ESPN Magazine Interview

This just in...ESPN Magazine called Coach Jerry Johnson for an interview on Sunday, August 13, 2006 in regard to the New Triple Pitch Video. The reporter for ESPN Magazine will be calling Natalie, the pitcher in the Triple Pitch Video, and Coach Ernie Parker for comments. The article will be debuting in the August 31, 2006 edition of ESPN Magazine.

Pick up a copy of the ESPN Magazine August 31, 2006 edition at a newsstand near you.

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ESPN Magazine Article

Soft Sale

author Alejandro De Los Rios

As Jerry Johnson discovered earlier this year, there's a simple way to invent a softball pitch that's as reliable as the changeup, curveball and drop ball: Just combine all three. After spending a year experimenting with different grips and release points, the softball pitching coach at West Virginia's Mountain State University unspooled an offering that dropped across the plate along an 11-to-5 path while traveling off-speed.

Suspecting that he had developed a new toss, Johnson e-mailed Ernie Parker, who has coached the likes of Olympians Jennie Pinch and Lisa Fernandez on his national teams.

Parker confirmed that the "triple pitch" is indeed a brand-new and requested to see a video of it in action. Johnson did him one better and made the drive to Parker's home in Memphis for a live demonstration. Impressed, Parker helped Johnson spread the word.

Then, with the aid of MSU pitcher Natalie Hanson and catcher Jennifer Sloan, Johnson filmed a 40-minute instructional video (19.95, available mid-September at jerryfastpitch.com) that displays the triple pitch's two different grips and release points.

Hanson has since thrown the triple pitch effectively in competition, creating a worldwide buzz that has competitors like Tanya Harding (the pitcher, not the skater) of the Australian Olympic team calling Johnson to inquire about its mechanics. So far, to no avail. Says Johnson: "I can't give away the grip because then nobody will buy the video."

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