Purdue right-hander Hayden embraces job of out collector

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

With three collegiate seasons in the books and in his third summer wood bat slate in-progress, Enas (N-us — say it fast) Hayden is finding his stride as a pitcher.

In his debut campaign with the Purdue University Boilermakers in 2024, right-hander Hayden came out of the bullpen five times for head coach Greg Goff and pitching coach Josh Newman and went 1-0 with a 2.25 earned run average, six strikeouts and four walks in four innings.

He was coming off a summer stint with the Danville (Ind.) Dans where he went 3-1 with one save, a 3.34 ERA, 1.28 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) struck out 45 in 29 2/3 innings over 14 games and was named a 2023 Prospect League All-Star.

Hayden whiffed nine over five innings in a July start and also fanned eight over three innings in a June relief appearance.

The hurler has no preference of role — starting, long relief or short relief.

“I’m the type of guy that you give the ball and I go get outs until I can’t get more,” says Hayden, 21. 

Throwing from a mid-three-quarter arm slot, 6-foot-3, 215-pound Hayden uses a four-seam fastball, slider, change-up and — occasionally — a cutter.

The four-seamer traveled at 96 mph in the summer of 2023 and usually lives at 89 to 93.

The speed of slider depends on his hard the ball is coming out of Hayden’s hand that day, ranging from 81 to 87 mph.

“If it’s not as hard and 80 to 82, it’s more like a true slider with more depth,” says Hayden. “On days when it’s firmer, there’s still some depth to it but it runs more.”

He uses a “box” change.

“I rest all four fingers on the bottom horseshoe and let the grip do the work,” says Hayden.

As for the cutter — when it’s right — moves a little to the left.

The Indianapolis native began his college career at Purdue Fort Wayne.

In two seasons with the Mastodons (2022 and 2023), he made 24 mound appearances (20 in relief) with 21 strikeouts and 18 walks in 26 2/3 innings.

He was with the Local Legends of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2022.

This summer, Hayden is pitching for the Northwoods League’s Bismarck (N.D.) Larks. In his first eight contests, he is 0-0 with one save, a 2.51 ERA, 11 strikeouts and five walks in 14 1/3 innings.

Hayden is a 2021 graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. The Wildcats’ head coach was former college and professional pitcher Richard Winzenread.

“He’s a tough guy but he taught the game right,” says Hayden of Winzenread. “He really pushed us to be better ballplayers. 

“He helped me to really succeed in this game. You’ve got to work to get where you want to get.”

Hayden was all-Marion County first team as a Lawrence North outfielder in 2021. His first fall at PFW he was a two-way player then concentrated on the mound.

Growing up, he played baseball and basketball and ran cross country and track. In high school, he was also on the wrestling team.

“I like winning, that’s what it boils down to,” says Hayden of his affinity for the mat sport. “It’s mano a mano — you and the other guy.”

The only child of Purdue alums Daryl and Nirupama Hayden, Enas started his baseball at Oaklandon Youth Organization. In high school, he traveled with the Indiana Nitro through 17U (2020) and competed his 18U summer with the PRP Mambas (2021).

Since middle school, he has been going to PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind., for instruction.

“That was the spot that made me into a pitcher,” says Hayden. “I’ve worked with (PRP founder) Greg Vogt and cleaned some things up. 

“I’ve been doing their stuff for awhile.”

His favorite MLB team is the Miami Marlins. The pro athlete he admires most is basketball’s Steph Curry. In baseball, it’s Juan Soto.

The Selling & Sales Management major and Business Management minor is taking online summer classes with the aim of graduating in May 2025.

His goal is to play baseball beyond college.

