High school baseball season is quickly drawing to a close here in Mississippi. In fact, regular season games are finished for all high school teams, and the playoff bracket is moving along to its culmination of the 2026 state championships games in each of the seven divisions of Mississippi’s high school teams.
The baseball stadium at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi, will host this year’s championship games from May 18-23. And even though quite a few teams are still vying for the chance to play for that championship, lots of teams across the state have already been put out of competition for the year.
For parents of baseball players across the state, and even across the nation, those final games can be a tough time of conflicting emotions. But the truth is, May is just a tough month to navigate for all parents of seniors. Yep, graduation season is upon us, and it is definitely a time of conflicting feelings. It might actually be more accurate to say it is a time of emotional contradictions.
For moms and dads of prospective graduates, excitement walks hand-in-hand with dread. Pride in student accomplishments and achievements is tempered by worry and fear for the future. Perhaps most of all, joy and sadness are almost inseparable as graduation day grows closer.
But in my recollection of that time, when both of our sons were senior baseball players, it just hit differently when the last out of their final high school game was called. That may sound silly, but I distinctly recall the mixed feelings of watching our 6-foot-plus 12th-grader pack up his equipment and leave the baseball field for his last time as a high school player.
What happened to that little 4-year-old boy wildly running the bases during his first T-ball season? Where did all that time go? How many hours did we actually spend as a family at practices and games over those past 12-14 years? And most importantly, was that time spent wisely?
Back then, as the mom of a high school graduate, I was not certain of the answer to that question. But now, looking at the men that our two baseball-loving sons became, I have no doubt that our moments at baseball diamonds across the state were a great investment of time spent together as a family.
So, here’s my advice for moms and dads who will soon be watching their favorite seniors play in their last high school baseball game this month: Enjoy every moment, including the struggles and losses. Even the final out!
So, try to remember that when the final out is called, the real competition begins. And rest assured that baseball has most definitely provided your son with life lessons that will help him to be a better man. Finally, even if he never plays another game at the collegiate level, trust me when I say that it’s really not the last out of his game or yours.
Nope, believe it or not, your days at the ball field are not over yet – and being a grandparent of a baseball player is twice as much fun and a whole lot less stressful.
Just wait and see!
