A newly installed technology system called KinaTrax is giving the Cal Poly baseball team a competitive advantage where both pitchers and hitters are getting insight into their mechanics in a way few programs across the country are getting.
“We all want to win super bad and take it as far as we can," sophomore right-handed pitcher Ethan Marmie said.
It’s easy to be excited about winning but with a new analytics system at Baggett Stadium, the hope is that it keeps players not only winning but also healthy.
“I think there's so much about the game that we're learning can be quantified," Cal Poly pitching coach Seth Moir stated.
The motion capture technology utilizes 16 cameras to capture a myriad of data. It can all be used by the pitchers and hitters to improve their mechanics, helping with performance and most importantly, injury prevention.
“The main thing for us is how to keep our guys healthy," Moir said.
“It's pretty much just telling you like when you get in those positions throughout your motion and how to optimize it best for your body," Marmie explained of the system.
It’s only been used over the last three weeks with its recent installation, but Moir provided insight into the data that they can look at.
“We can run a report, and in a game, we have the ability to look at all of this in real-time," he explained as he went through the biomechanical data on-screen of Jack Collins and his walk-off home run against sixth-ranked Oregon State a few weeks ago. "Everyone here is going to develop so much faster."
For Marmie, it’s a tool that he’s excited to use throughout his career.
“I'm going to develop so much faster," Marmie said. "Everyone here is going to develop so much faster."
The Mustangs, who have a history of producing top-level talent, now have a tool that only six other colleges across the country use, being the only mid-major program with it installed.
“That's where the competitive edge is, right now is figuring out what applies to your players and to your pitchers and to your program," Moir said.
The $500,000 KinaTrax system was funded through donors and now will help assist a Mustang baseball team that is off to its best conference start in program history.
The program is also one of the top mid-major programs in the country, having already beaten two top-10 nationally ranked teams this season.
