My college baseball career was riddled with velo plateaus and regression that progressively got worse, and I never understood why. By my senior year, my FB averaged 86.8mph. Today it averages 92.4. For proof, here's me grunting 89 in 2024 compared to my last velo day in 2026.🧵
Liam Hicks is having himself a great start to the 2026 season⛽️
So far:
Bat Speed and EVS↗️
Pull Air↗️
Whiff↘️
Elite Contact(99.2% IZ Contact❗️) while simultaneously pulling the ball in the air at a well above rate (22.4%) is an awesome profile.
He is breaking Banger+
.@DrivelineYouth athlete Noah Coury came to Driveline with one goal, get better.
Then he got injured.
Most kids let that moment define them. Noah let it motivate him.
He put his head down, trusted the program, and did the work nobody sees.
In his latest mocap he hit 95 mph.
My college baseball career was riddled with velo plateaus and regression that progressively got worse, and I never understood why. By my senior year, my FB averaged 86.8mph. Today it averages 92.4. For proof, here's me grunting 89 in 2024 compared to my last velo day in 2026.🧵
Impressive start to 2026 for Ballesteros
Average POC is now in front of home plate and 3.5" more out front compared to Center of Mass
Leading to:
Bat Speed⏫1.8 MPH
Attack Angle⏫3° and Attack Direction 5° further pull
Pull Air%⏫to a respectable 14.3%
Alot to like here
4/6/26 Touch and feel pen.
Objectives:
1. EXECUTE THE OFFSPEEDS ‼️
2. Solidify 3 distinct FB shapes
3. Build volume to prep for season
s/o @FergThrows22149. Focus level skyrockets with a good coach
This is what the progression has looked like over the last three years. Velo is just the surface of the improvements I've seen since college, but it's a good indicator of growth. If you're stuck in the spiral, the answer may not be doing more, but getting out of your own way.