Ballboy96

I just love these comments....just absolutely no clue here? ULL is an amazing baseball school which just got one of the better coaches in the game due to a tragedy losing a legend. It packs out the stands every game and is widely regarded as the 2nd best baseball school in Louisiana and just had a complete renovation of their facilities. You do know that there are only approximately 9,000 in the entire country that play D1 baseball? Just saying....it’s hard as hell to play D1 college baseball period and guys like you make these comments just blow me away. Just have a clue man. Huge congrats to the Roccaforte kid and family, he’s one of the better hitters I saw in this area while he was playing. Do your thing son and don’t let dumb post like the one above hold you back.

Very good article will some valid points. As mentioned above, most people have no idea on how the process actually works (I know I didn't until it happened and we learned along the way) until they go through it. It is very one-sided with the colleges having most if not all the leverage with the kids. And the comment of the other colleges not looking at them once they have a verbal is 100% accurate. I think the 11.7 scholarships is one of the most important points of the article, as we have discussed on this forum a few different times. One last thing that really jumped out to me is seeing that only approximately 11% of all HS players will have a chance to play at the next level (D1, JUCO ,D2 or D3) and only approximately 2% of HS kids will play at the D1 level.

Yes, they haven't played well at all so far. Had 2 huge errors that BC scored 3 unearned runs on for a 4-1 loss. Was ahead 4-2 against Jasper in the bottom of the 7th and got beat on a walk-off. Lost to Kirbyville 2-1, started gave up one hit in 4innings, one run that was unearned. Had the bases loaded in the 7th and could not capitalize. Then didn't throw any of the main pitchers in a 8-0 loss to WB. And also got beat on a walk-off at OF last Monday after leading going to bottom of 7th. As we have said, they have not played well and will have to clean up the errors and more importantly, hit much better.

I wonder if either field is playable at this point?

Bobcat101, Yes, Payne pitched first 6 innings then Bridges last inning for Lumberton. Lumberton only gave up 2 hits all night and your right, Lumberton did not play clean at all. They had walks, passed balls, wild pitches 2 huge base running errors and an error on the bunt you mentioned. Have got to improve and clean that up to be competitive. But....let's give credit where it's due. OF played clean, pitched well and threw strikes. They put some balls in played and ran the bases well. Hats off to them and good luck this year.

Agreed Ty. There are only a handful of kids in the entire area that can even touch 90. I know of 3 and even all three of those can't sit 90 consistently. They all can or have touched the magic number before. And this I have seen with my own eyes with calibrated radar guns.

Ya something must have happened since this summer. They have one that can touch 90....Wow

2/5 Kelly @ Lumberton 630PM

Just read the article, man they are loaded.

Longball, I would say that is fairly accurate, but I know several D1 kids that do not sit 88 every time out. I know a ton of Juco pitchers that don't sit 88 for sure, but they throw several pitches for strikes and pound th zone for the most part.

BH, was not saying you inflated your sons velo.....just saying in general it happens a ton! And im curious longball24....when you say 88mph do you mean touch 88 (top out) or sit at 88mph?

HOTROD made some great points Tradenup BH. It is a lot about timing and what the specific college is looking for. There are a ton of myths out there about baseball recruiting and scholarships. Unfortunately, a lot of Dads also stretch the truth about the process (And their kids VELO!!) which makes it even harder for someone who is trying to learn. Baseball is probably the most unique sport as far as going D1 vs D2,D3, NAIA or Juco after high school. There is a ton of talent at Juco's (Esp Pitchers) because they can enter the draft each year tying to better their draft position, where at a D1 they cant be eligible until their Junior year to be drafted once they enter D1. Also, as HOTROD stated, there is only so much money that D1's have, which to be precise is 11.7 scholarships per year. So it is extremely rare to see a D1 give a 100% scholarship to anyone and most of the D1 money is gone before HS kids start their senior school year. Juco's generally (There are a few exceptions where they have less) have 24 scholarships to award, but they also carry more players on the roster generally speaking. I agree with HOTRODs statement to make sure your son is with a good organization that will give him the best chance to be exposed to colleges. My son also plays with the Gladiators and "most" of our boys will have a chance to play at the next level as well. Good luck with your son, it is a grind.

I agree 100% with you Chester86. What a great opportunity for all the kids! Not meaning to pile on, but I am from the area so I will. They still don't have lights on the baseball field there either? If it was basketball (And I know all the history so don't start) they would have pulled out all the stops as well. There is some talent there and the coaches are good IMO, but not having lights at the baseball field at a 4A is tough for me to understand? I love the school and love the area, but my son is a baseball player only and attends another school for a lot of the above mentioned reasons.

Thought so...Both Lumberton starters ( Payne & McManus) have that for the season for sure.

Raider Girl.....are you asking about 40+ strikeouts just in district play alone or for the entire season?

PNG and Nederland right?? Look....if your going to post that at least be fair to the situation and have your facts correct. Yes, PNG and Nederland are the traditional powers in 22-5a, but its 2017 last time I checked and Lumberton has been to the playoffs the past several years and beat Nederland head to head the last 3 out of 4 (Please correct me if I am wrong) games. As VP93 stated, Lumberton had 2 costly errors (I understand that's part of the game) or they would be 4-0 against Nederland in the last 4 games. PNG and Nederland both have a ton of talent on their respective teams this year, but to just post a blanket statement like above is just not factually correct IMO. Livingston is solid as well this year and Vidor lost a lot of Seniors and are still very competitive.

Congrats on the win and the 500th is an amazing feat for sure. Congrats Coach!

Well....looks like we will put the brand new all turf field into play today! Hopefully everything is cleared out by first pitch tonight!

Should be a couple of good games this week. As always, it will come down to who makes the fewest mistakes. Pitching and Defense will have to come up big for Lumberton again this week, but they should be able to compete. Both teams have several next level kids and both are playing good ball right now.

Raiders took care of business this week. Now on to the showdown with PNG. Should be a couple of really good games.

I would respectfully disagree with the .300 average comment. This could vary considerably depending on the district a kid is in. And I agree with you, Coach Denny is a very good coach, but to say that BH or any other 5A and under school with multiple next level players is "average to a little above average" might be a bit of a reach. I'm hoping you played ball, and maybe at a high level, so you should know how dang hard it is to play at any college level. To break down the numbers, approximately 6% of HS players get an opportunity to play at the collegiate level.

Ttt

You also can't throw your "ace" both times against a stronger district opponent. Really makes it a pretty level playing field.

Bonnin is a great talent for sure, but it takes more than one kid to win playoff games most of the time. Fortunately for BH, they have a great team around him! Remember Silsbee beat Kolek (Shepherd) when he was throwing 100mph in a playoff game.

Raiders hit the ball well tonight as a team. Michael Mott crushed it with 2 HR and Ryan Smith hit another. Pitching was outstanding again as it has been so far during district. Brett Payne threw a one hitter. Payne has given up just 3 hits in 11 innings to post a 0.00 ERA in two games. The entire Lumberton pitching staff has only given up 1ER in 3 district games. If not for 2 costly errors against a really good Nederland team, Lumberton could easily be 3-0 in district. Hopefully the defense comes around and plays up to their potential to try and stay competitive in a tough district. Good luck Raiders!