EXCLUSIVE: PitchCom was introduced to MLB at the beginning of the 2022 season, and the communication system has quickly become prominent in the baseball world, overhauling pitcher-catcher communication. 

Perfect Game, a youth baseball company that promotes baseball by hosting high-quality amateur events and providing exposure for players to play at higher levels, is the first organization of its kind to partner with PitchCom, Fox News Digital exclusively learned Thursday.

PitchCom emerged after the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal during their World Series run in 2017 rocked the baseball world. 

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PitchCom devices on a field with the Perfect Game logo. (Courtesy of PitchCom)

John Hankins, co-investor and co-owner of PitchCom, saw that MLB had a need for a communication device that could prevent sign stealing. The challenge was the device couldn’t be vocal, and MLB officials didn’t want players to wear a communication device on their bodies. 

Hankins came up with PitchCom, which allows a catcher to press a button on a transmitter to call pitches. The transmitter sends prerecorded audio clips to the receivers, who in turn will hear the pitch call and defensive signals. 

The pitcher and fielders wear the receiver in their hats and can hear what the catcher inputs, allowing for clear and secure communication safe from being stolen, unlike traditional catcher signs. 

When Major League Baseball first heard of it, it loved the idea.

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“(We had) a meeting before a playoff game. The immediate response was this solves all of our problems,” Hankins told Fox News Digital.

“That was nice, and we left the meeting feeling pretty good. But, within about an hour, we got another phone call that said, ‘Can you meet with 20 of our executives on Zoom tomorrow. That was a positive sign.”

After that meeting, Major League Baseball became PitchCom’s first client. 

Jered Goodwin, the vice president of scouting operations at Perfect Game, trains with MLB players during the offseason. Goodwin told Fox News Digital the players had “a ton of positive feedback” about PitchCom. 

San Francisco Giants catcher Blake Sabol (2) adjusts his PitchCom device during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park May 7, 2023.  (Darren Yamashita/USA Today Sports)

“I can tell you from a guy that gets to coach some pitchers during the offseason, they love being on a level playing field,” Goodwin said. 

“They’re throwing a pitch without anybody on the field being able to know what’s coming (prior to PitchCom), and there’s been open conversations about that. There hasn’t been a lot of negative feedback. You get some transmitters you got to replace, but it takes a really short amount of time. And I think really everybody in baseball, players to owners and especially fans, have loved the pace of play and the shorter games.” 

“Obviously, some other rules were put into effect as well, but the direct communication in the short amount of time it takes has definitely been a ton of positive feedback.”

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Goodwin said he first thought of trying to bring PitchCom to Perfect Game when MLB began using it. He called it an “easy decision” to bring PitchCom into youth baseball and to form a partnership.

“I knew very early on that this was going to be something that was going to stick, so as it’s grown into major college baseball, to MLB, it’s great that we got to have a direct path for our players and our coaches to be able to learn operationally, intensely during a game. Anything like that of what they are going to use directly at the next level. So, it really was on the agenda as soon as it could be scaled,” Goodwin said.

Jon Updike, vice president of customer relations at PitchCom, said the device offers youth players benefits beyond just pitcher-catcher communication. 

San Francisco Giants pitcher Spencer Bivens (76) holds his glove to his ear to hear his PitchCom against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Oracle Park Sept. 28, 2024.  (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)

“It’s just not calling the pitches,” Updike said. “It’s the ability to send in maybe technical cues, but even more so than that, ‘Hey, great job’ or ‘You’re going to get them next time.’

“You are able to send in some psychological messages to them as well that will help either uplift them or snap them into place, which is a lot easier when it’s being whispered to an 8-year-old or a 12-year-old or 14-year-old’s ear than being yelled across the field.”

Goodwin said the introduction of PitchCom into Perfect Game will allow for more development among kids.

“Being able to talk through, especially with direct communication, being able to talk directly about why you called a pitch, how you were calling a pitch, being able to go over what those different reasons were, because you’ve got just an extra second to be able to do it. When you can speed up the game but also slow down the process, some real development of the ‘why?’ can happen,” Goodwin said.

