How a heart rate monitor has helped Jake McCoy find early success on mound
As a freshman last year, Jake McCoy struggled with trying to calm himself down when he was under pressure. His heart rate would sky rocket whenever he took the mound.
“My average heart rate was 180 (beats per minute) when I was on the mound,” he said.
After not pitching at all until the start of SEC play in 2024, the South Carolina left-hander was thrown right into the fire. He struggled as a result and finished with a 7.88 ERA over 16 innings, mostly out of relief.
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But there’s a clear difference in McCoy in 2025. It’s not only because he had a full preseason to get ready for his sophomore year. That’s been a big part of it, for sure.
“I mean, just the fall has helped so much for me, just build confidence,” he said. “I mean, last year, I felt like a little kid out there on the mound with a bunch of men.”
The Whoop monitor bracelet that he wears on his wrist has also helped a lot with keeping his stress down. It tracks heart rate, sleep, recovery, and more. It’s something he’s been using over the past three years. And it’s helped to where now his average heart rate hovers around 120 to 125 BPM when he’s pitching.
“I think Coach (Terry) Rooney has been great on helping me kind of relax myself, calm down, recognize the moment,” McCoy said. “Just kind of like making the big pitch and going pitch to pitch, not letting the last bad pitch get in the way the next good pitch. So that’s just been the biggest thing, just being able to flush it and move on.”
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It is easy to let adrenaline and nerves take over in a big ballpark with loud fans. That kind of environment can affect the mental and physical game. However, McCoy has found a way to push through that and it shows.
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McCoy earned the Sunday starting duties in South Carolina’s weekend rotation to open the season. In his first start, he pitched five no-hit innings and struck out nine against Sacred Heart.
He’ll take the ball again on Sunday as the Gamecocks take on Milwaukee in a three-game series this weekend. There’s still a lot of season and plenty of starts to go, but he hopes this next outing can help him continue to be the best version of himself on the mound.
“When you’re out on that mound, when there’s people in the stands, it’s different than in the fall,” he said. “So I think just going out there and throwing the fastball in the zone early, like, maybe again this weekend just will be huge for me, just like I said, to build confidence.”
