Grant Baseball Tryout Information- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

How do I register?

Players must be cleared by the GHS Athletic Office prior to being allowed to try out. Players must have an updated physical on file every two years. Check with the GHS athletic office for all inquiries. Players must register through FamilyID. Baseball registration info can be found here: GRANT ATHLETICS WEBPAGE

Schedule:

Tryouts will be held Feb 26th, 27th, and 28th. Teams will be announced in the evening on Feb 28th.

Players should bring all necessary gear; Hat, Glove, Bat, Helmet, Turf Shoes, Clothing for WET, COLD and RAINY conditions. If a player doesn’t have gear, please communicate with the coach to develop a plan for full participation a week prior to tryouts. Players should ALWAYS be prepared for outdoor and indoor workouts. Bring warm clothes and be prepared to go outside in wet and cold weather.

The tryout schedule is fluid and could change on a daily basis due to weather and facilities access. Please be flexible and know that we are doing all we can to create a solid plan. If it rains, we plan to continue on with baseball activities. Bring clothing that will keep you dry and warm in the rain! There may be decisions made on tryout times and locations in advance the night before (indoor vs. outdoor and early am vs. late). You will be able to find this information at GRANT ATHLETICS WEBPAGE/BASEBALL and it will be communicated via the program Remind app and through program email list.

Evaluation Process:

Each player is evaluated throughout the 3 day event by the entire coaching staff on 5 different skill sets. The coaches rate each player on these different skill sets to help aid in making the decision on team placements.

These categories include speed, hitting, throwing, defense and attitude.

Speed

• 90 Foot Dash (home to first time)

• 60 Yard Dash

• 80 Foot Dash (steal time)

Hitting

• Hitting for Contact (We prioritize solid, consistent contact first, followed by power)

• Hitting for Power

• Throwing

• Throwing, Accuracy and Strength

• We are looking for high quality arm action.

Defense

• Catch Play

• Fielding: Infield

• Fielding: Outfield

• Pitching

• Catching

Attitude

We will watch each player 's demeanor and hustle carefully. We are looking for:

• Team First Attitude

• Engagement/Attentiveness

• Positive Body Language

• School Attendance patterns that show players are responsible and committed.

Understanding Roles:

Conversations about players' projected roles, and acceptance or rejection of those projected roles, may be a determining factor in a player being part of the program or not. All players need to fully embrace their projected role to be a part of the program. Players can still work to change their current role to meet their personal goals.

Roles- Players who make the team should not expect an equal amount of playing time.

All players should be prepared to answer the question “Will you accept the projected role of being on the team, but not playing much in the games? Would you embrace this role and accept the opportunity to improve your skill set in practice?”

Roster Size and Cuts:

Unfortunately, we are unable to maintain the large rosters that some other sports can handle. As such, our program will usually carry between 45-48 players on 3 teams. In some extremely rare cases, we may carry additional players as practice players only. Our coaches will make every effort to ensure a fair tryout for all players. Bar none, the hardest part about being a coach is telling a player that they will not be able to be part of the team this year. Players will have the opportunity to meet to discuss specifics of the decision if they choose.

Does everyone make the team?

No. We have a limited number of uniforms, equipment, and facility time.

Do seniors automatically make the team?

No. While we’d love to keep everyone who comes to tryouts, it’s just not feasible. With seniors only eligible to play on the varsity team, spots are extremely limited. As hard, as difficult, and as tough as it is, we may end up having seniors who do not make the team each spring. Baseball, like life, is competitive, and our job as coaches is to find the right fit for each player in our program. This may mean upperclassman do not make the team.

What if my child does not make the team?

Please understand that, while these are difficult conversations, there are hundreds of examples of professional athletes who were cut from their high school teams and went on to have successful athletic careers, and thousands of other student athletes who were cut from their high school teams but went on to have successful lives. For those student athletes, getting cut from a team just becomes part of their greater story, something that leads them in a certain direction or provides them a certain perspective that serves them in some positive way later in life. We understand that kids will be disappointed that they didn’t get placed on a particular team (or cut), maybe even some parents, too, but your child’s identity does not come from baseball. It doesn’t come from what team they are on (or are not on). As parents/adults, our identities fortunately don’t come from those things, either.

If your child is not chosen to be part of our program, we understand that it may be an upsetting experience. We are fortunate to be a highly competitive program, and not making our team does not necessarily mean that your child is not talented enough to play high school baseball – it simply means that our program could not fit them in for the current spring season. If that happens, we will alert the athletic department. Any fees paid to the GHS athletic department will be refunded or can be applied to another sports, like Track and Field. Players who do not make the baseball team are encouraged to join track and field, which is a no-cut sport. In the past, players cut from baseball who have subsequently participated in track have often fallen in love with track and field and been very successful in their chosen event. Players who do not make the team, but want to try again next year, are encouraged to contact the coach in the fall of the following school year.