Parent Letter

Dear Jefferson High School Baseball Players and Parents:

The goals of Jefferson Baseball contain three components: 1) to develop fundamentally, mentally, and physically as a team and individually 2) to gain state exposure as a team and individuals 3) to compete in and win both regional and state championships.

The team is the most important segment of this process. When making my decisions I base all of them on what is best for the team. At times what is best for the team is not always the best for the individual. This is a part of being on a team! We are playing 20+ games this year. My role is to determine who is playing at the top level, and who will most help the team perform at the highest possible level. The players performing at the highest level will be the players getting the most playing time. Sometimes the top players do not help the team achieve their highest level, but a player who fits the need or fills a role will help the team achieve its highest level. Parents, my opinion of who is playing best may be different than your opinion of who is playing best. My views are strictly based upon what will help the team help achieve its goals and win games. Playing time, and where your son plays on the field will not be up for discussion between the parents and the coaches.

Players are welcome to discuss with the coaches their role on the team. Players, keep in mind that I am always very honest. I believe that all of you have a valuable role on the team. There may be games when you play 7 innings, and games when you play 0 innings. Players have the opportunity to increase playing time by consistently performing well in practice, and by playing well in games while making the most of your opportunities. This means that it is vital to show up to practice ready to perform, and

demonstrate to the coaches that you deserve more or even some inning in critical game situations.

Baseball is a game that on field decisions are rarely, if ever, 100% guaranteed successful. This creates an open door for criticism. Parents, I hope that you will keep your negative comments to yourself and support the decisions made by the coaches and remember that baseball is a game of percentages. I also ask that parents refrain from visiting or coaching the players during the game. Remember that you are a fan, enjoy the game.

We as coaches hope that you take all of this in a positive way, lets work together to make your sons experience with Jefferson Baseball a successful one. I very much appreciate everyoneʼs support in these challenging issues.

Let's have a great season!!!

Jim Gess