Inside LSU Baseball: How Jamie Tutko Turns Quick Feedback Into Action

At LSU, Jamie Tutko has helped shape one of the most dominant pitching staffs in college baseball. As the Director of Player Development – Pitching, he’s played a key role in the Tigers’ national championships in 2023 and 2025.

Working alongside pitching coach Nate Yeskie, Tutko has helped develop a staff that finished No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts, ranked among the top 10 in ERA, and sent multiple arms to the top of the MLB Draft.

What stands out about Tutko is how he uses technology to support what coaches already see. As he puts it, “Quick, clear feedback is everything.” Having data available right away keeps pitchers engaged and helps them connect what they feel with what the numbers are showing. From there, it’s on the coaches to simplify the message and turn that information into action without forgetting it's still about getting hitters out when you cross the lines.

That mindset aligns with tools like the NewtForce Mound, which quantifies how well a pitcher uses their lower half and how it’s timed with the arm. By pairing objective data with video, it helps coaches confirm what they already see and make adjustments that stick because pitchers can see what they feel.

NewtForce helps you find the right rep and make every rep count.

In this Q&A, Jamie shares how he uses feedback, feel, and buy-in to help LSU’s pitchers keep getting better.

Q&A with Jamie Tutko, LSU Baseball

Zach Day: You’ve helped build one of the most dominant pitching staffs in college baseball. What do you think made this group so effective in 2025, and what separated them from the rest of the country?

Jamie Tutko: What made this group so effective in 2025 was their complete buy-in. Every pitcher embraced his role, trusted the plan, and competed with a relentless edge. We had big-time arms, but what truly separated us was the mindset. These guys showed up every day to dominate, not just pitch. They prepared like professionals, attacked the strike zone with intent, and held each other accountable. When that kind of talent is matched with a culture built on trust and competitiveness, you end up with something special — and that’s exactly what this staff became.

Zach Day: LSU attracts some of the best arms in the country. How do you balance technology and data with still competing between the lines?

Jamie Tutko: The tech and data are unbelievable tools, and we use them every day. But at the end of the day, it’s still about getting hitters out. The numbers help guys understand their stuff and make adjustments, but they don’t compete for you. We talk a lot about blending both, being informed by the data but driven by feel and competitiveness. That’s what turns good arms into great ones.

Zach Day: How important is quick, actionable feedback when you’re training or in a pitch-design session?

Jamie Tutko: Quick, clear feedback is everything. When you’re in a pitch-design session or working through an adjustment, timing matters. Most young players today have everything at their fingertips and can find answers instantly, so having data available right away is huge. It keeps them engaged and helps them connect what they’re feeling with what the numbers are showing. From there, it’s on us as coaches to simplify the message and turn that information into action. When that connection happens, development takes off.

Zach Day: Coaches talk a lot about making reps more efficient. What does “better reps” mean to you?

Jamie Tutko: People talk about repeating your delivery, but it’s impossible to do it exactly the same every time. What we focus on is cleaning up the small things within each pitcher’s delivery so they can get as close as possible to the same release window and timing. That’s where better reps come in. Using objective feedback on how the body moves helps us make efficient adjustments, so even when a guy’s a little off, he can still execute at a high level.

Zach Day: From a coach’s standpoint, what value do you see in being able to quantify how the lower half works?

Jamie Tutko: It’s huge. The lower half drives everything, but it’s also the hardest part to see with the naked eye. When you can measure how a pitcher loads, transfers, and braces, you start coaching with confidence instead of guessing. That saves time. You can target the exact piece of the movement pattern that needs work. It doesn’t replace the coaching eye, it backs it up with proof.

Zach Day: You’ve worked with multiple high draft picks. What’s the common thread among the guys who make the biggest jumps at LSU?

Jamie Tutko: The common thread is their relentless work ethic. They show up every day wanting to get better, never satisfied, always looking for an edge. But the thing that really stands out, the part people don’t always see, is that the best pitchers I’ve worked with are even better human beings than they are baseball players. They treat people the right way, they lead by example, and they care about the team more than themselves. That combination is what allows them to truly reach their potential.

Takeaway

For Jamie Tutko, development starts with clarity. When feedback is quick and communication is simple, pitchers can adjust faster, and that’s what drives progress. He's quick to point out that work eithic and the drive to get better are still what makes the best reach their potential.

He believes the lower half drives everything, and measuring how a pitcher moves through it helps coaches stop guessing and start teaching with confidence.

That’s the same purpose behind the NewtForce Mound, helping coaches get ground-force feedback in seconds so they can confirm what they already see and help pitchers connect feel to movement and make every rep count so you're prepared when you cross that line.