Enas Hayden. (Purdue University Photo)

Enas Hayden. (Purdue University Photo)

Enas Hayden (Danville Dans Image)

Enas Hayden. (Purdue Fort Wayne Photo)

Original Neuro Skills Coach Biddulph helping ballplayers and more

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Unleashing the power of the brain.
As the original Neuro Skills Coach, Nathan Biddulph is helping athletes, executives, students and others achieve at a high level.
“The brain controls everything we do,” says Biddulph. “There isn’t any area of life that won’t benefit from increasing your attention skills, your processing speed, your pattern recognition, and your decision making abilities.”
An occupational therapist based in Denver, Biddulph began working in the neuro world about two decades ago and has come up with methods — some of them proprietary — to help clients get more from their brains.
“I provide drills based on principles of neuroplasticity,” says Biddulph. “Each drill is specific to a particular sport. For example, a hitter will be using a bat and a quarterback will be using a football to complete these drills.
“I teach the drills during our first session and then meet virtually with the client once per week to progress their drills. They practice the drills for 30 minutes each weekday (Monday through Friday).
“They can do most of these drills in their bedroom or in their hotel room when on the road.
“There’s a lot of discovery happening with their body awareness so they can more easily make the mechanical adjustments that their coaches want them to make.
“Another aspect is HOW they complete the drills (to increase processing speed, impulse control, etc.). There are also certain drills that enhance pattern recognition of both offensive and defensive strategies.”
What are baseball players who go through Biddulph’s training looking to get out of it?
“Clients are looking to improve performance and get an edge over their competition,” says Biddulph. “Increased body awareness equates to improved mechanics in throwing, swinging, running, and shooting. Increased processing speeds improve pitching velocity, bat speed, and overall speeds of various mechanics.
“Enhanced pattern recognition helps pick out the patterns and sequences of the opposition to better predict what’s coming and anticipate making better plays.”
Two pro ballplayers that work with Biddulph are Jameson Taillon and Nick Gonzales.
Right-handed pitcher Taillon is now with the Chicago Cubs after fours seasons with Pittsburgh Pirates and two with the New York Yankees.
“Jameson was able to increase his curveball spin rate and his fastball spin rate through this Neuro Training,” says Biddulph. “That led to a lower hard-hit percentage of hitters that faced him. “Jameson struggled with injuries the first season after Neuro (injuries not related to Neuro Training) in 2021, but he was fully healthy in July of that year, when he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month. He also had the lowest WHIP of his career this past season.”
Gonzales played summer collegiate ball in Huntingburg, Ind., with the Dubois County Bombers in 2018 and was named NCAA Division I Player of the Year at New Mexico State and selected in the first round of the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (seventh overall) by the Pirates. The organization’s Triple-A team is in Indianapolis.
“Nick was able to increase his bat speed (his exit velocity increased over 5 mph) through this Neuro Training, which allowed him to hit balls harder and farther,” says Biddulph. “This is why he was able to hit five home runs in one day, and his OPS went from 1.081 that fall before Neuro Training to 1.765 after this training.”
Biddulph was born in eastern Pennsylvania and grew up in New Hampshire and New Jersey playing baseball and basketball. All three locations were in small towns.
He graduated in Psychology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He received his Masters in Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, a specialized school for physical and occupational therapy.
There is no certification to become a Neuro Skills Coach.
“I am the original,” says Biddulph.
Biddulph began putting together his program after hearing about Steph Curry using Neuro Training to become the first unanimous MVP in the NBA back in 2016.
“I looked into what he was doing (mostly electronic-based drills using lights that are damaging to the eyes),” says Biddulph. “I knew that wouldn’t go over well in MLB because of the need for eagle-eye vision.
“I developed an electronic-free program that won’t damage anyone’s vision. I had already been developing individualized and group Neuro Programs at world-renowned clinics.
“I created a program from scratch that I tested on high school players (it worked wonderfully), and then on college players. It started spreading like wildfire when college coaches gave me referrals to their former students who were then in the Minor Leagues.
“Before long the word got passed to the Major Leaguers, especially when these Minor Leaguers were making their MLB debuts after doing this training.”
Biddulph has been on numerous videos and podcasts, including The Shift With Elena Agar, The Coach Scott Fields Show, Area Scouts Pro Cast, Kenny The Sports Guy, Terminal Value Podcast, Mojo Radio Show, Manage. Me. and Arete Coach Podcast.
Kaarina Biddulph, Nathan’s wife, represented the business at the 2023 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Nashville.

Nathan Biddulph.