By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

BLACKSBURG, Va. — First baseman Nick Holesa of Virginia Tech has suffered more injuries and setbacks than possibly any college baseball player in history.

It all began in 2014 when he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Two years later, he had labrum surgery on his right shoulder.

Then in 2019, he had Tommy John surgery AGAIN on his right elbow.

In 2020, Holesa suffered through labrum surgery to his right hip.

Then in 2021, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome which came out of nowhere.

GBS is a rare, autoimmune disorder in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.

He was in the Intensive Care Unit in a hospital for five days and not able to walk on his own as parts of his body went numb.

He ultimately lost 45 pounds when he came down with COVID-19 in 2021 when the Delta variant surged which caused him to lose his ability to taste and smell. His taste ultimately changed so he couldn’t eat many items, including chocolate and soda. He would gag even trying to eat a cracker and had no appetite.

In addition, it was difficult to eat because he couldn’t feel the inside of his mouth or tongue because of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Even a year later, Holesa suffers from the lingering effects of long term COVID-19. Many of the foods he had cravings for in the past he won’t touch now because they taste horrible.

He doesn’t know if his taste senses will ever be normal again. The only two dishes that taste somewhat normal are spaghetti and chicken.

Yet, he never gave up and recovered from all of his injuries and Guillain-Barre Syndrome over time.

To read more of this article, purchase the March 25, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By DR. COOP DeRENNE
Special To Collegiate Baseball
(Final Of A 4-Part Series)

HONOLULU, Hawaii — Perhaps the most invisible key to hitting is vision.

Vision is one of the most difficult systems of the body to understand.

Fourteen tiny muscles that are attached and affect all three nervous systems control the eyes.

For these reasons, I asked Dr. Bill Harrison, one of the leading Sports Vision Optometrists in our country, to co-author this section. He passed away almost three years ago.

For nearly 50 years, Dr. Harrison worked in the professional baseball community consulting with the K.C. Royals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the S.F. Giants, Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the baseball optometry world, he knows no equal.

What is the importance of the Visual System? Imagine playing blindfolded. Almost everything a player does begin with what he sees. Baseball is a stimulus-response activity.

Always try to remember that the quality of the response (mechanics of the swing) is directly dependent upon the quality of the stimulus (seeing the ball). “GIGO: garbage in, garbage out.”

From youth baseball to the big leaguers, the coaching profession lacks the where-with-all pertinent visual information and visual effort to help young hitters.

Hitting is the only striking skill that you need not swing. As the ball approaches the player at any given time at bat, a hitter can take from four (0-4 count) to six pitches (2 & 3 full count) and never swing the bat. In other words, hitting technique begins with the decision making process. This process involves the visual system.

Simply, a decision “yes” to swing, or “no” not to swing, depends on the ability of the hitter to: 1) read the pitch at release to the first 20 feet of ball flight; 2) to track the ball to bat-ball contact and adjust along the way; and 3) to know the strike zone.

Therefore, hitting is first a perceptual (visual) skill, and then a motor or mechanical skill.

Great visual skills can overcome mediocre mechanical skills, but visual mediocrity with great mechanics will result in a poor hitter making limited solid contacts.

The visual and mechanical systems go together like “hand-in-glove.” They are equally important, and deserve equal attention.

However, exceptionally good eyes can help overcome some mechanical flaws. That’s why we see some major leaguers with rather poor mechanics still have some degree of success.

If a hitter would improve his visual skills as well as his mechanics, he will dramatically improve his hitting performances.

To read more of this in-depth article on how to become a visual hitter, purchase the March 25, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Trent Youngblood is lucky he isn’t paralyzed.

The OF/RHP for Transylvania University put up big numbers as a freshman last season as he hit .422 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 31 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

As a pitcher, he appeared in 8 games and posted a 3-3 record with a 3.37 ERA.

What makes these superb numbers even more astounding is that only a few months prior, he broke his neck one morning as he fell head first into the floor from the top level of a double bunk bed he was sleeping in.

“It was pretty bizarre how I was injured” said Youngblood.

