Baseball Blues

 I'm not one of those people who doesn't like change. I actually cherish it and can thrive on it. But this is one of those rare times I struggle with it....in the world of baseball. 

If you know us, you know that baseball is a huge part of E's life. He started rec ball when he was 4 and hasn't stopped. He switched to travel ball when he was 8 at the recommendation of an acquaintance who had watched him play. But ever since he's started travel ball, there's been bumps along the way.

His first team was awesome in the fact that it was more like a family than a team. We sat there, tournament after tournament, cheering on the underdogs, praying that this would be the game they won. Their coach was young and had no bond with the boys whatsoever. It wasn't until another coach stepped in that they actually won their last game of the season. But we left that team because we moved out of state.

He tried out for a few teams in MS and all of the coaches offered him a spot. We prayed about it, discussed it and thought we had made the best decision....until the first tournament. The coach ended up being a jerk and called in guest players, while benching E. In return, E injured his arm, trying to prove to the coach that he could play. It was a disaster and it broke my mama heart. I hated going to tournaments just to watch E sit on the bench. To say I was relieved when that season was over is an understatement.

In 2023, E tried out for a new team in the area. It's been a good match for him and he gets all the playing time he wants. The first Fall the team was together they were unstoppable. We did a lot of team bonding and the boys became friends as well as teammates. Then Spring ball came around and the boys were bumped up to the next bracket. They lost more games than they won and their confidence tanked. Then one boy left. Then another left after the Spring season to go play on another team. Unfortunately, some more of his teammates have started leaving for various reasons. I feel like we'll be starting this season with a new team because we'll have so many new players. I know I'll miss the way the team was its first season together.

In this case, I'm not a fan of change. I wish the team could stay together. There was so much potential in the original team. But, as one of the coaches reminded me, there's so much potential in this new group as well. All I can say is that I hope E makes the jr high school team so there's not as much change come next Fall. Until then, I'll cheer him on loudly and pray that he continues to shine his light off and on the field.