by George Perlotto posted 11/18/2011
 
 
It is official! Rhydian Glass has committed to Yale University and will be beginning classes in the fall. The exciting news came from a phone call last week from Barbara Reinalda, the head softball coach of Yale and was subsequently followed by the Yale’s "Likely Letter" or acceptance letter or which is the Ivy League’s equivalent to a National Letter of Intent.

Rhydian has always aspired to be the best student and softball pitcher possible and consistently worked as hard in the classroom as on the field. But for Rhydian, to be actually be accepted at Yale and have the opportunity to pitch in the Ivy League was certainly a dream come true and beyond her wildest expectations.  Rhydian said, “I always wanted to attend Yale since I was a young girl, but never did it think it would actually happen!” Most people understand that Yale University is one of the finest universities in the world, but the facts are just stunning. Each year Yale receives over 30,000 applicants for admission and out of that flood of applications only 200 athletes receive a Like Letter. That’s less than 1/10 of 1%.

Rhydian has always been an outstanding student and has spent her high schools years attending The Taft School in Watertown, CT where she maintained a 3.88 GPA in an extremely difficult curriculum.  The benefit of that education produced very good test results on her SAT’s and ACT’s and ultimately increased her chances to secure a reserved slot on the softball team.

Just as important as her work ethic in school, was Rhydian’s clear love of pitching.  She started at the age of 9 attending area clinics and then taking formal lessons, throwing 4 and 5 times a week plus pitching in travel games every weekend. For most of her softball career she pitched in the Connecticut Eliminator organization and most recently joined the 18U Mass Rapids Gold team when she will continue to pitch this summer.  She also was named as the pitcher on the WNEPSGSA All-Star team for the last 2 years and was awarded Team MVP as well. 

It has been a joy to have such a bright, motivated and talented student in Fastpitch Dynamics for the last 2 years and I am sure Rhydian will make the most of her opportunity when she walks on campus this Fall.  Congratulations Rhydian...we are all very proud of you!
 

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by George Perlotto posted 11/13/2011
 
I am very pleased to announce that Victoria Cabral recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Hofstra University next fall and play for the legendary head coach and "Hall of Famer" Bill Edwards.

At an informal ceremony at her home in New Britain, CT, Victoria was joined by her family and reporters from a local newspaper. Victoria expressed her growth as a pitcher from age 11 and what it would be like pitching for a the Division I program like Hofstra who has been a powerhouse in the CAA Conference.

As a young pitcher, Victoria pitched in the Connecticut Bomber organization and then attended Miss Porter School in Farmington, CT, where she has been the starting pitcher since her freshman year and earned numberous awards as an All Conference pitchers and team MVP. Vicki went on to pitch in major college showcases on the East coast, where she was seen and recruited by Hofstra. 

Vicki started at Fastpitch Dynamics, 3 years ago, and set her sights pitching at the collegiate level. Over that time gained 11mph on her fastball, added 4 moving pitches and became a much stronger pitcher. That level of improvement can only occur, if a pitcher is modivated, has desire to become much better and understands that their is no substitute for hard work and commitment. It is also critical to have the unwavering support of her family. Vicki is a testament that when young pitchers, their families and coaches focus on a singular goal that anything is possible.

Victoria is an exception pitcher, but when you combine her modivation, work ethic and ability with the coaching of Coach Edwards and his staff, she should have an  outstanding career at Hofstra University.

It has been a great pleasure to have worked with Victoria and I am proud to have had her as a student.  Good luck, Victoria! GO PRIDE!

Youtube Signing Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHpCPxl4xHk
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by George Perlotto posted 11/08/2011
 
In very exciting news, Neve Stearns was recently accepted at Middlebury College and will be studying Environmental Sciences and pitching for the Panthers this coming fall. 

Middlebury College was Neve’s top choice for good reason. It is one of the finest colleges in the US and ranked in the top 5 by most academic sources. Besides it being excellent academic choice, the Panthers have a very successful softball program.  Just last season Middlebury College, coached by Kelly Bevere, had a 30-8 record and went to the NCAA Tournament for the for the 1st time in school season.

Neve is a now senior at Granby Memorial High School and is a consummate student athlete, making high honors for every semester at GMHS, maintaining a GPA of 4.24 and a member of both the National and Spanish Honor Societies.

