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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PITCH CLOCK AND PITCHING VELOCITY IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

In baseball, velocity significantly impacts the arm, and many different mechanics affect the velocity, including implementing a pitch clock, resulting in more frequent pitches. A new pitch clock rule was added to baseball in 2023. This pitch clock rule states that the pitcher only has 20 seconds to get the ball back from the catcher and then start the motion to the plate. It is uncertain if the pitch clock affects the velocity of the baseball. This study sought to determine the impacts of the new pitch clock rule on velocity to better implement training and acclimatization protocols. In this study, four pitchers threw a 25-pitch bullpen without a pitch clock, and a week later threw another 25-pitch bullpen with the pitch clock. The velocities of each throw were measured via a radar gun and averaged. A paired t-test was conducted to determine if a statistically significant difference exists between the pitch clock and average pitching velocity. Results indicated that there was no relationship (p = .45) between the velocity and the new pitch clock rule. Therefore, no statistical difference between the unlimited-time pitching velocity and the pitch clock velocity was found, indicating that the pitch clock rule had no statistically significant effect on pitching velocity.

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