What are College pitchers wearing on their wrists? Exploring NCAA baseball uniforms in 2024

The sign-stealing scandal of the Houston Astros in 2017 had an unexpected effect on college pitchers. In the aftermath of the scandal, magician John Hankins and electrical engineer Craig Filicetti found a way to help catchers and pitchers communicate in a more secure way:

“After the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, we thought about how to provide signals quietly between catcher and pitcher,” Hankins said. “My partner is a person who provides equipment to magicians, and I'm a baseball fan. So I thought there must be a way to use that equipment somehow and modify it to work for baseball.”

Initially, they created an armband that allowed catchers to communicate with their pitchers through a speaker. However, the NCAA doesn't allow audio devices for anyone but the catcher, which forced them to go back to the drawing board to devise a new solution.

What's the device being used by college pitchers on their wrist?

The pair decided to go with a more visual solution, creating an armband that allows college pitchers to see their next throw in simple English. This is how Hankins explained it:

“It’s lightweight, it’s reliability and it’s clarity. It doesn’t use numbers like a coded '7' or '3' for fastball and position. Instead, it says in plain English, or any language, ‘fastball, high inside.’ It’s very quick and very easy to use.”

The device is called the PitchCom, and pitchers love it. LSU's Wes Johnson had this to say about the device:

“It’s pretty seamless, and when you look at the pitch clock and how it has changed the game, which I’m obviously in favor of, the PitchCom, they get the pitch fast and there’s not a guess. It’s sped them up in a good way.”

The use of the device is being extended beyond pitchers, with some schools demanding all their infielders use it.