The Baseball Development Hub Podcast · Backside Groundballs Media

Pitching Development Inside University of Arizona MULTI-MILLION Dollar Pitching Lab

·30 min·1 clip

John DeRoyan says average velo gains matter most when they hold from mid-February to June.

1. The Baseball Development Hub Podcast visits the University of Arizona’s brand new pitching lab and focuses on pitching development inside a multi-million-dollar space. 2. Kevin Vance, the pitching coach, and John DeRoyan, the director of pitching, explain how they divide responsibilities between on-field coaching and performance development. 3. The episode asks how Trackman, Kinetrax, Edgertronic, and a force plate system help the staff improve pitchers without guessing. 4. Vance says the tools exist to measure movement, prove changes, and identify each pitcher’s “lowest hanging fruit.” 5. DeRoyan says the staff starts with how a pitcher moves, then chooses the most impactful lever for that individual. 6. Both coaches say every pitcher is its own puzzle, and the same adjustment will not help every arm. 7. Vance describes a process of using data, then prescribing drills or movements that match the evaluation. 8. He says some adjustments work quickly, while others require daily “chip away” work and experimentation. 9. DeRoyan says the staff stays “in school” by building a Rolodex of drills, cues, and communication styles. 10. He says the art of coaching is not just dissecting information, but turning it into something that makes a player better. 11. The coaches say their three main pillars are “compete, dominate the zone, win every pitch.” 12. DeRoyan says the mound matters because the staff spends a lot of time there and wants pitchers comfortable in that space. 13. Vance says the daily structure moves from mechanical work in pre-throw routines to more competitive focus in catch play and mound work. 14. The episode explains why the staff rarely uses flat ground and prefers controlled environments that become less constrained as the day progresses. 15. DeRoyan says Kinetrax in the stadium helps track trends and decide whether a change needs immediate action or simple monitoring. 16. The coaches say the lab lets them compare controlled work to game performance and validate whether a pitcher is in a good spot. 17. Vance says Trackman and Edgertronic provide instant feedback on pitch shape, making pitch design bullpens one-on-one and case by case. 18. The conversation stays practical and coach-heavy, with long technical answers and repeated examples from bullpen work, mound work, and season-long data. 19. Listeners interested in pitching development, college baseball, and player-tracking technology will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a narrative story or a short, casual baseball chat may skip it.

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