MINOT, ND – The Minot Hot Tots added a new face to their pitching staff, Tuesday: Jacob Mallozzi. Mallozi is a right-handed reliever in his junior year playing for the Mid-American Christian University (MACU) Evangels in Oklahoma.
A Unique Approach
Known for his unique submarine-style pitching, Mallozzi brings a distinctive edge to the Hot Tots’ bullpen. Standing tall at 6’2, he bends his torso and releases the ball just above the ground.
“In our yard, it’s very important to have guys that can induce groundball outs,” Hot Tots head coach Mitch Gallagher said. “Jacob’s arm slot will get groundball contact because of the run and sink he creates.”
This spring, Mallozzi has appeared in four games and pitched four scoreless innings for the Evangels. Before transferring to MACU, Mallozzi pitched for Bethany College in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Last season he made 20 appearances, primarily as a middle reliever, pitching 36 innings.
Mallozzi credits his unique pitching motion for his ability to stay ready and come into various game scenarios at any moment.
“As a relief pitcher, it is sometimes hard to always stay locked in because you never know when you’re gonna go in,” he said. “But, as a submarine pitcher, I can throw every day. Like, I usually throw in both days of weekend series and during the midweek games sometimes. I even threw three days in a row this past summer.”
Mallozzi’s Submarine Story
But Mallozzi is still somewhat new to the mound — he played catcher for 12 years before transitioning into his role as a pitcher during his freshman year of college.
“Once we came back to school in the spring, I started talking with my coach about me becoming a pitcher and started throwing bullpens,” he said. “I started slowly and slowly lowering my arm slot — started doing a lot of research and studying the kinetic chain and realizing it felt more comfortable than throwing overhand.”
Committed to reaching his full potential on the mound, Mallozzi signed with Minot this summer to work with pitching coach Tyson Ellis who he worked with last summer with the Western Nebraska Pioneers in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League.
“I truly believe he is the future of coaching and I learned so much from him as a player and as someone who wants to get into coaching when I’m done playing,” Mallozzi said.
As the Mallozzi and the Minot Hot Tots gear up for their 2024 season, fans can lock in their seats with 5-Game Hotdish Memberships powered by Scheels. Additionally, they can stay up-to-date on all team news by subscribing to the team’s e-newsletter and following the Hot Tots on social media.
