APP STATE BASEBALL PITCHING LAB
The Appalachian State University pitching lab is housed in the Don & Pat Phillips Indoor Practice Facility, uses cutting edge technology to allow us to maximize performance and minimize the risk off injury.
Our vision is to not only enhance the product you see on the field, but to exemplify collaboration and higher education as we partner with the University's mathematics and exercise science program's to ensure that this lab impacts students across our campus.
With the lab's technology we are able to break down every detail of motion to better understand each player's unique physical abilities and customize a development plan to maximize each individual's performance.
Technology
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| The App State pitching lab is designed with KinaTrax motion capture. Their state-of-the-art technology provides precise 3D joint location and bone segment orientation, while their computer vision algorithms allow for fast and accurate data analysis. |
We have eight high-speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record player every little player movement. |
Our Trackman 3-D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of pitched baseballs. |
SEE THE LAB IN ACTION
SCHEDULE YOUR ASSESSMENT (link)
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One of the most important components to team success is chemistry – the science of substance and matter. When App State baseball steps into its new laboratory this season, it will mix biomechanics and mathematics into its winning formula. The new state-of-the-art pitching lab is an exemplary lesson in collaboration. A vision of head coach Kermit Smith six years ago, the lab is now a reality, thanks to pioneers within the athletics department and academic leadership, combined with the generosity of some of the program's biggest supporters. (CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY)
THE STAFF
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Ricky Meinhold - Pitching Coach
Over a 13-year coaching career, Meinhold has worked across nearly every level of baseball, coaching collegiately, in Minor League Baseball, in Major League Baseball, as well as internationally – highlighted by a stint as assistant pitching coach for the New York Mets. (FULL BIO)
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Jim Leggett - Director of Operations, Pitching Performance
Once a player and an assistant coach under Kermit Smith, Leggett now reunites with his mentor following nine seasons as a pitching coach at three Division II programs. Leggett most recently served as the pitching coach at Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tenn., where he helped lead the Trojans to three consecutive 30-win seasons. (FULL BIO) |
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Cameron Lyons - Director of Analytics
After starting out as a student manager for the Mountaineers in 2018, Lyons ascended to his role as the Director of Analytics in 2023. He completed a Sports Analytics Certificate offered through the Appalachian State mathematics department, and has worked side-by-side with the coaching staff to capture and analyze advanced data and metrics.
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Sam Grattan - Student Manager, Biomechanics
Sam Grattan is a current master’s student in the Exercise Science program. He received his CSCS certification in 2022, and currently works in the App State Injury Laboratory conducting research on lower extremity injury rehabilitation. He aids in collecting, analyzing, and implementing pitching lab data into strength and conditioning programs for the team. |
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Jose Picado - Student Manage, Biomechanics
Picado graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2021 with a bachelor's in Exercise and Sport Science. He is now a first-year dual masters student in the Exercise Science Department and the Data Analytics Department. He also works in the App State Injury Laboratory conducting research on lower extremity injury rehabilitation. He aids in collecting, analyzing, and implementing pitching lab data into strength and conditioning programs for the team. |
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
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Rene Salinas, Ph.D - Professor, Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences |
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Travis Triplett, Ph.D - Professor, PhD, Physiology of Exercise, Exercise Science Undergraduate Program Director, Graduate Faculty |
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Herman van Werkhoven, Ph.D - Associate Professor, PhD, Biomechanics, Graduate Faculty
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Alan Needle, Ph.D - Associate Professor, Ph.D., Biomechanics and Movement Science, Graduate Faculty |
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CUTTING EDGE BRANDS
