California High School (Class of 2016)
Coal Center, PA
Ht/Wt: 6ft, 180
Primary Position: Shortstop
Secondary Position: Pitcher
Throws: Both (primarily right-handed)
Bats: Right
Gloves: uses two different gloves for pitching
Louden Conte is a starting shortstop who has the ability to pitch both ways - lefty and righty. As a typical middle infielder, he is naturally right-handed.
How he got starter throwing with both arms ...
Conte's attempt at ambidextrous pitching began four years ago, after he had surgery on his right shoulder. He started by tossing a tennis ball off a wall with his left hand, then used a rubber baseball to play catch with his father, Cal (Pa.) University baseball coach Mike Conte. And he pitched a whiffle ball to his younger brother, Payton. (triblive.com)
Class A baseball preview: Woodburn next pitcher up at Cal
By Lance Lysowski, observer-reporter.com, 24 March 2015
Junior Louden Conte, who batted .507 with 26 RBI, 14 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .621 last spring, is naturally ambidextrous – he can throw either right-handed or left-handed. Conte’s fastball reaches the low 80s using his right arm and low 70s using his left.
Conte’s work on the mound might be limited though since he is a tremendous defensive player at shortstop, committing only three errors in 21 games last season. Read More
Conte pitches left-handed, right-handed as Cal wins at West Greene
Observer Reporter, 27 April 2015
• Louden Conte is not your normal pitcher.
The California junior is ambidextrous, and against West Greene in Section 1-A game Conte pitched both left-handed and right-handed. It worked well as Conte pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and California remained undefeated in the section with a 13-1 victory over host West Greene.
Gorman: Not all right for this lefty
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Lefty Louden Conte struck out a pair of left-handed hitters before Nick Damico signaled for right-handed relief.
The California coach called a timeout and brought a mitt out for his trip to the mound.
So Conte could change.
The 6-foot, 180-pound junior then scored another strikeout to complete an incredible feat: Conte pitched with both hands in the fifth and final inning of a 13-1 Section 1-A victory Monday at West Greene.
In his first pitching appearance this season, Conte tossed a three-hitter and struck out seven while pitching 4 1⁄3 innings righty and 2⁄3 lefty.
Call him a switch-pitcher.
“I've been working hard at it. It was fun to finally get out there on the mound,” Conte said. “At first, a lot of people didn't realize that I actually turned around and went lefty.”
Read more
Cal top Serra to return to WPIAL title game
By Lance Lysowski, observer-reporter.com, 20 May 2015
“It’s incredible. It’s what we’ve been working for all year, and it’s what we expected coming in here today,” California junior Louden Conte said.
...
Damico had to make several defensive switches, but turned to Conte, a highly regarded shortstop, in relief. The move paid off when Conte ended the inning with a fly out to center field. A runner reached first against him in the top of the seventh on an error, but Conte used his fastball and slider to retire three of the next four, sending the Trojans back to the championship game.
The junior, who is ambidextrous, threw right-handed to four righties, and when a lefty stepped to the plate with two outs in the seventh, Conte looked over to Damico to see if he could throw left-handed.
Damico did not want to risk anything and Conte ended the game with an inside breaking ball.
“I felt great today. Whenever you get into these close games, all of that adrenaline is running right through you,” Conte said. “I just took a deep breath after every pitch and focused on every pitch. I did take a second look at the dugout. I saw Coach Damico standing close, but I thought I’d just stick with the righty.”
Comment: For most ambidextrous pitchers, it's best to stick with the same arm each inning in order to stay in a rhythm and command the strike zone. Only experienced switch pitchers have the skills and mindset needed to switch between batters in playoff games.
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Louden Conte | MaxPreps
Louden Conte - Prep Baseball Report > Pennsylvania
Mike Conte, Head Baseball Coach, calu.edu
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