“It happened on Oct. 22 of 2020 and was the morning of finals. I was sleeping in the top of a bunk bed which was at least five feet off the floor. My alarm went off on my phone which was on the desk. So I had to reach pretty far downward to turn it off.

“I lost my balance and slipped off the bed as I fell on my head five feet down on a hard floor. At the moment of impact, I didn’t feel any pain in my neck. But I did feel like I could have had a concussion, and I was a little dizzy and had a headache.

“So I went on with my day and took my finals. I already had to go to the hospital to get an EKG (electrocardiogram) test which shows if your heart is beating at a normal rate and strength.

“While I was there, I decided it would be a wise idea to get an x-ray of my neck because it was a little stiff by now. I ended up being at the hospital for eight hours and finally got the result.

“I had two fractured bones in my neck, and I was shocked. The doctor told me I had broken the C6 vertebra near the base of the neck. I also had ligament damage.”

The C6 vertebra plays an important role in supporting and protecting the structures of the head and neck as well as anchoring the muscles that move and support the neck.

To read more of this article, purchase the March 25, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

WILMINGTON, Ohio — Danny McCarty shouldn’t be alive. He was born 19 years ago and wasn’t expected to live long.

The recruiting coordinator and catching coach at Wilmington College suffered from a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta which has caused over 300 bones in his body to break because they are so fragile.

More commonly, his condition is called Brittle Bone Disease.

While he is only 3-feet-6 and 42 pounds and confined to a wheelchair, he packs a wallop as a coach with his knowledge of the game that he passes on to catchers. He also is a skilled recruiter and evaluator of talent for Wilmington Head Coach Tony Vittorio.

“When I was born, it was difficult for babies with this condition to live because they break a lot of bones and have a difficult time recovering.

“I was born with every bone in my extremity broken. My ribcage was also broken as I struggled to breathe on my own at birth. Doctors didn’t know if I was going to survive or not.

“I was intubated for the first few months of my life until I could breathe on my own.”

Intubation is when a healthcare worker inserts a tube through a person’s mouth or nose which then goes down into their trachea (airway/windpipe) so air can get through. The tube typically connects to a machine that delivers oxygen to the patient.

“I was in the hospital for about 3-4 months to begin my life. Then I was on and off in the hospital until I was three years old. I was susceptible to getting pneumonia, the flu or a cold. When I would get sick, I would start coughing. My ribcage bones were so fragile that they would break when I went into coughing spasms. That would cause my condition to deteriorate.

“It was a reoccurring cycle where I would get sick, begin coughing and break a few ribs. Then my body would be in so much pain that I had trouble breathing on my own. Then I would have to go to the hospital to get oxygen.

“When I got a little older, I was able to articulate to my parents what I physically was going through when bones broke. I have broken over 300 bones in my body in 19 years. Those are ones I count.

“I don’t really count thumbs, toes and those types of bones because I bump and break those all the time. Heck, I have a broken arm right now from a road trip we were just on. It is what it is.”

To read more of this story, purchase the March 11, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The rest of the article explains that he suffered for many years with broken bones and how he developed a passion for baseball and specifically coaching. Danny also shares some interesting stories as a coach and delves into his passion. . .coaching catchers.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

LOS ANGELES — If you go to enough baseball games on the high school, college and professional levels, one constant complaint always echoes through stadiums.

Why are pitches that touch the outside corner of the plate, and within the top and bottom points of the strike zone, not called strikes consistently by home plate umpires?

I have charted over 3,000 games through the years behind the backstop of college and high school games, and this trend holds consistently.

There are a number of reasons for this phenomenon, according to key people within the game.

First, the home plate umpire has been trained to set up in the slot between the catcher and batter which gives the arbiter a great look at inside and down the middle pitches.

But he is not in a pristine position to see outside pitches which touch the corner. If the catcher moves his head upwards while catching a pitch, it blocks the view of the umpire to see that outside pitch.

Some catchers set up too far behind home plate which then causes strikes on the outside corner to become balls if pitches move.

Sometimes umpires set up too far behind the catcher.

Pitchers cause their own problems as well when they nibble on the corners instead of pitching in the strike zone.

Compounding this problem is that few baseball coaches ever chart umpires to find what their strike calling strengths and weaknesses are. On the Major League level, they are completely aware of how home plate umpires are calling games from series to series thanks to the charting efforts of Inside Edge.

