After two years of dedicated training at RPP Baseball, the Ellis brothers, Oliver and Dex, finally have the chance to play together this spring on the Columbia High School varsity team, with Dex joining as a freshman. They’re off to a strong start, posting ERAs of 1.45 and 1.75, respectively.
Continue reading “Ellis Brothers Off to a Great Start this Spring at Columbia High School”
Getting stronger in the off-season to prepare for peak performance on the field is paramount. But just as important is finishing the season as strong as you started. The athletes who maintain their performance throughout the season are the ones who typically see the greatest results. Drops in velocity—both on the mound and at the plate—as well as injuries, are often the result of not training consistently through out the season.
This year, we’ll be highlighting RPP athletes who not only put in the work during the off-season, but who continue to maintain their strength and recovery by training with us 2–3 days per week during the season. We’ll also be sharing current stats, along with year-over-year comparisons, to reinforce how impactful consistent work can be—and what’s possible because of it.
Angel Alfaro
Continue reading “Infielder Angel Alfaro with Lodi High School is Batting .458 vs .281 Prior Year”
Iona Prep HS and University of Maryland commit Shane Jelenevsky joined us last summer to get a head start on his training for spring season of this year. At the time, Shane was looking to add velocity to his heater, improve his arsenal, while optimizing his mechanics this offseason. By this past spring, Shane had added 4 mph on his fastball going from 88 mph to 92 mph. And more recently he was selected as Westchester / Putnam Pitcher of the Year.
How did he do it?
Bergen Catholic rising senior RHP Jack Pintarelli joined us last summer to get a head start on his training for spring / summer season of this year. At the time, Jack was looking to add velocity to his heater, improve his arsenal, and add lean muscle mass headed into the spring season. He continued with his training during the fall and the entire off-season. By early March (10 months), Jack had added 27 lbs. of lean muscle mass and 5-6 mph on his fastball, T 86 mph.
How did he do it?
Continue reading “Athlete Highlight: Bergen Catholic’s Jack Pintarelli Up 5-6 mph, T86”
Outfielder and utility player AJ Aiello (Class 2026 – Old Tappan HS, NJ) joined us last fall for the RPP off-season hitting / strength program. In general, he was looking to increase his exit velo, and improve his adjustability and consistency at the plate. By the end of February this year, his top-end exit velo had improved from the mid-80s to 93 mph. This spring, he is off to a great start, currently batting .324 and slugging .559, versus .125 in both metrics the prior year.
How did he do it?
Continue reading “Athlete Highlight: Old Tappan’s AJ Aiello Exit Velo up to 93 mph, Up 8 mph”
Wayne Hills RHP Chris Cundari (Class 2026) joined us during the fall of last year in the Pitching Lab for off-season training. In general, Chris was looking to improve his velocity as well as get healthy. We got right into attacking his off-season training by finding out what Chris’ most readily achievable goals were. After 4 months of hard work, Chris is healthy again with a refined pitch arsenal and an increase in velo from T87 to T90.
How did he do it?
Fairfield University Baseball RHP Kyle Lesler joined us last summer in our Collegiate Summer Throwing Program. The 12-week program is 100% customized to the needs of the individual athlete, whether it be increasing velocity, improving command and control, improving pitch-arsenal, or simply getting better across the board. In general, Kyle was looking to add more velocity to his heater while improving his overall pitch ability. He started the program in early June and by departure in August, his top-end velo had improved from 88 mph to 91 mph, and he substantially improved his changeup and breaking balls to compliment his 4-seam.
How did he do it?
Continue reading “Summer Athlete Highlight: Fairfield’s Kyle Lesler Velo up from 88 mph to 91 mph”
Sophomore Shortstop Jayden Acevedo (Don Bosco Prep) started training at RPP last summer. In general, he was looking to increase his overall strength and power, increase his exit velo and throwing velocity, and improve his consistency at the plate. By the end of February this year, his top-end velo had improved from 79.9 to 87.2 mph, and his infield throwing velocity had improved from 73 to 84 mph.
How did he do it? Quick answer… a lot of hard work…
Seton Hill RHP Luke Deschenes joined us last summer in our Collegiate Summer Throwing Program. The 12-week program is 100% customized to the needs of the individual athlete, whether it be increasing velocity, improving command and control, improving pitch-arsenal, or simply getting better across the board. In general, Luke was looking to become more athletic overall. This included improving his body composition, velocity, command, and pitch repertoire. His initial assessment was done on May 24th, so we had to get to work. By the end of August, his top-end velo had improved from 90 to 93, and he had substantially improved his sinker, change-up, and breaking ball to go along with his 4-seamer and cutter.
How did he do it?
University of Richmond RHP Jackson Hinchliffe joined us last summer in our Collegiate Summer Throwing Program. The 12-week program is 100% customized to the needs of the individual athlete, whether it be increasing velocity, improving command and control, improving pitch-arsenal, or simply getting better across the board. In Jackson’s case, he was looking to return to school healthy (forearm strain), improve his velocity and expand his arsenal. By the time of his departure, he had improved his velocity from 89 to 92 mph, with a much-improved pitch repertoire.
How did he do it?
