- Mar 15, 2013
- 68
- 6
Holy smokes... I made it through about 18 pages on this thread...
Just watched Barnhill destroy Auburn.
I'll let all you guys argue over the crowhop she undoubtedly uses... I'm opposed to anything outside the rules that define the structure of the game that is being played. However... that's just an opinion.
What is not an opinion... after watching Barnhill:
She spins a beautiful ball at times. I would really like to see some good slowmotion of her throwing from behind the plate.
Her location has improved incredibly in one season.
She appears to throw two speeds of rise: a bullet up and out of the zone that is her 'smoking gun'.... and a slightly offspeed Level 1-2 rise that MUST be pure backspin... as you can watch that ball lift (not jump).
Her spin rates on her level 1-2 rise must be approaching 35-40 rps. Even the at the knee rise flattens... and allows her to work three different "lifts"... as a sequence against a batter. Incredible.
She AVERAGES 14k's per game. Cat Osterman was the last person to ever do that...
Jen Rocha is an absolute master at calling these pitches. IMO, she is the real gem on that staff... deserves a lot more attention than she gets...
Her name (Kelly) IS this thread... and I hope (despite the illegal pitch she is throwing) that we can all recognize the accomplishments she is making this year with that rise and location. and the true inspiration she could/should be to up and coming pitchers. You don't need to crowhop to throw locations like that... and you definitely don't need to crowhop to spin like that...
... but we can show our young athletes what a rise ball looks like... and why spinning to a location is infinitely more effective than simply throwing to one.
I guess that's my attempt at a "glass half full" mentality when watching this young lady...
Carry on.
Obviously she is a beast in the circle and very very impressive. Not to change subjects but DD and I saw Megan Good of James Madison pitch live and she was being clocked at 69- 71 and you could see and HEAR the spin. Another impressive young lady