Nobody stormed the field when we won our district championship, this year which was kinda odd/ surreal. They shook hands like it was Game 3 of the season. Thatโs when I knew we had a legit shot to win the last game of the season. This is our final win.
We cut a freshmen last year on JV. Maybe it was a large/competitive class, maybe we got it wrong, but... maybe it fueled him to work harder & get better.
Putting assumptions aside -he came back out this year, made JV and got called up to pitch VAR this week - two shutout innings.
Congrats to our former catcher, 2nd Lt. Garrett St. Laurent who is now a part of the U.S. Armyโs Special Operations Force โ heโs an Army Ranger! He passed airborne + air assault last year & graduated from Ranger School today!
Rainey was not sitting in the corner pouting or slamming equipment because he had a bad night on the mound. Instead; heโs genuinely pumped his teammate, and team pitched out of a jam.
Congrats to the Loudoun South coaches & parents for helping this incredible story unfold & sending boys to the
#LLWS
And HUGE S/O to all the young studs representing our neighborhoods, county & state!!
2 Fun Facts:
1. We host Westfield tonight to avoid Friday rain
2. A parent @ Freedom shared below pic w/ me: last nte our players were apparently walking to their cars after practice. But anthem for soccer game started; at which point they snapped into positions below ๐บ๐ธ
I've never had a college coach ask me if a HS Player was named All State, let alone All-Region or All-District. Nor have they ever asked if a player was honored in a weekend tournament (PG Tourney team, etc).
Play Hard & Play to Win.. and you'll get noticed.
My Grandson:
Hudson Russell Wrighte
Class of 2042
Uncommitted
Happy Motherโs Day to all momโs out there particularly my daughter in law Alli on her 1st MD!
Congratulations to our six committed seniors going to play baseball @ the next level!
* Schroeder to UNC
* Fisher to CNU
* Newman to Marymount
* Chung to Lynchburg
* Fitzgerald to George Mason
* Schofield to Frederick
@LoCoSports
@PBRVADC_Nolan
@NVBaseballMag
@allmetsports
Region Championship tonight: Colgan @ Freedom!
10 college commits on the field & ton of college prospects! But 1 of our best hitters is uncommitted w/ no plans to play in college.
U don't need to commit to college to be good; U need to care about winning & commit to your HS team.
True (modern day) story:
-Freshmen gets cut from JV. Offered job as manager; humbles self & agrees
-Soph year makes JV; called up to VAR end of year
-JR year shoves on VAR; including post season
-SR year commits to big D1 (Power5)
It's not how you start; it's where you finish
I donโt know how other programs do it, but Sophia rolls ground balls to infielders, flips balls to us for OF fungo, feeds the hack attack, films batters during games, charts QPA & times pitchers to the plate.
Itโs not least bit clichรฉ to say, we couldnโt have done it without her.
โIn 2012, I went to Omaha to watch the College World Series & Arizona ended up winning the Championship.โ
(That's how I knew I wanted to play @ Arizona)
Casagrande is going back to Omaha; but now playing for the team that inspired his college dreams.
A HS pitcher @ 87+mph w/ below average control will still get ample appearances in showcase because it attracts scouts. But the the HS pitcher @ 81mph w/better command will get MORE appearances on his HS team cuz HS coaches are not attracting scouts; they are hunting for "Wins"
Dear 16u - this 17u dude did not pitch on Varsity as a sophomore. He was not getting offers during 16u WWBA. But he dominated HS season as a JR, including VA State Tourney & threw a gem in big 17u event noted below. Don't hit commitment panic buttons!
#Develop
#Train
#Process
PG WWBA 17U National Championship, East Cobb GA
Stars Baseball - Carroll
Round 1 Playoffs
@RyanMarohn21
(NCState)
@FHSEAGLES1
was awesome!
Another CG shutout with 13kโs
6IP, 3H, 13Kโs, 1BB, 0R
If you care about playing time; you're like everybody else; it's not a bad trait, but you're no different than anyone; not special.
If you show early; coach will notice
Stay late; coach notices
Train off season;coach knows
If you care about winning; your coach will notice
#EarnIt
Was @ showcase tourney in New Jersey last week & South Carolina this week. Zero coaches have asked me about arm velocity or bat exit speed (because they of course can see it). But 12+ coaches have asked:
1. "What's his grades (or test scores)"
2. "What's he like (personality)"
This is our bus driver Emil. He drove us to & from State Semi-Finals. He then drove us again to State Finals โฆWe won the State Championship and Emil played his role. Everyone plays a part. Good luck to all fall head coaches, assistant coaches and players. Embrace your role!
