A pitcher's shoulder
works as a fulcrum
point for her arm,
which is essentially a
3-foot-long lever.
Standing only 43 feet away
from home, a pitcher who can
throw a 65-mph pitch gives a
batter less than half a second
to react.
The longer the lever, the
easier it is to apply a greater
amount of force. Full exten-
Sion of the arm during the
forward swing maximizes ve-
locity. At peak velocity, the
arm can reach rotational ve-
locities of more than 2,400
degrees per second.
Forces produced on the
.oelbow are equivalent to
up to 120 percent of the
pitcher's body weight.
Just before therelease,
the elbow flexes, ideally
to an angle between 140
and 165 degrees.
A softball can have a
rising trajectory, which
means batters are fight-
ing gravity if they have
to lift their hands to hit
a high pitch.
Brenkus says:-
"Everybody always asks me,
'What's the best moment ever on
Spog Science?' Hpnestly, I can tell
you, my favokite
the last experiment that we've
done. If it hits the air, that means
I've learned something new."
NO SLOW PITCH
Throwing underhand might not be
the style of choice for Major League
Baseball aces, but torques on the
shoulders of softball pitchers can
actually exceed those experienced
by overhand pitchers. Here are some
factors to consider.
A longer stride increases accuracy
by flattening the arc Of the arm's
path just before releasing the ball.
Average stride length toward
home plate is 73 percent of the
pitcher's height.
Melanie Mitchell (Engr '13)
Position: Pitcher
Earned run average: 2.86
In her debut year as a Cavalier,
Mitchell won 27 games tying the
school record, and struck Out a total
of 295 batters in 286.2 innings. She
was named to the All-ACC first team.
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