Man exhibits new baseball pitch tech
SPRINGDALE — Have you ever wondered what a pitcher is doing when he looks at his wrist before throwing to the plate?
Most likely, he is looking down at a wireless gadget that allows him to communicate with his catcher on what pitches to throw through a wireless technology called PitchCom. Major League Baseball approved the use of PitchCom last season as a way to speed up the game and cut down on opponents stealing signs when the catcher uses his fingers to suggest a certain type of pitch from the player on the mound.
Technology is changing constantly and Wayne Woolsey of Springdale demonstrated a system on Monday he devised during an intrasquad game involving the Patriots, a summer league team, at Shiloh Christian. Woolsey’s system differs from most PitchCom devices because the catcher or coach can push a type of keypad with a variety of pitches on it. The catcher, who is fitted with a wire and an ear plug, can then transmit the information to the pitcher, who wears a receptor in his cap.
“We have an electronic pitch caller and, when we push four-seam (fastball) for example, then, when we push again, we push middle of the plate (for location),” said Woolsey, CEO and founder of QR Recruiter. “The information goes to the pitcher and as many as five players can wear it at one time.”
While PitchCom is widely used in Major League Baseball and with some college baseball and softball teams, using pitch calling technology is yet to be adopted for high school baseball.
“It’s not here yet, but it could be eventually,” said Lance Taylor, executive director of the Arkansas Activities Association, the governing body for high school sports in Arkansas.
Taylor emphasizes the word “eventually” and cited the arrival of the shot clock for high school basketball in Arkansas. The adaption of a 35-second shot clock in Arkansas was a five-year process that began in 2018 with non-conference games. The largest schools in Class 6A began using it in 2020 before schools in all classification turned to the shot clock last season.
Costs are involved and there is a concern with baseball, like in basketball, whether implementing the new technology would be fair to those schools that can’t afford it.
Shane Smith, owner of Patriots baseball organization in Springdale, said he is optimistic Woolsey’s system will eventually be used in Arkansas.
“I’ve know Wayne for a long time and I think what he’s doing is awesome,” Smith said. “Everyone has to evolve and I would think [the AAA] would get on board with this to focus more on high school baseball.”