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“I think you are going to see some things come out directly related to PitchCom helping with development. Whether it’s pitch calling, whether it’s the speed of the game, whether it’s location that (is) really going to help the youth be able to understand how they are trying to attack, why they are trying to attack, why this in that situation or that pitch in this situation and that’s one of the things that nobody is really dove into yet.

“But at Perfect Game we are constantly trying to find different ways to develop, and I think this is going to be a real asset to young ballplayers.”

Not only does Goodwin believe PitchCom will help players’ development. It should also change the way coaches teach and communicate in games. 

“It speeds up the time, but it also slows down what’s going on. Reaffirm some of the things that you might have gone over in practice. So, I think it’s such a huge advantage when these young athletes are going to be able to have that sense of pace, but also a sense of communication and development at a younger age,” Goodwin said.

Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann adjusts his PitchCom system during the first inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards May 29, 2023.  (Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports)

Updike said the introduction of PitchCom at the youth baseball level will make for cleaner games because of the enhanced communication the device allows. 

“I see it has an opportunity to reduce pitches, which will directly, in turn, have a chance of reducing over usage and injury,” Updike said. “Just from having better information or paying attention to it. And then, on top of that, it makes it a cleaner baseball game. Less wild pitches, less cross-ups and more quality executed pitches.”

The voice that comes through the transmitter is an AI-generated voice, but Updike said the voice can be “anybody’s voice.” 

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“It’s a simple, easy, clean process. And then what we found is that some of our colleges and some of our major league clubs would run the tracks through an AI voice generator to create something else. Whether it was a star or a famous voice and then put it on, sometimes even recording other players, it’s kind of like your limitation is your imagination with it,” Updike said.

Updike said he heard one pitcher in college baseball customize the voice to be his favorite musician.

“I won’t give up the secret sauce for a few clubs, but like we have a college, a really good NCAA team, their Friday night guy is a real good pitcher, and he’s got a musician that he loves, or a rapper, and it’s that rappers’ voice every time they call a pitch. So, it’s unique to see how creative everybody’s been with the product,” Updike said. 

Goodwin said he heard a story about how a coach programmed the voice to be a player’s mother’s voice, and that it provided good results for the player. 

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman covers a PitchCom device during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards May 17, 2023.  (Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports)

“The guy had a really close relationship with his mom, and the coaches wanted to see if that in turn would kind of be a calming presence. So I thought that was pretty cool, pretty interesting. Obviously, a lot going on with sports psychology now and things like that. So, I think there are a lot of things that you can do here even from voice recognition to maybe help kids, and maybe not,” Goodwin said. 

“I do know that in the early stages of this the kid actually did very well when it happened.” 

The PitchCom’s will be given out to Perfect Game in August, and coaches and players will be able to use them for the All-American Classic and PG Select Festivals. 

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FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL HOLDS SPRING SPORTS AWARDS

Wednesday night, Fairfield Community High School held an awards program honoring their outstanding athletes from the Spring Sports Season

In the Lady Mule Track Awards, the Most Improved Award went to Selah Sork, the Newcomer Award went to Emeri Sager, the Amy Turner Relay Award went to Myra Copeland, the Sprint MVP Award went to Emily Vaughan, Remi Taylor was named the Field Event MVP, and Ella Sager received the Distance MVP Award

In the Boys Tennis Awards, Nick Munoz received the Most Improved Award, while Peyton Owen was named the Mules Tennis MVP

In the Mules Boys Track Awards, the Most Improved Award went to Cayson Webb, the Newcomer Award went to Ashton King, Eric Locke was named the Field Event MVP, The Relay MVP Award went to Miller Simpson, the Distance MVP Award went to Skylar Bladel, and Justin Johnson was named the Sprint MVP

In the Lady Mules Softball Awards, the Most Improved Award went to Remi McCune, the Defensive Award went to Riley Isaacs, and the Offensive Award went to Kenry Hutchcraft.  Kayden Wells was named the Most Valuable Player for the Lady Mules Softball team.

In the Mules Boys Baseball Awards, Breychan Kovacich received the Most Improved Award, the Hustle Award went to Jesse King, Karson White received the Defensive Award, and Tallen Hixenbaugh received the Offensive Award. Ian Puckett and Boston Isaacs both received the Outstanding Pitching Award.  Tallen Hixenbaugh was also named the Most Valuable Player for the Mules Baseball team while the Mule Pride Teammate Award was a given to Ayden Martin.

