Rowan Trepicchio, a junior pitcher at Northern Highlands, came into the offseason with a strong foundation and plenty of upside. At approximately 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, along with an excellent body fat percentage, Rowan already possessed a solid athletic base for his size. Following his baseline assessment, it was clear there was still significant room for growth. With the opportunity to add muscle and improve the physical qualities that support high-level pitching, our work at RPP focused on helping him become more explosive, more efficient, and better equipped to translate his athleticism to the mound. Results speak for themselves. This spring, his peak velo is up 4 mph, T83 and with 32 IP, he’s carrying an ERA of 1.07.
The Assessment
From a baseline standpoint, Rowan profiled slightly below where we ideally want pitchers to be physically, weighing under the 2.5-times-height benchmark we generally consider optimal. His lower-half strength was solid relative to his frame, but it also represented one of the biggest opportunities for improvement. He also demonstrated limited lower-half elasticity, which we believe contributed to reduced lower-half power and a lower rate of force development on the force plates during the extremely short time frame required in pitching.
In the upper half, strength limitations affected his ability to accelerate rotation efficiently through the delivery. We also identified inefficient thoracic spine rotation, which appeared to impact both his movement quality and the way his mechanics presented during video analysis.
Mechanics
On the throwing side, two key areas stood out: early heel rotation and the need for a smoother arm path. The early heel rotation was closely tied to lower-half strength and stability, while the arm path inefficiency was connected, in part, to Rowan’s thoracic spine mobility and rotational capacity.
Rather than treating these as isolated mechanical flaws, we addressed them through targeted physical development and drill work designed to improve the underlying physical qualities driving his delivery. This approach allowed us to build changes that were more sustainable and more likely to transfer into game performance.
In the Weight Room
We emphasized both single-leg and upper-half strength, which we believe are critical for stabilizing and decelerating the front leg at foot plant while also improving rotational output. We paired this with rotary medicine ball work and Proteus training to help Rowan regain much-needed rotational capacity and power.
In the tunnel, the Step Back Drill helped him better feel and utilize his posterior chain, while the Figure 8 Rocker trained body-weight transfer and encouraged a more aggressive upper-half whip through release.
Below are Rowan’s stats so far this season:
Altogether, this offseason was about giving Rowan a stronger engine and a cleaner pattern of movement. As he continues to add strength and refine those qualities, he is putting himself in a better position to take another step forward in his development.