Is Kurt Elbin our secret weapon in terms of batting?
We seem to continually churn out kids who hit for enormous power and average but who were, generally speaking, were under-recruited. Too many to list but I remember an article on an adjustment that the coaches made on Gavin Cross' leg kick which he said helped him tremendously. Seems like also, kids get here and hit way better than they did at their previous stop (if they transferred in).
Our staff seems incredible at developing these kids, particularly offensively. Is this normal or are we exceptional here? Maybe it is just college baseball.
I am generally curious as to what gives and/or who is providing our edge.
6 Replies
2y
You're definitely correct in your evaluation. We consistently rank in the top 25 in Slugging and On Base Percentage every season.
There appears to be an overall emphasis on having an aggressive approach at the plate, which will get us into trouble from time to time with a team that has good breaking stuff. For the most part, this team eats fastballs for breakfast.
They also have a fantastic lab for hitting with tons of tech including Win Reality, which has a VR headset that allows them to practice seeing pitches and arm slots before games. Kyle Sarazin does a wonderful job with data analysis and relaying feedback to the players where they can improve on little details. Also Tyson Petersheim is a major part of hitting development, but probably won't get as much credit as Elbin. Szefc has done a good job working with Babcock to get major upgrades to facilities and resources for these guys. I highly recommend watching the video I linked to this post, where they toured the VT baseball facilities. Good stuff.
(In response to this post by catdaddy)
2y
Also a dynamic guy... Fec is the one I know the least... Szefc is absolutely a player's coach fwiw
Elbin will be a Skipper eventually - guy has all the tools
(In response to this post by Vawter Tech)
2y
He deserves the head coach nod. He'll get it soon. I'll enjoy having as long as he's here.
(In response to this post by The Gobbler)
2y
Szefc and Fecteau are good coaches, but both so introverted. I think Elbin is the one who connects more easily with people. He's just a friendly genuine guy in my experience.
(In response to this post by catdaddy)