With over 100 players having gone on to play in college,
Longshots Baseball has an alumni network that spans much of the country.
The program maintains a close relationship with our
alumni, as most of our former players understand the value of what they got out
of their time as Longshots. Our alumni
regularly come back during their college or professional careers and work out
with current players, often during holiday, class, or season breaks.
We annually have alumni at a number of the schools that
many of our current players are interested in playing at. Each of our alums understands what makes
Longshots players different. Our alumni
network is such that former players are always ready and willing to help out
current Longshots interested in their school through:
- Talking
to the players about what the school / coaching staff / baseball program is really
like
- Taking
kids aside on recruiting visits, game visits, or other school visiting and
showing them the school
- Vouching
for current Longshots to their college coaching staff if the alumni has seen
the current player in a workout and believes he can play there…this goes a long
way!
The Longshots name goes a long way, and our alumni
understand this. They enjoyed the
benefits when they played, and they are always glad to help current
players. Current players should always
wear Longshots gear when visiting a campus, because you never know who may be
ready and willing to help!
We have had a number of alumni come back and coach in the
program. A few are coaching
currently. More will be coming back in
the next few years as their own careers wrap up. Our alumni have made great program coaches,
as they understand what the Longshots philosophy and program is all about. They also relate really well to current
players, as they have played the game at the level our current players aspire
to.
We work closely with our alumni to gain feedback on their
thoughts and experiences at the next level and use that feedback to continue to
improve and tailor our program to help our players maximize their development,
exposure, and future success at the college or professional level.
Each August, we have our annual alumni game. Members of our senior class play their last
game as full-time Longshots against a collection of program alumni, many of
whom are still playing collegiately or professionally. A number of players from our original class
of 2000 team still come out and play, even as they are approaching age 30. While the day always serves as a great
celebration of the program and our kids, it also serves two additional
purposes:
1)
It
allows our graduated seniors one final chance to see what college baseball is
really like, by playing against the types of players they will start competing
against a few weeks later
2)
A
number of our younger players come out and watch the Alumni Game. These players get a great opportunity to talk
to current and former college and professional players in a relaxed setting
