
I’ve known Bryce what seems like forever ago. He came to me as this young and excited player, eager to learn and become a better pitcher. We hit if off right away, became very close with the entire family, and our lesson meetings were very consistent. This was back when I had just moved into Frederick from Baltimore, and was slowly meeting new players out this way. Bryce was constantly asking me about my playing career, and how I was able to make it so far. He saw my size and build and wanted to soak up as much knowledge as possible to give him that edge to be an elite competitor. He knew I was a sidearmer, and eventually he came to me one day and said, “I want to pitch EXACTLY like you”… I was unsure how to respond in the moment, because as a pitching coach you don’t just teach people to pitch identically to yourself, the goals are to help each player find their authentic movements and patterns that work for them. Bryce wasn’t having it, he wanted to learn to pitch JUST LIKE ME, there was no talking him out of it. It was truly humbling, and after some time we dove into it full steam ahead, before long his delivery looked unmistakable from my own, from the leg kick, to the arm slot, deception, cross-fire, pick-off move, mound presence, pitch shapes / breaks, he became a true protege and it was fun to watch unfold over the days, weeks, months, and years. I cannot even begin to describe the type of drive, persistence, work ethic, grit, and overall joy Bryce possessed in his training and developmental years. Everyday was fun for him to practice, and he reaped the rewards over and over again. He carried a lot of weight throughout his college experience, and was able to overcome big challenges early on, and he is now thriving in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He is part of an amazingly supportive family, and I’m forever thankful to have been given the opportunity to train Bryce for so long, and be a part of his life and baseball journey, and we will always stay connected. It goes without saying that I’m extremely proud of all of what he has accomplished, and it is a true testament to his own work ethic and drive, which will carry him far in life beyond the game. We’ve both learned a lot about each other over the years, and I’m super thankful he was willing to share his experience as part of this series, and kick it off as the first one! — Dustin Pease
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