But if you ask 100 college and high school coaches if they chart home plate umpires to find out what each arbiter’s strike zone is, chances are that one or two might do this.

Yet coaches constantly preach that the home plate umpire’s strike zone dictates the winner of games. If you have a powerful hitting team, you obviously want a small strike zone. But if you have pitchers with great command, the bigger the zone the better.

To read more of this story, purchase the March 11, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. It gives keen insight from Brent Mayne, 15-year catcher in the Major Leagues along with Jerry Weinstein of the Colorado Rockies along with the thoughts of legendary NCAA umpire Dale Williams.

By DR. COOP DeRENNE
University of Hawaii
(Third Of A 4-Part Series)

HONOLULU, Hawaii — We are in the era of analytics and the strikeout.

Major League Baseball tracks every pitch and swing for data. 

Universities and high schools follow their lead.

Thus, hitting mechanics have been diagnosed, dissected and discussed more than any baseball topic except possibly pitching mechanics.

How should you swing the bat? Research gives us the answer.

Humbly, our research teams at the University of Hawaii have conducted as much scientific research as any group in the country since 1980.

The best Hall of Fame hitters since 1900 have been analyzed under pure research conditions, using the best high-speed cameras and 3-D motion analysis equipment in the world.

Wheel Isn’t Broken
Our journey began in the mid-1980s.

We began the pursuit of using scientific evidence to help provide answers to the following questions:

• Biomechanically, how do the best hitters of all-time past and present hit a baseball?
• How do we train a hitter to become a more successful hitter?

Our quest for truth led us to Dr. Tom House, pitching coach of the Texas Rangers at the time. 

Together with additional staff, and high-tech equipment, we formed Bio-kinetics, Inc., a think-tank biomechanical research company in Laguna Hills, California.

In 1987, we began studying Major League hitters and pitchers during live game performances and collected valuable film and video on past and present Hall of Fame hitters and pitchers.

The analytical process was based on collecting live game performance swings and analyzing these swings using high-speed cameras and the Ariel Computerized Biomechanical Motion Analysis System.  

By using the Ariel System, we were able to measure and analyze the kinematics (time and space factors in the motion) of the hitters’ swings. 

The kinematics included were linear and angular displacements (the change in a body’s location in space in a given direction), velocities and accelerations.

Over the course of the past 32 years, we have been able to categorize hitters into the following sub-categories:

• Elite lifetime high average (.300 +) and power (average per year 35 home runs) hitters.
• High lifetime average hitters (.330 +).
• .275 to .300 average lifetime hitters.
• Sub-.250 lifetime hitters.

As we studied the swings of the players in each sub-category, we were able to identify the common scientific four absolutes of the swing and the common seven swing components residing within the four absolutes that all successful hitters possess. 

To read more of this article, purchase the March 11, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Dr. DeRenne explains what the 4 absolutes of successful hitters are, what the goal of hitters should be, the danger of high launch angles and much more.

CERRITOS, Calif. — Skilled switch-hitters have always been a valuable commodity to baseball teams and have been a big part of college baseball for many years.

In 2019, catcher Adley Rutschman of Oregon St. put up incredible numbers for the Beavers (.411, 17 HR, 10 2B, 58 RBI ) as he was named Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of The Year and was the first player picked in the 2019 MLB Draft.

In 2000, third baseman Mark Teixeira of Georgia Tech. put up impressive numbers as a switch-hitter (.427, 18 HR, 21 2B, 80 RBI).

Three of the top Major League prospects in college baseball this season are elite switch-hitters.

Third baseman Jacob Berry of Louisiana St. turned in a monster freshman season at Arizona in 2021 as he was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was one of five Freshmen National Players of The Year by CB.

The switch-hitter played in all 63 Wildcat contests with 62 starts.

He registered one of the greatest freshman campaigns in program history, hitting .352 with 17 homers, 19 doubles and 5 triples while recording 70 RBI.

He had a .676 slugging percentage and drew 33 walks for a .439 on-base percentage.

