March 29, 2022
Purdue Uses 3DAT Performance Technology
By DAVID CHING
Purdue University
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s baseball team aims to be “the fastest show on dirt.”
A partnership with Intel is helping the Boilermakers turn that motto into a realistic claim.
Purdue is the first college baseball program in the country to incorporate Intel’s 3DAT (3D Athlete Tracking) video technology into its training regimen.
It isn’t any coincidence that Purdue is 18-1 this season and ranked 16th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. The Boilermakers have stolen 57 of 65 bases in 2022 in just 19 games which ranks fourth nationally in stolen bases per game.
Because of their team speed and base running savvy, the Boilermakers have forced 36 errors by opponents and caused 6 balks.
By utilizing feedback from the 3DAT system, Purdue players are learning how to adjust their posture and technique to become faster, more efficient runners.
For a baseball program that wants to be aggressive on the base paths, any incremental increase in team speed can create a significant competitive advantage, whether stealing bases, legging out infield hits or tracking down fly balls in the outfield.
Being Explosive On Field
“That’s one thing that we try to build off of. Speed is there every day,” says Greg Goff, Purdue’s head baseball coach.
“You might be able to hit some days. Some days you might be able to pitch. But speed is there every day, and it’s something that I believe in as a coach.
“When we run our offense, we’re trying to build players that can really run, that can be explosive on the baseball field.”
Once they began experimenting with the 3DAT system last year, Purdue’s players immediately noticed they were gaining the explosiveness their coach desires.
Outfielder Cam Thompson admits he was the team’s slowest runner last season. After Rance Terry, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, showed him the 3DAT data revealing that he crouched too low while running, however, Thompson corrected his posture to stand taller while accelerating.
That minor adjustment made a massive difference.
“He brought it to my attention, and it obviously changed my running in general and made me a whole lot faster where I’m close to the top of the fastest on the team now,” says Thompson, a sophomore in organizational leadership.
Baseball is already in the midst of a data revolution that is changing the way the sport is played. Statistical probabilities frequently prompt infielders to shift to areas where batters are most likely to hit the ball. Information detailing spin rates of pitchers’ curve balls and exit velocities of batters’ hits help TV viewers better understand the game they enjoy watching.
The Boilermakers identify their 3DAT feedback as yet another step in this data revolution and recognize that they are only beginning to comprehend its many potential applications.
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