Ben was hard to get committed as a Junior in HS cuz he did nothing flashy; he was not a combine type guy. But colleges like W&M, who agreed to watch him for 3+ games knew he was a sure thing! Senior Yr in HS
@benwilliamson
led team in Hits+HR+Runs+BB+SB
With the 63rd pick in the 2024 Draft, the
@Phillies
select Freedom (VA) outfielder Griffin Burkholder, No. 54 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
Watch LIVE:
Anyone know if thereโs injuries in NCAA Baseball cuz of jewelry? They play more games and have more teams than the Virginia High School League (VHSL). Just curious why jewelry is a point of emphasis for the VHSLโฆ.asking for a friend ๐โโ๏ธ
Never like losing, but if you are gonna concede a game, doing it to this guy ain't too bad. Complete class act & stud player. Youth players throughout Ashburn should go out and see him compete. The way Ayres goes about his business (on & of the field) is notable.
The magโs Joey Kamide interviews Wilson Ayers, our Player of the Game after striking out 12 in 6 innings as Briar Woods beat
#8
Freedom-South Riding, 5-3, in nine innings tonight in South Riding.
@BWBaseball1
@wilson_ayers15
You canโt earn recognition, let alone win games without a good coaching staff. Situation at Freedom is unreal: Coach Arguello, Caroline, Devitt, Lopez & Singh ๐ช
Weโd like to congratulate our Stars General Manager, Mark Wrighte (
@FHSEAGLES1
) on being named Regional Coach of the Year. Coach Wrighte led Freedom-South Riding to a Class 6 State Berth. โพ๐ Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! ๐๐
Happy 4th to everyone, particularly 2015 alum catcher
@Ginger_mayne
and all of his Ranger buddies who have a unique job requirement to ensure we all maintain our independence and Freedom. ๐บ๐ธ
New Years Eve cause coaches & others angst cuz:
A player in (any car) between 11PM-2AM is like swimming w/sharks
1-bad decision by a friend tends to work like a magnet & impacts others
Social Media assassinations are at all time high tonight;camera phones are dangerous
#StaySafe
Congrats to two Freedom Alum in Omaha! It will be epic if they face each other! PS: Cook started on JV+ Marohn on JV in both 9th & 10th grade & had zero All District recognition. They both matured into stud VAR players, let alone college STUDS ๐คทโโ๏ธ
@RyanMarohn21
@Caseycook_2
Congrats! Cedar Run District:
Player of Year: Mason Butash
C - Cal Henderson
SS - Christian Carver
OF - Nathan Chen
UTL - Mason Butash
P - Ryan Marohn
2nd Team
OF - Griffin Burkholder
UTL - Alex Cho
P - Dylan Greentree
@WashPostHS
@PBRVirginiaDC
@LoCoSports
@VivaLoudoun
@LSBR11
If you consider yourself a high level player; the assumption is that you were working harder than others 45 days ago.
But; if your training plan for today/this week still mirrors what you did 45 days ago; you're now falling behind.
Start Ramping it up & challenging yourself.
Our Offense Development Area is complete! Tks to our Big-Daddy donors:
Windows on Washington; Ken & Sue Kramer; Taddei Family; Tammy & Keith Anderson & tks to all the donors;
Ted Brit Ford, NV Orthodontics, St.Laurent Meadery Bros, SixFour3, Stars Baseball, Cisco, & Beitzel Fence
"Welcome to the Minor Leagues, Griffin Burkholder!"
Equipped with 70-grade speed per
@MLBPipeline
, the
@Phillies
' second-rounder shows off his wheels on his first pro hit for the
@Threshers
.
Congrats! 1st Team All Region:
-Cal Henderson
-Mason Butash
-Ryan Marohn
2nd Team:
-Nathan Chen
-Christian Carver
And congrats to our 2022 Team who set school records: Best Team BA of all time, Most Hits, 2B, 3B, RBI, R, HBP & SB + Pitch staff K'd a record 273
#AllGasNoBrakes
Election Day! Best Political Topics:
Umpires should stop penalizing hitters who don't avoid HitByPitch
Increase college scholarship to 15 total
Change non-paid college volunteer to a paid position
Don't allow ties for HS JV games
Permit HS players to wear 1 piece of jewelry
Donโt think enough people understand how special it is to watch the
@_NVCL
Thereโs guys in the league who were in Cape Cod last year & woulda been this year. Hereโs Freedom alum (Williamson) hitting laser to CF. Pumped to see all our alum!
(Mawyer, Caroline, Fisher & Fitz)
I do too. How bout this?
- Zero Non District Games
- Practice resume April 13 (or sooner)
- First District Games on Fri, April 17
- Last District Game on May 20
- District & Regional Tourney on schedule, no change
And hey; until then, watch movies, crush video games & hibernate!