SS Brooks Lee of Cal Poly also had a remarkable season in 2021 as a switch-hitter as he hit .342 with 10 homers, 27 doubles and 57 RBI for the Mustangs.

Then during the past summer, he hit .405 for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League — the first player in 19 years to hit over .400 in a league comprised of college baseball’s elite players as he collected 6 home runs, 4 doubles and 13 RBI in 21 games.

University of Arizona catcher Daniel Susac is another great switch-hitter back this season.

He hit .335 with 12 homers, 24 doubles and 65 RBI for the Wildcats last season.

Elite Switch-Hitting Coach
One of the best coaches in college baseball history was Scott Pickler of Cypress College.

He transformed a number of one-side hitters into switch-hitters over a career which saw him lead Cypress to five California state titles and four runner-up finishes in posting a 981-493 record.

Over the years, he has worked with a number of terrific hitters, including Jason Bates, Augie Ojeda and Craig Kuzmic – all right-handed hitters initially – and made them into superb left-handed hitters as well.

Bates not only played for Cypress, but was a stellar shortstop for the University of Arizona and ultimately became a starter for the Colorado Rockies.

As a freshman, he hit .272 with 4 homers and a slugging percentage of .404. After learning to be a switch-hitter, he hit .388 his sophomore year with 7 homers, 12 doubles and a .574 slugging percentage.

Ojeda moved on to the University of Tennessee and played for the U.S. Olympic team. A gifted defensive shortstop, he became a threat at the plate after becoming a switch-hitter.

Another of Pickler’s pupils was Craig Kuzmic.

A year before he was transformed into a switch-hitter, he hit an anemic .257 with 5 homers, 7 doubles and 23 RBIs as a right-handed hitter.

The next season in 1997, he hit .411 with 15 homers, 19 doubles and 61 RBI.

How did Pickler teach players to switch-hit on the college level?

“Jason was the first player we ever attempted to turn around,” said Pickler.

“The key about each of these people was that all of them were very, very good athletes. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that they all were yard rats. It is crucial that they want to do it. Some other kids try it, but give up on it almost immediately.

“For every hour I tell them they have to hit on the field, they must put in an hour and a half to two hours of work on their own left-handed.”

Pickler said a steady progression takes place.

To read more of this article, purchase the Feb. 25, 2022 issue of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Scott Pickler explains the entire progression for training switch hitters.

By DR. COOP DeRENNE
University of Hawaii
Second Of A 4-Part Series

HONOLULU — Hitting mechanics has been diagnosed, bisected and discussed more than any baseball topic except possibly pitching mechanics. 

How to swing the bat? 

Research gives us the answer.

Our journey began in the mid-1980s. 

We began the pursuit of using scientific evidence to help provide answers to the following questions: (1) biomechanically, how do the best hitters of all-time past and present hit a baseball? (2) How do we train a hitter to become a more successful hitter? Our quest for “truth” led us to Tom House, then pitching coach of the Texas Rangers. 

Together with additional staff and high-tech equipment, we formed Bio-kinetics, Inc., a “think-tank” biomechanical research company in Laguna Hills, Calif. 

In 1987, we began studying professional major league hitters and pitchers during live game performances and collected invaluable film and video on Hall of Fame hitters and pitchers. 

The analytical process was based on collecting “live” game performance swings and analyzing these swings using high-speed cameras and the Ariel Computerized Biomechanical Motion Analysis System.  

By using the Ariel System, we were able to measure and analyze the kinematics (time and space factors in the motion) of the hitters’ swings. 

The kinematics included were linear and angular displacements (the change in a body’s location in space in a given direction), velocities, and accelerations.

The results helped us to determine the common swing components for all the hitters analyzed. 

Over the course of 25 years, we were been able to categorize hitters into the following sub-categories: (1) Elite lifetime high average (.300 +) and power (35 home runs) hitters; (2) high lifetime average hitters (.330 +); (3) .275 to .300 average lifetime hitters and (4) sub-.250 lifetime hitters.  

As we studied the swings of the players in each sub-category, we were able to identify the common swing components that all successful hitters possess.

To read more of this article, purchase the Feb. 25, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Dr. DeRenne delves into line drive vs home run swings, timing in hitting and much more.