The Mindset of a Winning Pitcher: 3 Keys from College Coaching

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A few years ago, my cousin Erica was interviewed on a an NFCA podcast called The Dirt about pitching, and I wrote this blog to highlight some of her best insights. At the time, she was coaching at DePauw University—today, she’s brought that same high-level knowledge to Practice Pro, where she leads our Elite Pitching Classes.

Our Elite Pitching classes are designed for high school pitchers who have reached a certain level of proficiency, are invited by our coaching staff, and have goals of playing at the college level. Erica works with these athletes on advanced mechanics, competition, and the mental side of pitching—many of the same ideas you’ll read about below.

Even though this blog is a few years old, the lessons are just as relevant today. If anything, they’ve become even more central to how we train our pitchers at Practice Pro. If you ever get the chance to listen to the full podcast, it’s worth it—but if not, here are three of the most valuable takeaways that still apply today.

1. What should a pitcher’s warm-up look like?

There are a lot of different ways to warm up—and if you asked 50 pitchers, you’d probably get 50 different answers. Length, drills, spins, structure… all of that can vary. But according to Erica, every effective warm-up must include two things:

  • Get your body warm enough to break a light sweat

  • Complete a pre-hab arm care routine (like bands)

Once your body is warm, loose, and functioning properly, you’re ready to go. Everything else—drills, spins, throwing progression—can be adjusted based on preference or time. This is especially important in game situations. If you only have a few minutes to get ready, you don’t need a perfect routine—you need to:

  • get your body moving

  • get your arm ready

  • build confidence to attack

The takeaway: You can get ready to pitch faster than you think—as long as your body is truly warm and prepared.

2. How do you simulate pressure in practice?

This is one of the biggest differences between average and high-level training. At Practice Pro (and in Erica’s college environment), practice isn’t just about reps—it’s about creating game-like pressure.

That means:

  • competing for speed or change of speed

  • accuracy challenges

  • movement-based games

  • going against other pitchers or live hitters

  • working against the clock

All of these create a reward and consequence environment, similar to what happens in a real game. The goal is simple: make practice feel like competition, so games feel familiar. If you’ve been through our pitching school, you’ve experienced this. It’s intentional. We want you learning how to execute under pressure now—so you’re ahead later.

3. How should pitchers and catchers be paired?

This is something a lot of pitchers don’t think about—but it matters. Erica intentionally mixes up pitchers and catchers during practice. Why? Because…

  • catchers get injured

  • lineups change

  • teammates move teams

  • different games require different strengths

You will not always have the same catcher. By working with different people, pitchers learn:

  • how to communicate

  • how to build trust quickly

  • how to stay confident no matter who is catching

The best pitchers don’t rely on one specific partner—they learn how to be effective with anyone. This goes beyond softball. It’s about learning how to adapt and work with different people—something that matters in sports and in life.

If I had to sum everything up into one sentence, it would be that a winning pitcher is someone who can be comfortable in the uncomfortable—adapting to pressure and changing circumstances.