Skip to main content

Louden Conte - shortstop and switch pitcher


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

By Kevin Gorman
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.
...


Louden Conte | MaxPreps

Louden Conte - Prep Baseball Report > Pennsylvania

Mike Conte, Head Baseball Coach, calu.edu
..

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting.  The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches,  solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching  White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule  1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a  pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet  and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball  105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan.  He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His recor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made  Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves:  Buy a smal...
7 comments
Read more