By AILA BOYD aboyd@ourvalley.org
Tincher Pitching, owned by Botetourt County resident Denny Tincher, has been selected to work with the Andrews Institute on a comprehensive national study to address youth softball pitching injuries.
Tincher explained that the study will be the first of its kind and will focus on pitchers between the ages of 10 and 18. In the past, there have been studies on college-level pitchers, Tincher said, because there’s more money and exposure on that level.
He said the study will be a “deep dive into what is going on in terms of the deficiencies in the body.”
The partnership will culminate in a two-year multistage study, which will be shared with coaches and pitchers to help minimize injuries and maximize performance. He said that the first six months will be spent on gathering as much information as possible.
Both of Tincher’s daughters played softball at James River High School. His oldest daughter, Angela, went on to play at Virginia Tech. Abby, his youngest daughter, first played for Liberty University, then transferred to the University of South Alabama.
It was when Angela developed an interest in softball that Tincher started to study up on the sport. Considering his work experience up until that point, radio management and real estate, he didn’t expect to become an authority of sorts on the matter of softball pitching— but he did.
After the administrator for the Andrews Institute saw one of his former pitching students play at a Louisiana State University game, he received an offer to work with the institute on a national study.
“They’re strong in health and wellness,” he said of the Andrew Institute.
Tincher explained that his goal with pitchers is to address their injuries, then to focus on increasing the quality of their performance.
The majority of pitcher-related injuries, he added, are the result of strength training.
Tincher works closely with Robbie Herbert through Lab Sports Performance in Roanoke.
Based in Florida, the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine was founded in 2007 by Baptist Health Care and world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon James Andrews.