Evan and I met when I was a senior at The College ofWooster. Evan was a freshman at about 6foot, 165 lbs. He had a whippy arm action but was a bit disconnected. Just like most freshman, he wasn’t throwing up big numbers in the weight room.Overall, Evan was a decent lefty who sat 79-82 with a three-pitch mix and solid command. Over the fall and winter Evan partook in a one size fits all weighted ball program where he saw some significant velocity gain on his pulldowns but also experienced significant medial elbow pain. However, at the time he couldn’t translate his pulldowns to his mound velocity. That year, Evan logged 34 innings and pitched in some crucial games including Wooster’s regional and World Series appearance. The following year, Evan moved into a starting role logging 68 innings with 41 strikeouts and 35 walks.
Enter Connected Performance. Evan began training with CP in the fall of 2019 shortly after he saw the progress of his teammate, Steve Spidell. Evan was coming off hip surgeryand needed a program that could get him pain free in his hip and elbow, while gaining velocity, strength, and pushing his mobility ranges. We worked all off-season on mobility, strength training, and blending his pulldowns to transfer to the mound. In the shortened 2020 season, Evan sat around 86 mph and punched out 16 batters while only giving up 2 walks. This is where the fun really began. Over the 2020 shutdown Evan was able to utilize isometrics and pattern proper sequencing to give himself a more efficient delivery. Over the spring and summer, Evan was able to train velo for an extended amount of time.Throughout that time, Evan ran it up to 95 on a 3 oz mound plyo throw and 89 on a normal pitch. Evan’s strength training went to the next level with the addition of Ben Baggett to the CP team as his numbers went from 185 on bench,265 on back squat, and 365 on deadlift to 225 on bench, 315 on back squat, and405 on deadlift.
Throughout the 2020 fall and 2021 Spring, Evan was pain free and his velo continued to rise. He would consistently touch 89 mph throughout his starts and quickly became one of the top pitchers in the region while earning multiple conference pitcher of the week awards. His rise in velocity spoke for themselves as he punched out 63 batters in 52 innings while only surrendering 18 walks in his 2021 season.
With two years of eligibility left, Evan transferred to CaseWestern Reserve University. Continuing to train throughout the fall and spring Evan has shuffled 96 mph with a 5 oz and has sat 89-92 in his recent outings. In Evan’s first three starts at Case he’s defeated two of the top 10ranked teams in D3 baseball and has recorded 24 strikeouts in 17 innings. Evan is just one of many remote athletes who have reaped the benefit of hard work and long-term training. For guidance, contact Training@Connected-Performance.com.