It’s Time!

February 2022, a new year has begun and with that the start of another baseball season looms on the horizon. Tryouts have come and gone, and young men brim with excitement at the anticipation of what the future season promises for their teams. For many, this time marks the beginning of a new journey. Some players are getting their first taste of high school while others are awaiting the challenges that come from competing at the varsity level, to those that are lucky enough that will continue their journey at the college or pro levels. This time can be just as exciting for parents as they know the time and effort that goes into trying to make the team.

Ten years ago today, I started my third season as the head baseball coach at Edmond North High School in Oklahoma. To kickoff the season, we held the First Pitch Banquet for the players, their parents, and coaching staff. Edmond North is historically a very successful program with its share of victories over the years, including a state runner up finish in 2004. The program produced many a player who went on to play at the collegiate and professional level. The previous two seasons were full of ups and downs as we tried to continue to push the program forward. The 2011 season ended with frustration; We believed our team was better than the early exit we experienced at Regionals the season before. As with any program, the summers and off-season are spent implementing new ideas in order to enhance the overall success of the program for the following year. Heading into the 2012 season, we made positive gains with our players on many fronts that resulted in improvements over the previous two seasons.

All of this recent program history was present in everyone’s mind during the banquet. Following a great speech from our guest speaker Mickey Tettleton, the time came for me to deliver my take on the upcoming season. As I began my speech, I reiterated to the parents and players the history of Edmond North Baseball and the success it had seen over the years. I revisited the ending of the 2011 season and the disappointment and frustration that came with its ending. And then, with what seemed like a long pause on my part, I raised my right hand, clinched my fist, and slammed it down on the podium while exclaiming “IT’S TIME!”

After this obvious attention grabber, I told the parents and players it was time to put Edmond North baseball back on the map. The speech was met with enthusiasm and the saying “It’s Time” made its way onto a t-shirt, which proved itself to be a prophetic statement. The Edmond North High School Baseball team went on to win the school’s first 6A state championship in baseball that very season. For several years after that night, parents would come up to me and share how impactful my “It’s Time” speech was and how it served as an inspiring prologue to the fairytale ending of the 2012 season.

My wife Christy and I are starting this blog with the intention to share all our combined 50+ years of experience of teaching and coaching. Just like how in 2012 it was time for a program to rise to prominence, today IT’S TIME to start this blog.

-Christy and Karl aka Burchy and Big Guy