(56) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FOUR-SEAM FASTBALL VELOCITY AND COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE COMPETITIVE SEASON IN NCAA DIVISION I PITCHERS

Purpose: To investigate the relationships between CMJ performance and FSFB velocity in high-inning pitchers during the regular season. Methods: 8 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I baseball pitchers (mean ± SD: n=23.2 ±1.4 years, 185.9 ±5.9 cm, 90.8 ±10.9 kg) completed weekly CMJ testing throughout the regular 52-game season, over a 18-week period. Data were included from pitchers who attended > 75% of CMJ testing sessions and pitched > 25 innings during the season. Total pitch count ranged from 467-1266 pitches thrown per pitcher across the regular competitive season. Weekly testing sessions took place at the same time of day, using bilateral force plates. CMJ metrics included jump height (JH, cm), reactive strength index modified (RSImod, AU), peak braking force relative to body mass (PBF, N/kg), and peak propulsive force relative to body mass (PPF, N/kg). Relationships between CMJ variables and FSFB velocity were evaluated via repeated measures correlation coefficients (RMCORR), which were defined as very weak: < 0.20; weak: 0.20–0.39; moderate: 0.40–0.59; strong: 0.60–0.79; very strong: >0.80 (p< 0.05). Results: Relationships between CMJ metrics and FSFB velocities are shown in Figure 1.There were no significant relationships between FSFB and JH (p = 0.76, r=-0.02), RSImod (p = 0.07, r=-0.16), or PPF (p = 0.28, r=-0.10). However, PBF (p< 0.001, r=-0.44) showed a moderate negative association with FSFB velocity.
Conclusions: No significant associations were observed with FSFB velocity except for a moderate negative relationship with PBF. Findings suggest that while lower-body force production may influence FSFB velocity, the relationship between specific CMJ performance metrics and pitching velocity throughout a season remains inconclusive. Practical Applications: Weekly testing days sometimes varied within 24 hours due to game and travel schedules, which may have contributed to the lack of association between CMJ performance and pitching performance. If feasible, it is recommended a strict, standardized time frame be implemented for CMJ assessments to better identify potential relationships between CMJ performance and FSFB velocity. Acknowledgements: None