JV, frosh teams helped varsity program, players

As Fallbrook High School’s varsity baseball team endured a rebuilding year in 2007, the adjustments also included numerous mid-season transitions in which junior varsity or freshman players were called up to a higher level.

Varsity assistant coach Gary Carter, who was a junior varsity coach for seven years, recognizes the assistance provided by his junior varsity and freshmen coaching staff.

“It’s big for us to have these guys down in the lower programs,” Carter said.

Greg Madden was the junior varsity head baseball coach in 2007; Tom Reynoso and Brandon Way served as JV assistants. Pat Walker and Jack Fresca shared the duties as head freshman baseball coach. “They’re really the workhorses down there, getting those players ready for us,” Carter said.

Some of those players were ready in 2007 when the varsity needed additional personnel. “We took a lot of players,” Carter said.

That helps the players and helps the varsity program for future years as well as filling immediate needs. “We brought a lot of those freshman players up to JV. We were hoping to get them that upper-level experience as soon as possible,” Carter said.

That relegated the freshman team to a losing record. “At the freshman level they really kind of struggled,” Carter said. “We took some of those freshmen away from them.”

The junior varsity team still managed a 15-14 record despite the constant player turnover. “JV is our AAA,” Carter said. “Kids were moving up and down quite a bit.”

(The AAA classification is the top minor league level in professional baseball.)

“JV, they never knew what their lineup was going to be from one game to the next,” Carter said.

The lower-level coaches understood the callups. “The bottom programs want their wins just as much as anybody else, that’s part of coaching,” Carter said. “Their responsibilities are to get players ready for the varsity program.”

Communication between the varsity coaches and the lower-level coaching staff is important in that preparation. “That’s an area did real well, as far as communicating, and Greg does a good job,” Carter said.

That communication allows varsity coaches to know which junior varsity and freshmen players might be ready for a higher level. “At the drop of the hat we may have to bring them up,” Carter said.

Carter noted that the purpose of the junior varsity team is to get players ready for varsity play. “Greg’s real good at doing that,” Carter said. “Greg really worked well in that area.”

The true purpose of a baseball program is to benefit the student-athletes rather than the teams themselves, and the competition at a higher level filled that role for the players who had an early taste of varsity or junior varsity action. “Next year they can compete better,” Carter said.