Nov. 10, 2006

Allendale, Mich. - Gordie Alderink, pitching coach with Grand Valley State, has been named Collegiate Baseball's Natonal College Pitching Coach of The Year, sponsored by More Than ERA.

Alderink is one of those amazing stories you see in Hollywood movies.

He will embark on his 19th season as pitching coach for Grand Valley State - his seventh as an assistant under Head Coach Steve Lyon - all as a volunteer.

What makes his story even more unique is that he came to Grand Valley State as an assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Program in 1984. He received his physical therapy training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. in 1978, Master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan in 1983 and PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Michigan State in 2003.

Gordie currently is an Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy program where he teaches courses in kinesiology, biomechanics, orthopedic diagnosis, spinal manual therapy and research design. His research interests center on spine and gait biomechanics.

While he is brilliant in his chosen occupation, his real love is pitching.

His background in medicine has allowed him to have a unique background as a pitching coach. It should be no surprise that in the 18 years he has served as a pitching coach, not one healthy pitcher who has entered his program has ever left with a career-ending injury.

"We are so lucky to have Gordie in our program," said Lakers' Head Coach Steve Lyon.

"When I was hired to coach here, he applied for the pitching coach position. So we had lunch, hit it off well and became great friends. I was in need of quality assistant coaches without a lot of money. But he never cared about the money. He just wanted to coach."

"I don't have any idea how he is able to spend so much time with all the one on one stuff he does with the pitching staff. Gordie is extremely busy with his other responsibilities. But he is a baseball guy and loves the game. He spent a considerable amount of time on two thick manuals he gives every pitcher."

Alderink said he was incredibly surprised to receive such an honor.

"I haven't had butterflies like this since I played ball," laughed Alderink.

"It is amazing a volunteer pitching coach would be recognized in this fashion, but I appreciate it so much."

Amazing Injury Record
Besides the numerous All-Americans and All-League pitchers that he has tutored over the years as well as enjoying off-the-chart stats from his pitchers, this gentleman is not about the numbers even though Alderink has guided five of Grand Valley State's top 10 in career victories in the last six years.

"One thing I am very proud of which has nothing to do with wins and losses, All-Americans and honors like this is that all the pitchers who have entered Grand Valley State healthy have come out that way. Some have been injured before they got here, and you try to help them get better."

"We have probably had 200-250 pitchers come through during the past 18 years, and I am constantly focused on keeping my pitchers healthy as well as helping them reach their potential."

Alderink was asked what his philosophy is on injury prevention for pitchers.

"When you are trying to develop a pitching staff, you look for guys to fill a role and actually use them in that role. This helps even out the load on the entire pitching staff. We follow guidelines from the American Sports Medicine Institute in regard to rest between starts and pitch counts. We never allow a pitcher to throw 140 pitches. The maximum we want a pitcher to throw is 120-125 pitches in a game."

"At times, our pitchers violate these rules. But when we do stray from these principles, we don't do it repeatedly."

"In addition, we have a good off-season and in-season program as far as weight training and throwing. We carefully monitor them during the year so they are not overused. I am fortunate to work with a great head coach as we communicate well with each other. We don't always agree, but most of the time we are on the same page."

Alderink was asked how his medical background has helped him with coaching pitchers.

"I'm able to read high level scientific journals which most coaches don't see. There is an amazing work being done in science. It is interesting what you can find in engineering research and biomechanicsas as far as scientific journals. When you apply some of these principles to coaching and training methods, it allows your kids to have an edge."

"This information eventually trickles down to most coaches. But it can be a 1-3 year delay before some of this information filters down to coaches and presented in a way everyone understands."

Alderink said pitching guru Tom House is one source of tremendous scientific information.

"He has read quite a lot of the scientific journals and helped bridge the gap for coaches. But one of the things he hasn't done well, and I've told him, is that he has used jargon that coaches simply don't understand. It is too technical and coaches get turned off by this."

"This is not to take anything away from Tom because he has done some excellent work. The one thing I have tried to do with the wealth of information that I have learned over the years is not to make pitching too difficult for my kids. I have found that it is extremely important to make concepts, which may be complex, simple to them."

Keys For Mechanics
As far as mechanics in pitching, Alderink is a firm believer in several key areas which all pitchers must embrace.

"I believe that pitchers must weight train and build balance from the front side and back side of the body. Pitching a baseball is a very asymmetric activity. You are always moving in the same directions. So you must have asymmetrical muscle development. If not, you set yourself up for an injury."

"I like the principles of Tom House when it comes to keeping a straight line to the target."

"At one time I had numerous drills with few being original. But I started having success when I simplified everything. We like to utilize lines on the ground with boards and move the body in a straight line to the target while generating as much arm speed as possible."

Alderink was asked about the two book he supplies to each of his pitchers.

"Book one is called The Pitcher's Manual and is comprised of about 250 pages. It covers quite a bit of territory. There are sections on our practice routine, everything we do in throwing, stretching, defensive drills, conditioning in the off-season, as well as pitching mechanics. Some of the information is from Dick Mills, Tom House and Ron Wolforth."

"I have utilized any valuable concept that fits into my philosophy of pitching in this book. And that includes a section on pictures of pitchers. We also have a section on pitching strategy along with items that were taken out of Collegiate Baseball. I also have a section on nutrition. Guys go to college and forget all about this element. It is imperative that they eat properly and take care of their bodies."

"The cycles of pitchers is also discussed. Part one is all the work a pitcher does to prepare for game situations with conditioning, mental drills and performance. Then after the game, you work on the repair process to get ready for the next performance. That involves running, weight training, stretching, bullpen work and nutrition."

His other book is called Mental Aspects which is about 100 pages long.

"During the 2004 NCAA Division II World Series, we had a 3-0 record, and our pitching rotation was perfectly set up. Our No. 1 and 2 guys were rested and healthy. They were ready to go. But they both were hammered as we lost the national title to Delta State."

"Our No. 1 and 2 guys that year were gifted athletes who carried us throughout the season. But mentally, they weren't very strong. They were not coachable. They got by on natural talent. Two to three weeks after the Division II World Series in 2004, I reflected on the unfortunate end to our season and kept asking myself what happened. We were right there and we should have won it all, but we didn't."

"It became apparent to me that I failed as a pitching coach because my kids were not mentally prepared to pitch on this stage. So during the summer, I probably read 10 books on the mental aspects on sports and baseball. Anything I could find on mental preparation I read. And there is some incredible stuff out there."

"I then proceeded to write a book and had about 50 lessons that I wanted my pitchers to work on. So everyday before we do anything physical in practice, I want my kids to work on a mental lesson."

"These are fundamental things that must be practiced over and over again. To be proficient in them, you must have these mental skills down. By putting it on paper in a book, they can refer to it as much as they want. But everyday before practice, we work on this for 5-10 minutes and then are ready for physical work."

"Does it make a difference? I don't know. I would like to think that it does. But as a coach, I feel I have done everything I can to help our pitchers be ready. We now are as mentally tough as possible."

Alderink is not a yeller or screamer when it comes to working with pitchers.

"I consider myself a teacher first of all. I do get mad when my pitchers are not performing or putting effort forward. I like to think that teaching pitching is an extension of the classroom. Learning how to learn is crucial for these guys. That is why I give them written material to learn."

"It seems to me that really good coaches are very, very good teachers."

"One thing I have found is that you can't force your pitchers to be motivated. They must be motivated from inside. Hopefully my passion for the game inspires them to be like that."

- Courtesy of Collegiate Baseball