Florida Softball Signs Blast Motion

The Florida Gators softball team has officially brought Blast Motion into the program, planning to use the technology for player development, hitting improvements and recruiting insights.

"We are ecstatic about the opportunity to work with Blast Motion," says Tim Walton, Florida's head coach. "The data that we will be able to capture and analyze using their products will give our analytics staff and our coaches valuable information that we can utilize to make an impact with our players. Blast's sensor technology will allow us to communicate more effectively through the use of the data that is collected and visibly displayed to our hitters."

California-based Blast Motion uses a sensor placed on the knob of a player's bat to track metrics and send the data to a connected device via Bluetooth. The swing metrics captured work with the company's software to allow players and coaches the opportunity to analyze swings with a focus on improving time to contact, bat path angle, swing speed and more.

"Blast Motion technology is going to allow us as coaches to instantaneously work with our athletes on their swings," Walton says. "We're trying to merge the objective and the subjective world to give our athletes instant feedback on what their swing looks like, build trends and identify issues of where we need to make adjustments."

Walton says that as a coach he's looking to find the root of a swing's problem, and the metrics provided by the technology can help identify and show issues that he may not be able to see otherwise.

The app-based nature of Blast Motion also gives the Florida players an opportunity to watch their swings and see their metrics lined up with video. The sensor and mobile app sync the data with auto-clipped video to enhance the swing analysis. The software allows for real-time swing analytics, side-by-side swing comparisons, 3D swing tracer visualizations and team reports.

"As a leader in the sport, University of Florida softball is always looking to maximize player development. Coach Walton and his staff understand the value that technology can provide, so when we first began working together it seemed like a perfect fit," says Matt Tanner, Blast Motion senior sales channel manager for baseball and softball.

"After several years of rigorous testing, proving the impact first-hand with their players and coaches in any training environment or dynamic, Florida Softball decided to implement our technology with its players as well as in its camp programming. As part of our relationship, moving forward the Gators will not only leverage our sensors and apps but also our premium services as well as ongoing one-on-one support with our experts."

Earlier this year, Blast Motion had another Florida connection, signing former Gators coach and three-time All-American Amanda Lorenz to its team of influencers.

Tim Newcomb covers business and gear for Softball America. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.

Kelsey Stewart Hunter Returns To The Field Stronger As A Mom

Kelsey Stewart Hunter became a mother last August and is back on the softball field this summer for Athletes Unlimited.