Scout Day: "Impress Somebody"

One of the (hopefully many) benefits of being a part of the Chargers orgnanization is our annual Scout Day for our 16u & 17u players. This year's event took place last week down at St. Joe College in Rensslaer, IN. We were joined by the Indiana Nitro and Michigan Elite organizations, as well. This year 35 college coaches came from D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JuCo schools to evaluate our players. What a tremendous opportunity for our guys to showcase their God-given talents! You find out what you are made of on the inside when all of the college scout's eyes are watching you take batting practice, or there are a couple dozen radar guns pointed straight at you as you throw your 15-18 pitch bullpen!

Our players represented themselves and the Chargers organization extremely well. It was fun to watch our kids compete in a high pressure environment. You may recall one of the overarching themes throughout Michigan State's Head Coach, Jake Boss's speech, this past fall at our organizational meeting which was to "Impress Somebody" each and every day. Without question, there were some coaches who were impressed as they left St. Joe College last week. In fact, many coaches who were at our Scout Day came out to see our 17u team play in their first tournament of the summer last week down in Cincinnati.

While the college recruiting process can be overwhelming at times, in its simplest form it boils down to one thing: impress one college coach enough for them to give you a chance to play for them at the next level. You never know who is watching in the stands, or standing in the opposing dugout on any given day. Often times, kids end up getting recruited because a coach or scout shows up to watch a kid play on your team or the opposing team. While he is there, he is impressed by a player who wasn't even on his radar by the way he plays the game or a tool he possesses.

If you have never read or heard the story about Tampa Bay Rays Outfielder, Kevin Kiermaier, take a few minutes out of your day and read it, here. Kiermaier, a Fort Wayne native, was one pitch away from his HS baseball career and playing career being over. Now, he's currently an every day player in the MLB. His story is worth your time and is sure to "impress somebody!"