I texted 2 college guys & 1 in pro ball- "what's 1st big youth tourney ya won & last?" NONE had simple reply. Why? Cuz 13u & 9u victories are only important @ finite moments in time. Hang w/ buds, hotel tag, good practices & win more than you lose is what matters
#WhatMattersMost
Freedomโs won the Regional 2x in last 5 years & been in the State Tournament the last 3 of 5 seasons.
But Tuesday night @ 6pm is the 1st time Freedom HS will host the 1st Round of the VHSL State Baseball Tournament!
Use this link to get your tix!!
Congrats to these guys!
For graduating! ๐จโ๐
Winning Regional Championship!
Winning District Championship!!
Winning Regular Season!!! ๐
Sending us to States!
1 of top 5 hitters on State Championship team, but he started the year on JV.
-He never complained to staff or asked about not playing VAR.
-Parents never asked for meeting about why not VAR.
He just competed & earned his way. This skinny dude w/long levers is gonna be a DUDE.
After reviewing tryout evals & years past too, I'm convinced the best way for players to stand out is to take strength training seriously in 8th & 9th grade. Obviously, important for old kids too; but game changer 14U-16U. Private lessons are good but strength is "more" important
Heard of 11u & 12u pitch count issue last weekend. Shocking; so, here's crude guide for 13u:
95 - not ideal
100 - hope it was big weekend, cuz it's a lot
105 - not advisable
110 - Red Flag
115 - Hope you have good medical insurance
120 - U joking!?
125 -WTF
130 - Leave team
We've had college coaches at 5 of our games this year (D1 each time + D3 other night). Not sure everyone on our own roster even know it, let alone opposing teams. Simply gives credence to the old adage, "you never know who's watching."
#PlayHard
#FirstImpressionsMatter
Arneja batted .412 w/ .525 OB% during our postseason run (Districts, Regional, States).
@VBCA2018
All Star GM tonight, he got on base every time, had basehit, SB, & 2R. Great way to close out HS career
@ShawnArneja
A good defensive first basemen is worth their weight in Gold! But theyโre sometimes forgettable UNTIL it matters; much like the spare tire in your trunk or box of band aids in your cabinet; all a necessity @ critical moments. Keep hitting, but carve practice time to
#Pick
-It!
Congrats to entire team & my Trophy Wife whoโs retiring after 2 decades of coaching!
Her 1st trip to the VHSL State Championship was in 2002! She won 5 State Rings & dozens of District & Regional Titles. They won District & Regionals this year too + State Runner Up!
Typically on a rainy Friday @ 1PM, I'd be back & forth w/ my AD discussing playing surface & reschedule options. But; no stress or angst today.
Dear Baseball Gods, your rain today is welcome & makes a Covid-Friday night tolerable.
Dear Covid, you lose today; Baseball Gods win.
Congrats to All District Honors:
Mike Meglio, 2ndTeam OF
Casey Cook, 1stTeam UT & 2ndTeam 3B
Ben Williamson, 1stTeam SS & The District Player of the Year!
Freedom, like Michael Myers from "Halloween," dusts itself off & enters the Region Tourney next week vs this Friday's winner.
I refuse to let anyone (of any age) who plays for me in Northern VA complain about field conditions. I get looked at funny when I habitually say, โthere are no bad fields in this area, but there are infielders w/ bad feet & hands.โ
DR infielders get their reps in daily with ragged balls, on rugged fields, & with no excuses. Undesired
circumstances is what separates them, creating infielders that expect to be challenged on every pitch! Find some old balls, a patch of dirt, & go get better!
@DirtBrosInfield
With their 3rd-round pick (No. 103 overall), the
@Rangers
select
@DiamondHeels
outfielder Casey Cook, No. 171 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
Watch LIVE:
Congrats to our All REGION 1st Team Selections:
Casey Cook, SS
Nathan Chen, OF
Louis Cresci, OF
Connor Kolorov, At Large (P)
Cal Henderson, At Large (C)
Congrats to 2nd Team ALL REGION Team:
Val Taddei, P
Josh Liu, DH
ALL REGION Honorable Mention:
Pete Hoenig & Mickey Gordon
Good luck to all spring coaches:
-Stopwatches capture metrics, but evaluate their heart too
-You'll have critics during the season, so don't shy away from tryout criticism
-It's not too early to consider the variables in your chemistry experiment
-Trust your gut
Reminder to 15u - the new recruiting rules allow you to focus on yourself; i.e. development.
Little reason to dedicate time & money to "showcase" camps. Rather; allocate time/money on speed, strength + private lessons.
16u, you need to blend both.
17u, prioritize "showcase."