Last Updated on May 16, 2025 by The Smetz Files
I’m a middle school baseball mom. I share my thoughts after our first season of school ball.
Isn’t it a lot? Playing travel and school ball?
Don’t you get tired, always playing baseball?
If you’re raising young athletes, you’ve likely encountered these questions too. Well intentioned friends can find our family’s sports life, well overwhelming.
Admittedly, it can be a lot.
Conflicting schedules.
Random meal times.
Laundry…so much laundry!
Middle School
This is our son’s first year of middle school. As you recall, a year ago I published a piece on Her View From Home about my anxiety around sending my first born to middle school. Read it.
I’m happy to report we (mostly I) have survived the first year of that transition from elementary to middle school well!
One thing he was most looking forward to about middle school was trying out for school sports teams.
Now that our first season has ended, here’s what I loved about him playing middle school baseball.
Making the team
There was an excitement around try outs. Despite having played on several teams before, playing middle school baseball meant trying out. And there was no guarantee he’d make the cut. Especially as a sixth grader.
I was nervously excited for him the day the team announcement was scheduled. When he texted the list of names who made the team that morning, we were so excited for him.
Now the real work begins!
He quickly transitioned from possibly making the team to speaking knowledgeably about which schools were in our conference, local rivalries, and knowing friends and former teammates at other schools.
‘Good old’ days
There’s something nostalgic about playing middle school ball. Going to battle with your teammates. Practicing every day after school. Learning from the upperclassmen. Wearing your team gear to school on game days.
In some ways it made me think about the movie the Sandlot. They were a group of good kids who loved playing baseball. Nothing flashy. Just the good old days, showing up to play and going home to finish homework.
His teammates were classmates. Kids from our neighborhood. Guys we go to church with. Kids of our friends from college years. It was a community, home town feel when went to their games.
There were group texts for car pools, reminders of game logistics, and last minute requests for a ride home when rain canceled games.
Supportive adults showed up to cheer them on. We saw his teachers, group leaders from Campus Life, and our youth group leaders from church came to support our guys. Local friends who usually don’t get to see him play at travel ball tournaments were able to come to school games.
His kindergarten teacher surprised him and came to a game!
This season was a great reminder of the importance of a supportive community who wants to see you do well.
Growing up
Middle school baseball season brought some life lessons. Specifically around growing up and being responsible for gear, time management, and communicating schedules.
The amount of gear players take to school and have to keep up with is insane. I felt like I was doing airport drop off when it was my day to take the guys to school from our car pool!
He had to keep up with extra stuff. But he also had to communicate schedules changes and ensure he kept his grades up. He got his first taste of practicing every day, knowing what recovery and arm care looks like, and multiple games a week after school.
Eating well and prioritizing rest were important lessons my tween learned.
What really counts
Notice I never mentioned wins, losses, or personal statistics?
Here’s the thing, naturally we had conversations with him at home about process and outcomes.
But none of what really counts shows up in the box score. We won some, we lost quite a bit.
He battled with his teammates. He hustled. He showed heart and leadership on the field. He learned from others. He nurtured his love for the game. He played for something larger than himself.
This middle school baseball mom is pretty proud to be along for the journey.
I read recently that loving a baseball player is like reading your favorite book. You want to read each chapter, but you don’t want the story to end. I get that.
I’m loving this chapter, and I certainly don’t want to get to the ending just yet.
I love sharing my simple musings of raising young athletes and my mom-centered moments. Thanks for reading!
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