The NCAA Softball Rules Committee approved the use of swing-tracking bat sensors during games for the coming 2018 season, becoming the first major baseball or softball organization to approve the devices for competition. The data will not be accessible until after the games but will provide a new reference point for players and coaches.
“The ability to use sensor technology in practice environments is really valuable, but there is a natural desire from players and coaches to compare game swings against practice swings,” Diamond Kinetics CEO C.J. Handron wrote in an email to SportTechie. “NCAA Softball and its membership have taken a progressive step forward as a leader in enabling the use of this technology that hopefully will serve as a roadmap for other organizations that are considering doing the same.