Featured Student of the Month 2017 Archive
January
Ralph Ortiz
Ralph Ortiz is blossoming into one of our best pitching prospects. He is in his freshman year at Montini Catholic High School and also a member of the 16U Pirates of Chicago Travel Team. We have been working with Ralph for about a year and a half. His work ethic is second to none. Whether it be drills, exercises, or workouts….he does not stop. He is living proof of how hard work and believing in the process works!
Less than a year ago Ralph was consistently in the mid to upper 60’s. A few weeks ago, during a very short bullpen velocity check, he hit 77mph. Under normal “game situation” pitching that is more like 80mph. We fully expect that within the next month or so, he will hit 80. He is also an outstanding all-around player.
There is for sure much more to come in Ralph’s baseball journey.
Congratulations Ralphy!
We are extremely proud of you!
February
Plainfield Raiders 14U Team
For the first time ever, an entire team will receive the Student of the Month honor: The Plainfield Raiders 14U Team. The team included the following players: Ryan D, Ryan K, Ryan P, Bobby, Brendan, Zac, Grant, Kyle, Caleb, Carson, Sterling and Brandon.
Coach Pete was named the Pitching Coach for the Plainfield Raiders 14U Team back in December of 2016. Since mid-January he has been working with this special group of young men on a weekly basis.
“I have never seen an entire team on the same page when it comes to doing the work and having a burning desire to get better. Every single pitcher has improved in every area. They did everything they were told to do both at lessons and on their own. In this program, you get out of it what you put into it. As a result, safe mechanics were achieved drastically improving accuracy, velocity and effectiveness of their arsenal of pitches. As an instructor, they are a dream to teach. The results speak for themselves and will translate on the field when their season begins in about a week. I am very proud and honored to be a part of this team.” ~ Coach Pete
March
Sam Didio
11U Player for the Pirates of Chicago
Sam did not miss a lesson the entire month. This includes his team lessons and one on one.
His enthusiasm and passion for the game is contagious. He has a burning desire to get better every time he pitches. He is as coachable as any young player I have ever had the privilege of teaching. He doesn’t need anyone to push him. He pushes himself. Most importantly he has a magnetic personality and a wonderful sense of humor. We developed our own little side show featuring, “You’re killing me Smalls!” And his little dances whenever he accomplished something he set out to do. Sam just turned 11 and is already topped 52mph and has a wicked change up.
Congrats Sam! We are very proud of you! Well deserved!
April
Ryan Creevy
Ryan Creevy is a sophomore RHP on the Glenbard South High School sophomore team. In four appearances he has posted the following stats:
18 2/3 IP
21 K’s
7 BB
14 Hits
4 ER
E.RA. 1.50
May
Ryan Behling
Ryan had an incredible season for his varsity baseball team at Lake Park High School. He gave up only 1 earned run all season in over 20 innings pitched!
Ryan is one of our top prospects with good reason. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments.
We cannot wait to see what lies ahead playing for the Pirates of Chicago Summer Travel Team and especially next year as a senior at Lake Park.
Congratulations Ryan! Well deserved!
STATS
Record 2-1
Innings: 20.1
ER 1
ERA 0.344
Strikeouts 15
Walks 11
October
Chase Eisner
During the month of September, no one worked harder or improved more than 11 year old Chase. His transformation into a bona fide pitcher has been nothing short of astonishing. There’s still a lot of work to do, but he is on his way to optimizing his full potential. I could not be more proud. – Coach Pete
November
Jeremiah Smith and Nathan Rokosz
These two young men have been in our Pitching Velocity Program for nine weeks (one more to go). Their increase in velocity along with improvements in their mechanics have been astonishing. They come twice a week and are put through 90 minutes of hard physical training specifically designed to build strength in pitchers in all the right places – making them what we call “pitcher strong.” After that, they take a short break, then pitch only 25 pitches, holding their mechanics together while exhausted. As a result, at this point both have increased their velocity by 5-6 mph. As a tribute to their hard work, dedication and belief in the process we are very proud to honor them with our Student of the Month Award!
December
