No doubt he has improved in all areas. As far as him being clocked at 95, you'r probably referring to some of the conditioning tests run by Symanski(sp?), our strength coach. I don't think he was clocked 95 from the mound but in one of those tests. He has a rocket for a left arm, best I've seen in a long time. The only area I feel he needs to work on is his defense and getting better breaks on the ball. He has enough natural speed to make some incredible plays even if he doesn't get the best break on it. I saw him pitch, was sitting behind a scout with a radar gun and he hit 85-86 but mostly 82-84 which is very impressive for someone who doesn't pitch to just get on the mound and throw. i predict he will be drafted in the 2-3rd round.
sim told me a month or two ago that rike had been clocked in the low 90's off the hill. not sure about 95, although seeing him throw from the outfield you would think that's possible. topping out on a good day and consistent velocity are two different stories though. for a guy who has never pitched, mid 80's would probably be right, being that "nonpitchers" usually have to take some off to find the strike zone. regardless, rike has a hose. also, i do know that burnett topped out 95-96 last year at san jose st. just thought i'd throw that in...
From what I've read on this board I assume you were a pitcher. This is second hand info but someone told me that we had a guy that was throwing 88-89 in the 1st inning but dropped to 82-84 in the 2nd inning the other day. I honestly couldn't tell but assuming that is true what would cause a pitcher to lose that much velocity so fast? I understand in the later innings fatigue might set in but losing it that fast is confusing.
The 95 was not from the mound as far as I know. It was during the preseason and probably a test the give everyone. I'm not saying his future in the pros is as a pitcher, it would just be fun to see him pitch a little. Brian is a very dedicate athlete and he could excel either way if he puts his mind to it.
having a cannon doesn't always equate to being a successful pitcher, but it does work out for some. in rike's case, i hope it does, being that we could use a hard throwing lefty in our pen. as far as ldawg50's question, the velocity is usually a gradual decline throughout the game, as you suggested. a pitcher's velocity falling off that much over one inning early in the game usually happens in high school, due to poor conditioning. at the college level, i have no idea what would cause that. not in shape, sore or fatigued, or possibly the first inning he was feeding off adrenaline. your guess is as good as mine...