What It Actually Takes to Pitch in College, Level by Level

One of the main questions I hear from players and parents alike is "how hard do I need to throw to play in college?" So I pulled Trackman 4-seam fastball data from D1, D2, D3, JUCO, and NAIA to find out, and the answer is a little more nuanced than just "throw harder to play at a higher level."

The main takeaway is that velocity matters at the top, but across most college levels it's not the separator. Command is. Let's start by looking at righties.

Right-Handed Fastballs

For righties, the slowest average fastball is 84.3 MPH in D3. And unsurprisingly, D1 fastballs are the hardest at 90.1 MPH. But D2, JUCO, and NAIA fastballs all averaged within a mile an hour of each other. The separator there is the ability to throw the fastball in the zone, with D2 coming in two percentage points higher. But across all the levels, righties need to be able to land their fastball in the zone close to 50 percent of the time, and if you want to pitch at the D1 level, it needs to be even higher than that. Let's move to lefties.

Left-Handed Fastballs

Lefties show the same overall shape, with each level just a tick or two lower in average velo than their right handed counterparts. And again, no matter the level, lefties need to be in zone close to 50% with the fastball, with one exception: NAIA sits in the low 40s in in-zone percentage. Take that with a grain of salt though, as NAIA lefties had by far the smallest sample size of all of the levels. But again, to go D1, pitchers generally need to throw harder and be able to command the zone over 50% of the time.

Movement

D1 pitchers don't just separate themselves in terms of movement and command, they also have more carry. For both lefties and righties, IVB sits close to 16 inches at the D1 level, 15 inches in NAIA (again, small sample size caveat), and around 14 at all the other levels.

So, What Does it Actually Take to Pitch in College?

Let's start with the floors: the slowest average fastballs are 82 for lefties and 84 for righties, both at the D3 level. And no matter what level you want to pitch at, you need to be able to throw your fastball in the zone close to half the time.

But the gaps aren't huge between JUCO, NAIA, and D2, and the differences in those levels is more about strike-throwing than movement or velocity. But for those of you who want to pitch at the D1 level, your four seam needs to separate itself in all three categories: velocity, movement, and in zone percentage.

What This Means for Your Training

That depends on your goals and what's currently holding you back. If you're touching 90 but struggle with strikes, command is probably what you should focus on. But if you're throwing 78 and pounding the zone, it's probably the number on the radar gun.

And in reality, your training should be focusing on developing all three, since a great fastball sets up the rest of your arsenal for success. Plus, often times getting stronger, more powerful, and learning how to move better on the mound improves velocity and command together.

Not sure where you actually stack up, or how to bridge the gap between where you're at and where you want to go? We're offering a two day Masterclass November 7-8th to help you answer those exact questions. With Trackman data, force plate testing, arm strength testing, sprint testing, and a movement assessment, you'll walk away knowing exactly where you stand and with a plan to get you where you want to be.

Sign Up For the 2-Day PCU Masterclass

Learn more and sign up now: we're capping this camp at just 10 pitchers so each one can get the individualized attention reaching the next level requires.

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