To cap off the night, Bentley Rogers was named the 2024-2025 FCHS Male Athlete of the Year, while Ella Sager was awarded the 2024-2025 FCHS Female Athlete of the Year

A new opportunity is on the horizon for young golf enthusiasts in Webster City as the Webster City Junior Lynx Golf Program prepares to launch this summer.

Registration is open now through May 31.

The youth league is the result of a partnership between the Webster City Parks and Recreation Department, The Links Golf Course, Briggs Woods Golf Course, and Webster City Youth Golf.

Designed for students finishing fourth through eighth grades, the four-week program will take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in June at The Links Golf Course, with additional playing opportunities at Briggs Woods Golf Course later in the session.

The program will focus on instructional hitting, skill development, and playing experience, culminating in rounds of golf to reinforce on-course learning at the end of the program.

Participants in grades four to six will attend from 8:30 to to 10 a.m. Grades seven and eight will attend from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Each age group is limited to 18 participants, ensuring small group sizes and personalized coaching.

The Junior Lynx Golf Program will be sponsored by Webster City Youth Golf, so all costs for the program will be paid for once you sign up.

A limited number of golf clubs will be available for participants who do not have their own equipment.

The Junior Lynx program underscores the community’s commitment to youth development and active lifestyles through sport. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local organizations and the generous support of Webster City Youth Golf, this program is poised to offer a fun, inclusive, and educational experience for the area’s young golfers.

For more information or to register, contact Fuller Hall Recreation Center at 515-832-9193 or stop by the recreation center located at 625 Bank Street, Webster City

Former players alleging sexual abuse by the multimillionaire founder of New York City’s Riverside Hawks basketball program—which pioneered the elite travel-team model of youth sports—have filed an answer in their lawsuit saying the defendant, Riverside Church, missed the mark in the church’s motion for summary judgment.

Three plaintiffs, including 56-year-old Robert L. Holmes, who first made public allegations against the program in 2002, have thus far filed memoranda opposing Riverside’s motion seeking dismissal of the case. The filings were authored by Michael Angelini, Lawrence W. Luttrell and other attorneys representing 15 plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse by Ernest Lorch, the basketball program’s founder and coach who died in 2012. A total of 27 plaintiffs have sued the church under New York’s Child Victims Act, claiming Lorch abused them. Though best-known in sports circles for Riverside, Lorch was also a successful corporate lawyer and CEO of a hedge fund.

The players suing the church joined the Riverside basketball program between 1970 and 2000, as the team was gaining fame for turning out hundreds of college players and dozens of NBA stars, among them Nate Archibald, Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith and Chris Mullin. Holmes and the other plaintiffs all say they were minors when the abuse took place, and can sue all these years later because the New York Child Victims Act extended the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual assault. 

As Sportico detailed, Riverside Church motioned New York Judge Sabrina Kraus for summary judgment last month. The church claimed its officials neither knew nor had reason to know of Lorch’s abusive acts. Riverside also insisted that, as a church, it didn’t owe a duty in loco parentis. If Riverside is correct about loco parentis, it would mean the church can’t be legally faulted since it lacked the responsibilities of a parent when supervising kids. Riverside cited case law asserting that because the abuse occurred outside of a school setting, the church can’t be held liable for the actions of Lorch.

Holmes and his fellow plaintiffs see the relevant issues quite differently. Their filings urge Kraus to deny summary judgment, which a judge only grants when there is no genuine dispute as to material facts. The granting of summary judgment ends a case before it goes to trial, meaning it takes the case away from future jurors. 

As a starting point, Holmes’ memorandum criticizes Riverside for its “supposed ignorance” about Lorch—who, as a volunteer, ran the Riverside hoops program for nearly four decades until he was suspended from coaching in 2002 after Holmes told his story of abuse in the New York Daily News.

In 2010, the testimony of another plaintiff, Byron Walker, resulted in Lorch being indicted on sexual assault charges in Massachusetts, based on the ex-player’s account of an incident during a road trip in Amherst, Mass., in the 1970s. The charges never went to trial because of Lorch’s ill health before his death. 

