Palmetto Proving Grounds

It's tournament time...that's when all the folks who don't really understand college baseball start showing up!

honestly our SS probably has the strongest pitching arm on the team haha. I always thought westmoreland had a cannon for an arm but maybe i was wrong. Honestly I think beal is going to be nasty next year, I think the experience he got this year is going to help him big time for over the summer and fall workouts. I have seen him throw some absolutely nasty pitches this year.

If there is. An 18 y/I that throws 100 mph with complete control. I promise he will not attend college. Unless he goes the Bryce Harper route.

Westy doesn't make since to me at all. Big tall guy with some heft (he's done a good job loosing weight and working out compared to what he was when entered IMO) you'd think he'd have the leverage and power to run it up there in the mid 90's. I'm know pitching coach so maybe I'm missing something, but I wonder if he uses his legs correctly, or if that's why we don't see him on the hill too much.

This guy can throw 100, sign him up

Tanner English has been clocked in the upper 90's (96-97) throwing from the outfield. That is amazing that the littlest dude on the team has the strongest arm. He could get the closest to 100, but he is not a pitcher.

Joey Pankake throws an effortless 93-94. He will most likely pitch next year. He could end up being our closer. A couple years with Meyer, and he could show 96 on the gun, who knows? Pankake was drafted as a pitcher out of high school, but wanted to play a position and hit in college. That is to our benefit that we will be able to use him to do both. He is quite the hitter as well.

Almost anyone who can throw that hard, and can mix in at least one breaking pitch, is going to be drafted in the first round. That is the reason we don't have someone who can throw that hard. We are not likely to see one either.

Because the Americans go pro, Latin Americans sign for $10,000 when their fake birth certificates show they're 16, and Cuban defectors can't get college scholarships.

Velocity is always a plus, but pitching is about changing speeds and locating in the college game. And yes, movement is better than straight fastballs. The mid 90s and above arms get drafted and almost never play college- generally.

But, your point is taken- I too would like to see some guys with a little more pop on their four-seamers be recruited to our program. As an elite college baseball program, I would expect some of those elite arms that do choose to play college ball would come to play for us on a consistent basis. Not complaining though, I love our pitching staff and believe we can win it all with what we have. We have some proven guys that have shown they can win big on the biggest stage.

And, we have had some big arms in the past 5 years- Pelzer, Dyson, Jeffords, Price, and a few more I can't think of right now. I think it's probably a combination of being cyclical and an unavailability of those caliber arms, along with higher signing bonuses than ever before for highly drafted pitchers.

Ray Tanner is the best coach in college baseball, and wins with whatever he has to work with. The numbers don't lie.