This fall The Micheli Center had the opportunity to work with the Northeastern University Baseball team and conduct a 3D Pitching Analysis on all of their pitchers. Recently, we had the chance to catch up with two of those pitchers, Dustin Hunt and Mike Driscoll, to hear about their overall experience at The Micheli Center and how they’ve put that analysis to use.
Pictured above: Dustin Hunt, third year Northeastern University baseball pitcher from Andover, MA. Courtesy of Kristen Hunt
Hunt, who has been playing baseball since he was 7 years old, said that he plays the game because, “it’s something I’ve loved my whole life. It kind of separates me from the real world. It also lets me have some fun with friends and teammates.”
We asked Dustin about his experience here at the center and what it’s meant for his game. “I loved it. The 3D pitching analysis allowed me to watch myself in slow motion, which then allowed me to see the flaws in my mechanics.” He went on to say that since his visit he has been able to focus on certain aspects of his pitching style that need improvement, and this in turn has helped develop his game.
When asked if he would like to return to The Micheli Center, he simply responded with, “yes, I would absolutely go back.”
Dustin has a few tips for any young, aspiring athletes looking for some first-hand advice too. First, he acknowledged that playing in college requires a tremendous amount of hard work, dedication, and commitment, adding, “the game changes a lot at the collegiate level. It’s important to never get down on yourself. I’ve had a lot of points in my career where I’ve almost stopped playing because things haven’t gone my way, but I kept moving forward and everything eventually worked itself out.”
Pictured above: Michael Driscoll, third year Northeastern University baseball pitcher from North Reading, MA. Courtesy of Skip Jahn
Michael Driscoll has been playing baseball for about 14 years and pitching since he was 8 years old, and like Dustin has a genuine passion for the game. “I love the competitiveness behind every pitch,” Michael explained. “I fell in love with baseball as a little kid, and I want to play it for as long as I can, at a high level. This also gives me an opportunity to get an education at a great school like Northeastern.”
When asked for his thoughts on the 3D analysis, Michael replied, “video analysis is a huge factor in working on mechanics as a pitcher. I think it is fair to say that everyone at the college level has had experience with using video to break down mechanics. High-speed video is really the only way to see how your body is working through pitch delivery, since pictures cannot accurately show the full spectrum of movement. However, the 3D pitching analysis at The Micheli Center was one of a kind, and the feedback we received from our time there was really amazing and extremely in depth. It was pretty cool to see not only your strengths and weaknesses, but also the analysis to support their suggestions on what you may need to do better.”
Driscoll concluded, “my overall experience at The Micheli Center was awesome. They treated us really well, and the feedback we received is already being put to use in our training. It’s reassuring to have individualized things to work on as an athlete, since we’re all different. I would absolutely go back. I think it would be really cool to see if the work we’re doing is helping to resolve any issues that may have been in our original feedback.”
From The Micheli Center to NU: Good luck with your season, and we look forward to having you back soon!
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