Do I have any shot at playing college ball?

Question

Here are my crudentials: I'm a Sophomore in high school and wanna be a college pitcher..I'm about 5"9 and 125 pounds..I have a fastball of about 78 MPH and have a change, 2 seam and 4 seam fastball, a curve ball, and also a slider..do I have any shot at playing at the college level? Also does anybody have any tips for how to get my velocity up? Thanks.

Answer 1

Of course..never say never..you have some pretty good credentials..and there's over 1,000 colleges soo u have many options of where you can play..if you wanna play for a college team for sure, i'd recommend your local community college or a school similar to that.

Answer 2

Let me tell you my history so you'll want to continue reading.....I played college ball, was drafted in the 6th round of the 1992 draft, and played professional ball for 9+ years. I had a cup of coffee in the Big Leagues (34 days in 1998) with the Pirates.

I'm going to be very honest with you. At 5'09", you don't have the body type that a lot of pro scouts look for (in a pitcher). But does that mean you can't go on to play college ball (or professional) some day? The answer is NO.

The big thing for you to understand is that you will be a "control" type pitcher. Your game will be about keeping that 2 seamer (and all your other pitches) down in the zone to get ground balls. If you start worrying about velocity, your pitches will be up in the zone and you'll get hurt. As a sophomore, keep working on mastering your fastball & change up. As far as the breaking pitches, be able to drop the curve ball in for a strike at will, and use the slider as a finishing pitch. Make sure your curve ball and slider are far enough apart in speed (I threw my curve ball from 67 to 72, and my slider was 77 to 83).

As far as the velocity goes, I was a big believer in playing lots of long toss. But you must play the right way. One of the most important things for a pitcher is a consistant release point. When you play long toss, try to keep your throws on a line, and get extension out in front like you do when you are pitching off the mound. Playing long toss from a distance that forces you to launch the ball way up to get it there will change that release point. If you are playing with someone who has a stronger arm than you, keep it on a line and let it bounce in. Good long toss habits mixed with good overall mechanics will produce the gain in velocity you're looking for.

In my opinion, the most important thing is that you continue to follow your dream. I always kept two words in my mind......"NO REGRETS". I worked my butt off every day so I would never look back and say that I didn't have a big career in the bigs due to lack of effort. Now that I have a real job, it's nice to be able to look back and have "no regrets".

One last thing about college ball. Don't get hung up on where you go. Scouts are all over the place.....if you have the talent, you will get noticed. If you have to go to a junior college or a division 2 school....so be it. Get somewhere where you will get to pitch, so you can continue to get better and get noticed.

Play hard, work hard, and good luck.

Answer 3

You have the ability to play if you want to. You need work ethic, positive attitude, and exposure. A strong arm always helps, but there are several guys playing for good D1 schools who do not throw hard. By the time you are a senior you will be in the low 80s. I played JuCo in Florida. The 1999 Florida JuCo player of the year was a pitcher/DH. I will refer to him as BK. BK went 15-0 on the season and maybe broke 84 once or twice. He was a lefty that had movement on his fastball (78-82). He had a great changeup that he could place anywhere he wants. He had an average curve ball. My point is.....work on the long toss, but develop and master the changeup during your sophomore season. Your junior year develop and master you curve ball. By your senior year, you will have 3 solid pitches. If you have 3 solid pitches that you can control, you will get people out. Getting people out will get you to college.

By the way.....BK made it up to AA in the rangers farm system and he was in the low to mid 80s. Good luck!

Answer 4

Of course you have a shot at playing at the next level, there are many college baseball teams outside of NCAA. For a sophmore 78 isn't what I'd call gas but it sounds like by the time you're a enior you will probably be throwing in the low, to mid 80's. The best thing that you can do to increase your velocity is long toss, twice a week, when you long toss you want to throw the ball on a line, not a loop throw in the air. Try it, and good luck this upcoming season.

Answer 5

As of right now, there isn't much of shot for you to go as a pitcher. You still have plenty of time to grow and get bigger. You can get into the weight room and do some baseball exercises that will make you bigger. Once you grow more you will most likely be able to pitch at the college level.

Answer 6

i have almost the same stuff except a cutter instead of a slider and i think ive got a shot to play somewhere. not a powerhouse like north carolina or anything but somewhere. Long toss and dedication are things any pitcher needs

Answer 7

Practice throwing fastballs as hard as you can at a wall every day for more than 1 hour.


P.S. Practice makes perfect also when Randy Johnson was a kid,every day he worked on his fastball with a tennis ball throwing it at a wall and now he has a 100MPH fastball

Answer 8

Pretty good pitch selection. It really all depends on which college you choose. If you pick a big college it isn't likely, but if you pick a really small school you would have a shot.

Answer 9

Just keep working out your arm and i wish u the best of luck
GOOD LUCK

Answer 10

can you imagine if orel hershieser and steve sax traded first names??