Former Ole Miss catcher Matt Ceriani and Caleb Balbuena, both former professional baseball players, along with engineer Greg Mills, invented the Caught Stealing Pro100. A three-part device that goes on a baseball catcher’s glove, the wrist and the glove of the fielder receiving the ball.
The idea behind the device is to provide a way to measure data points for backstop. Data points include catcher poptime, exchange time and velocity.
Close to a dozen colleges and five Major League Baseball teams use the Pro100. Ceriani and Balbuena attend catcher showcases all over the country to spread their product, as well as advertise the product to the scouting community.
“We’re just basically branching and educating everybody as we go,” Ceriani said. “People are a little hesitant, (they’re like), ‘if they’re using it there, then we’ll use it, but until they use it, we’re not going to use it.’ The curve is getting this thing more usable for higher levels.”
Ceriani and Balbuena met in the mid-2000s. In 2016, the two came up with the idea for the device and the following year, they got an “LLC” title.
“We started in 2018…we were throwing out in front of my house and my wife was taking videos,” Balbuena said. “In baseball teams, (we were in) rookie ball.”
In 2019, the product took a big step forward after they found Mills, who Balbuena refers to as the “Hall of Famer” of the product.
Mills is an engineer at Southwest Engineering. They shared their prototype with Mills and it turned the product into what it is today.
Additionally, Ceriani and Balbuena discovered Pipeline Engineering, a company that develops advanced manufacturing processes, fixtures and automated machines. Pipeline manages certain bits of the product, like the housing, plastics, shape and look.
“Greg’s been an integral help. We couldn’t have done it without him,” Ceriani said. “So his company and what they have brought to us took our dream and put it alive.
Despite only being available since July of 2023, the product has gotten a lot of positive feedback.
“It’s been very very positive. It really has,” Balbuena said. “It’s fun to finally get to this point, start outreaching and getting our name out there and what we created(out there).”
Ceriani reflected on how his time at Ole Miss contributed to the success of the product.
“Having the ability to go out and learn, and have a degree in exercise science, I got to work with Leory Mullins in the athletic facility (and learn) biomechanics,” Ceriani said. “Fast forward to 2016, and I had my injury, and then I used my biomechanics knowledge from Ole Miss, used my playing experience…and we molded the whole thing.”