“Considering the overwhelming testimony of the players and coaches,” the memorandum charges, “one would think [Riverside] was referring to a different Lorch, church, and set of facts.” 

The memorandum goes so far as to assert it “defies credulity” for Riverside to claim it didn’t know what was going on. The memorandum highlights that 26 other men have raised essentially the same facts and circumstances in their cases as survivors of childhood sexual assault. It also asserts that Lorch’s “misconduct” was openly discussed among players and coaches associated with Riverside and with rival teams.

Along those lines, the memorandum contends that Riverside possessed both “actual and constructive notice of the abuse” and thus can’t meet its burden for a summary judgment. The memorandum references “thousands of pages” from 25 transcripts that allegedly implicate Riverside. 

Holmes’ attorneys acknowledge that as a defendant, Riverside can challenge the veracity and accuracy of implicating transcripts and maintain they are inadmissible for a variety of reasons. But the memorandum argues that Riverside must raise such challenges with specificity. The memorandum also points out that hearsay—meaning a statement made out-of-court used to prove the truth of an assertion—may be considered in opposing a motion for summary judgment. 

Further, the memorandum disputes Riverside’s characterization of precedent regarding in loco parentis. While Riverside is not a school, Holmes’ attorneys argue that is a distinction that doesn’t end the legal analysis. The memorandum contends that Riverside should be viewed as having “the same requirements for supervising children,” since it operated a basketball program overseeing children “several nights a week.”

Holmes’ attorneys cite favorable precedent involving a stationery store, neighbors, babysitters and churches where the defendants offered services consistent with having custody and control over children.

“It goes without saying that, if a small business can assume an in loco parentis duty, so can Riverside,” the memorandum states.

To that end, the memorandum suggests it would be nonsensical for Riverside to not be treated as akin to a parent, when actual parents entrusted their children to Riverside’s basketball program and when players’ accomplishments “were celebrated at Sunday services” and detailed in a church newsletter. 

As to Lorch being a volunteer, Holmes’ attorneys contend that Lorch’s relationship with Riverside was extensive, longstanding and influential. The memorandum says he started the program in the early 1960s and ran it until around 2002 when media reports of his misconduct surfaced. During that multi-decade stretch, Lorch held a bevy of leadership positions with the church, including as deacon, president of the board of trustees and head coach who picked his staff and directed his players.

Holmes’ attorneys write that Lorch also organized “multimillion-dollar fundraisers” for the church, distributed to his players bags and uniforms that featured the Riverside Hawks logo and traveled across the U.S. and abroad as an official representative of the program.

As to Holmes and the others claiming Riverside had constructive notice—meaning it should have known of the abuse based on the circumstances and should be treated by law as knowing—the memorandum claims that between 1970 and 1999, many players were required to “line up at Lorch’s office after practice, drop their pants and underwear, and get paddled at some point.”

Lorch also allegedly openly “grabbed, rubbed and held” players buttocks during practices and made them line up for “jockstrap inspections.” 

The memorandum also addresses several witnesses, including reverends, who testified they never witnessed abuse. That is “not surprising,” the memorandum contends, since those witnesses didn’t go to practices or attend other basketball-related events where abuse occurred. As the plaintiffs’ attorneys see it, “Riverside didn’t seem to care what was happening,” and the “absence of records involved reflects that institutional indifference.”

Kraus will weigh the dueling arguments. If she denies Riverside’s motion for summary judgment, the case will proceed to trial. There is also a distinct possibility the case settles before a trial, assuming the church, its insurance companies and Holmes can identify an acceptable arrangement. Judge Alexander Tisch will also be ruling on motions in the multiple Riverside lawsuits.

(This story has been updated in the last paragraph to add additional context that Judge Alexander Tisch will also be ruling on the Riverside lawsuits.)

Detroit — From representing an era defined by teal jerseys, Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill has fond memories of his five-year tenure with the Detroit Pistons. Outside of the dunks and game-winning plays that made him one of the best players in franchise history, scrimmaging against the Detroit Shock during his offseason training in the late 1990s is one of Hill’s best memories.