Unfortunately, last season Neve was hampered by a leg injury and did not pitch for most of the season, but finished very strong for the last 7 games posting a 6-1 record and whose only loss was a  8-5 defeat to #1 ranked Seymour High School in the CIAC State Tournament where she recorded 12  K’s.

Neve has been working hard on her pitching game since last year and plans to make her senior at Granby Memorial High very memorable. Getting to know Neve over the last few years I have little doubt that she will have a very successfull college career at Middlebury Colllege. 

Neve has been a student at Fastpitch Dynamics for the last 4 years. Good Luck, Stearnsie!
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by George Perlotto posted 10/06/2011
 
Over the last 6 years, I have trained 22 pitchers that are now pitching in the colligiate level. Additionally, for the Class of 2012 I will have 5 more pitchers moving on to college programs, so I will have openings in my training program for more modivated pitchers. I am currently taking appointements for assessment for pitchers between the age of 13-16 that are committed to pitching at the colligiate level and are not afraid of hard work. I reserve the right to accept whomever I believe has the tools, mindset and work ethic necessary to meet the requirements of my program. Most of the requirements are listed on this web site, but the rigors of my program are clearly not for everyone. If you believe that your skill level has reached a plateau and you would like to gain speed and learn how to put true movement on the softball, please contact me at my email address at:  


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posted 07/11/2011
 
I am very proud to announce that Allyson Fournier has been selected as "PLAYER OF THE YEAR" for 2011 by the Hartford Courant.  

During the 2011 season, Allyson made it clear to any hitter who stepped in the batter's box, that it would be a difficult task indeed to make contact with the ball. With her dominant pitching, Allyson led her East Catholic team to the to the Class M, State Semi-Finals with a 19-5 record, a batting average of .395 and established several new Connecticut pitching records from 43 feet. In 23 games, Allyson allowed just 6 earned runs, compiled an ERA of 0.26 and totalled 353 strikeouts! That has now become the benchmark for all other high school pitchers in Connecticut. Pitchers and parents alike need to keep in mind that at the higher levels of softball speed becomes less important and that movement and command will define you as a pitcher.

It was clearly a pleasure to work with Allyson and her father, Dave and then is no question in my mind that she will continue her success at Tufts University. All I can say is for the next 4 years, watch out Linfield College!

This is the 3rd time in as many years, a Fastpitch Dynamic's pitcher has been selected as Player of the Year. Allyson now joins Kathleen Conway who earned the honor in 2009 and 2010 and is now pitching at the University of Delaware. 

To read the entire article go to:

http://articles.courant.com/2011-07-08/sports/hc-ac-softball-player-20110705_1_east-catholic-silver-award-allyson-fournier

 

 

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posted 07/09/2011
 
It has only happened a handful of time since the Fastpitch Dynamics Studio has been operating, but at a recent pitching lesson Victoria Cabral hit 66mph on the Revfire screen at FDS.  She recorded 4 consecutive pitches at 66mph, 64mph, 65mph and 66mph! Only Whitney Tuthill now pitching at Boston University has even recorded a higher speed at 68mph.  I am always asked "How can I throw faster?"  The answer is not complicated. Vicki has taken weekly lessons 12 months a year and even through  her high school season and rarely has missed a lesson while a student at FDS. She has also retained personal trainer and then after that is plenty of practice pitches each week.  There is no secret to success.....only commitment, dedication and of course hard work.  Outstanding job, Vicki.
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posted 07/01/2011
 
Fastpitch Dynamics continues its support of the Stratford Brakettes this season. The Brakettes have been the most successful and significant softball organization in women's softball. Their record of excellence over the last 50 years is unparralled. For more information on the Brakette's history, their record and their schedule go to their web-site.

www.brakettes.com.

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posted 06/02/2011
 
Neve Stearns recently attended the NFCA Academic Showcase at Pennsbury with no expectations, other than she was going to give it her best. The Academic Showcase at Pennsbury is reserved for those student-athletes that rank the highest in their respective classes in curriculum and GPA. Neve was thrilled when she selected to attend the showcase and made the most it. She selected the curveball and screwball as her  favorite pitches to be measured by the Revfire System, used at the Pennsbury Showcase and at FDS. Neve has the highest spinrate for the curveball at 30.3 rps and 28.0 rps on the screwball. The 30.3 rps spinrate on the curveball also happens to be the highest spinrate recorded by a Fastpitch Dynamic's student and is in the upper 1% of the US.

Note: a 30.3 rps rate is over 6 inches of movement.


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