The need for speed starts to pay off
By Reid English
Statesman Journal
Salem, OregonKatie Fleer's softball batting average went from .420 to .540 last summer.
Abby Pratchenko's improved hitting resulted in her getting a major team award from the Mustangs' softball team.
Tyler Turner was chosen for the Oregon Baseball Academy team because of his hitting prowess in the Lincoln City Youth League.
These youths are among many in the Mid-Willamette Valley whose lives in baseball and softball have been affected by Dennis "Nemo" Tessicini and his speed bat.
Tessicini is a retired teacher and baseball coach from Taft High School in Lincoln City.
He has gone by Nemo since his high school students gave him the nickname because of his take-charge personality. He designed the speed bat in 1999. He has a video, a website and has been featured in Prep Illustrated, a national high school sports magazine.
Tessicini has worked with several area youngsters - boys and girls - using the lightweight bat in classes called speed circuit teaming. His students have ranges from Willamette University baseball players a year ago to a new 16U softball team called the Tremor this winter. He plans to work with some youngsters at West Salem High School next fall.
He currently is conducting a 10-week lessons for five groups in the Salem area.
"I'm doing what I love to do," he says. "I'm working with kids and get to watch them improve."
The speed bat is 33 inches long and weighs 14-16 ounces depending on the density of the wood. Most youngsters use softball bats weighing 21-23 ounces and baseball bats weighing 27-33 ounces.
Tessicini's idea was that youngsters could increase bat speed by swinging a lightweight bat repeatedly.
Fleer, a sophomore at McKay High School, noticed a big difference last summer when playing for the Flash, a Salem 14U team that had a 52-14-1 record.
"I definitely noticed a difference in my bat speed," Fleer says. "By using it repeatedly the last year and a half, my fast twitch muscles respond quickly."
Pratchenko, a sophomore at Sprague High School, was chosen most valuable player by the Mustangs.
"I had a faster swing and better technique after using the speed bat," she said. "I had some bad hits two years ago. I was slow and struck out a lot. I wasn't very good. I have a lot more confidence now."
Turner, an eight grader, hit .800 with 16 home runs in league play last summer. In the nations youth tournament in New York, he his .478 with three home runs. He says he discovered with his added bat speed he could handle the increased fast balls.
Willamette coach David Wong compares the concept to track athlete's running downhill to improve their speed.
He thinks it helps a few of high players, most of whom have habits developed in their youth.
"It's a different thing they can do to break the monotony," he says. "It allows the body to have muscle memory."
Willamette had a record team batting average of .325 and won the Northwest Conference last spring. The students at the speed circuit training classes are expected to take 10,000 swings during the 10-week period. They take 450 each night during the two-hour class, then are encouraged to take 100 swings 3-4 times a week at home.
When they have 10,000 swings, they earn a T-shirt with letters "10,000 Swings" on the back.
Several area girls have seen their bat speed increase in one year because of the lessons and continued practice with the lightweight bat.
For example, Amanda Cox of the Devil Rays (Salem) went from 47 mph to 63 mph, and Heather Bechtel of the Mustangs (Salem) went from 48 mph 62 mph.
Jim Lang, head coach of the Flash, said Nemo's speed program has allowed the players to do more repeated training at different work stations. "I noticed their arms don't get so tired, " he says. "It translates into more swings per practice." Lang says his daughter, Samantha, went from a slap bunter to a good hitter by improving her bat speed about 12 mph.
Tessicini credits getting the chance to work with Willamette as a big break.
"It gave me credibility with baseball," he says. It was a hard sell for baseball until then. The girls adapted quickly."
If Tessicini has his way, his program could have a trickles-down effect to Babe Ruth and Little League levels.
******
Home | The Colleges | Video | Speed Bat | Accessories | Order | Link
1128 S.E. 70th Avenue
Hillsboro, Oregon 97123