was thinking during that at-bat. He said "I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just ready."

That's it. That's the whole thing. Three weeks in and he said exactly what he was supposed to figure out.

We've got a long way to go and I know one hit doesn't mean we've arrived. But that at-bat felt different from anything I've watched in two years of travel ball.

— Mike J.