Technology Gives Softball Team An Extra Set of Eyes
App provides pitchers, hitters with instant feedback
Savvy Rafkin
When athletes walk around with phones in their hands at practice, coaches are usually not happy. However, the Colorado State softball staff applauds and encourages the use of technology at their workouts.
The team got their hands on the Diamond Kinetics Swing and Pitch Tracker in August, which allows coaches to have insight into the metrics of their players. This high-tech tool is used to track player development by using a ball with a sensor to track spin rotation or an attachment on the end of a bat to track angle, exit velocity and bat speed. All of these metrics are important for player success.
Sophomore pitcher Danielle Serna has found nothing but advantages with this new device. With an added insight into the mechanics of her pitches, she knows exactly how to improve for conference play.
“I think it’s really helpful,” Serna said. “It really breaks down everything mechanically. How fast you’re throwing, the spin rate. It gives insight into what it’s like in a game. It’s more by numbers and less by the looks. I think it gives us a good understanding of what our pitches are doing and how it is in games.”
The pitchers only use this technology two or three times per week, but each time, the pitchers find something to improve upon. In the past, the coaching staff has had to use a lot of different devices to track the same metrics.
“It’s all in one where in the past we’ve had to use a speed gun, a spin metric and eyeballs and mark things visually,” pitching coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm said. “It was a lot of moving parts, but this sums it up and puts it into one app for us. I have the data and they have the data, so they can go back and look at their own metrics and the data for themselves and say, ‘what is my ball doing’ and they can compare to other pitchers. For the hitters, they can do the same thing.”
It’s made a good impact on this team. I wish we had this when I was a freshman, because it’s easier to see this visually than to just go through (the motions).Corina Gamboa, Softball Player
Although the team is still trying to figure out the ins and outs of this software, this technology is used during every practice and the skills are broken down to the bare bones. Each player has a different definition of quality mechanics, since each player has different advantages and needs. This season, everyone is trying to get acclimated to the efficiency and features of this innovative accessory.
Graduate student Corina Gamboa described one of the biggest benefits was getting to fix mistakes in preseason and to watch her progress throughout the season.
“It’s made a good impact on this team,” Gamboa said. “I wish we had this when I was a freshman, because it’s easier to see this visually than to just go through (the motions). It gives us the ability to see what we’re doing wrong sooner, like during preseason. That way later we can improve even more.”
Gamboa is not the only player who is excited about the use of this new tool. Senior Tara Shadowen had nothing bad to say about the new information and was excited with how much this software makes her improve by focusing on her weak spots as a batter.
“Working on outside pitches better (is my main focus),” Shadowen said. “I struggle with it all the time. It’s really helping me to see how I’m hitting them and if I’m improving every day. Today was my first day that I was like, ‘wow I’m hitting the outside pitch a lot better.’ It’s helped me understand how I’m hitting the ball while I’m hitting it.”
Head coach Jen Fisher is confident this technology will continue to develop the team as a whole and improve the overall quality of the athletes in the program across the board.
“I think over the past 20 years of my coaching experience, I’ve definitely seen the athletes get faster, stronger and more amazing,” Fisher said. “I think it’s because of metrics like this. I think it’s going to make the quality of athletes better. I think we’re going to see them grow and improve at a faster rate. I think they’re already improving quickly, but having technology like this helps them get better even faster.”