In this episode, I sit down with Cam Lanzilli, college pitching coach and former professional pitching development specialist with the Baltimore Orioles, to talk about what elite pitching development actually looks like behind the scenes and what most coaches and families are getting completely wrong.

Cam breaks down why recruiting pitchers who "throw strikes" is the wrong way to think about command, what focal point training is and why it changes everything, and how he uses data and movement profiles to develop pitchers individually rather than forcing them into a one size fits all system.

We also get into the Tommy John epidemic, why low volume training in the fall is actually the smartest thing a pitcher can do. He also mentions what he saw in a preferred walk-on that nobody else wanted that turned him into a scout magnet by the end of the season.

This conversation is a must listen for pitchers, parents, and coaches who want to understand what modern elite pitching development actually looks like and why uniqueness beats everything else in recruiting.

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

0:08 Is "recruit guys who throw strikes" actually true or just a social media trend

3:55 What acquiring strikes actually means and why zone rate alone is misleading

4:45 How focal point training works and why pitchers should stop throwing to their target

7:35 What the average pitch miss differential is in the MLB and what it means for development

8:39 What Cam would teach hitters knowing everything he knows as a pitching coach

10:35 A simple breakdown of focal point vs target and how pitchers can use it today

13:45 What Cam learned about patience from his mom being an English teacher

15:58 The biggest differences between developing college pitchers and professional pitchers

19:00 Why Cam keeps fall workloads intentionally low and what he is actually building toward

21:39 The real reason Tommy John injuries spike at the start of every season

25:03 How Cam gets pitchers to buy in when they are resistant or listening to someone else

25:36 Why Cam always has a reason before asking a pitcher to make a change

27:43 When is the right time for a pitcher to get a biomechanics assessment and 3D motion capture

29:42 The preferred walk-on nobody wanted who became a scout magnet by the end of the season

32:34 What Cam looks for first when he watches a pitcher and why uniqueness beats everything

36:53 The advice Cam would give every player and family navigating the recruiting process today

Follow Cam Lanzilli:

Twitter/X: https://x.com/LanzilliCam

https://x.com/eckerdbaseball

Check Out Patrick's Stuff:

• 📬 Patrick's Weekly Recruiting Newsletter – Get insights on college recruiting, player spotlights, and advice for parents and coaches. Subscribe at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruit

• ⚾ Need Help with College Recruiting? – We help serious baseball players get recruited. Book a 1-on-1 consult at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruiting

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I sit down with Clay Martin, pitching coach at the University of Pittsburgh, to talk about what it really takes to compete on the mound at the highest level of college baseball and what separates pitchers who get there from those who don't.

Clay breaks down his journey from Division III to the ACC, what he learned building one of the best pitching staffs in Division II at Seton Hill, and what the biggest adjustments have been in his first year coaching in the ACC at Pitt.

We also get into the development side, why Clay believes failure is the most underrated tool in a pitcher's growth, what he would do completely differently if he could coach young pitchers over again, and what he saw in national Pitcher of the Year Ian Korn before anyone else did.

This conversation is especially valuable for pitchers and families trying to understand what the jump to elite college baseball really looks like and what coaches are actually evaluating when they recruit at the highest level.

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

0:05 What it was like competing at the ACC Tournament for the first time

2:00 The biggest adjustments Clay has made coaching in the ACC at Pitt

3:47 How TrackMan is changing the strike zone in college baseball and what it means for pitchers

5:45 What made Seton Hill one of the best Division II programs in the country

7:37 The biggest lesson Clay took from his time at Seton Hill

8:57 What is Seton Hill's secret sauce for recruiting good players year after year

10:51 The real talent difference between Division II and ACC baseball

13:00 How Clay recruits pitchers to fit the park and the program at Pitt

14:37 Is struggling to put hitters away a mental problem or a mechanical one

16:09 Command first or velocity first and which pitcher Clay would rather recruit

18:00 The resources at Pitt that give pitchers a real developmental edge

19:46 The one thing Clay wants to do better as a pitching coach next season

22:02 The biggest coaching lesson Clay learned working with 14U travel ball players

24:37 Why keeping it simple is the most underused tool in player development

25:51 When Clay realized Ian Korn had what it took to become national Pitcher of the Year

28:22 Was there ever a hidden gem Clay found that other schools overlooked

31:00 Why Clay calls Pittsburgh a dream job and what makes Pitt a special place to play

Follow Clay Martin and Pitt Baseball:

Twitter/X: @ClayMart_

Instagram: @therealclaymartin

Twitter/X (Pitt Baseball): @Pitt_BASE

Check Out Patrick's Stuff:

• 📬 Patrick's Weekly Recruiting Newsletter – Get insights on college recruiting, player spotlights, and advice for parents and coaches. Subscribe at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruit

• ⚾ Need Help with College Recruiting? – We help serious baseball players get recruited. Book a 1-on-1 consult at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruiting

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I sit down with Nick Flesher, recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Milligan University, to talk about what it really takes to get recruited as a pitcher and what college coaches are actually evaluating when they get you on the phone.

Nick breaks down how Milligan builds their recruiting classes, why transparency with recruits matters more than selling a dream, and how their unique stackable aid system makes a high-academic school more affordable than most families expect.

We also get deep into the development side, why Nick doesn't call pitches during games, how he builds relationships with pitchers before he builds their mechanics, and what he's learned from being wrong in front of his players.

This conversation is especially valuable for pitchers, parents, and families trying to understand what coaches are really listening for during that first phone call and what separates the guys who get offers from the ones who don't.

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

0:04 What late May looks like for a coaching staff after the season ends

1:02 Why JUCO guys wait longer to commit and how Milligan operates around that

2:09 How Milligan's recruiting process works across all three coaches

3:35 The stackable aid system and how Milligan makes tuition more affordable

4:41 How late Milligan will go on a recruiting class and why

6:00 FaceTime campus tours and how Nick started using them for out of state recruits

7:22 Nick's personal portal journey from JUCO to Southeastern Louisiana to Tuskegee

8:26 Why Milligan is fully transparent with recruits about roster spots and roles

9:33 What Nick listens for the moment a pitcher picks up the phone

11:00 Why Milligan doesn't call pitches and the thumbs in vs index out philosophy

14:00 How Milligan's catchers are trained to become an extension of the pitching coach

14:57 The pitcher who went from struggling starter to a key contributor and what changed

18:20 What it looks like when Nick admits he was wrong to a pitcher mid-season

19:46 The hardest conversation Nick has had with a player and what he learned from it

22:39 Why getting to know a pitcher as a person comes before developing him as a player

23:10 What Nick attributes Milligan's 40-plus win seasons to over the last several years

24:32 Nick's favorite pitch to teach and why the knuckle ball is his secret dream

26:01 How Nick teaches a seam-shifted changeup to supinator pitchers

27:00 The hardest pitch to improve and what Nick does to fix a dead-zone fastball

28:00 Velocity or command first in recruiting and the minimum velo Nick will consider

29:15 The most underrated trait in a pitcher

29:52 The biggest recruiting red flag Nick sees

31:23 The most unexpected thing Nick has witnessed at a showcase or recruiting trip

Follow Milligan Baseball:

Twitter/X: @BuffBallMBB

Twitter/X (Nick): @CoachFlesh

Check Out Patrick's Stuff:

• 📬 Patrick's Weekly Recruiting Newsletter – Get insights on college recruiting, player spotlights, and advice for parents and coaches. Subscribe at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruit

• ⚾ Need Help with College Recruiting? – We help serious baseball players get recruited. Book a 1-on-1 consult at https://www.patrickjonesbaseball.com/recruiting

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.