Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - In a time where technology is constantly evolving within the baseball world, the coaching staff for the Hokies is at the forefront of utilizing it in their player development process. Head Coach John Szefc and the athletics administration have made analytics and technology an emphasized area of growth since his arrival in 2017.
Over the last three years, the Hokies have acquired many resources on both the hitting and pitching sides of development. Szefc added Kyle Sarazin to the staff as his Director of Player Development in the summer of 2019. Sarazin runs the team's analytics operations serving as a conduit between the data and coaching staff.
"It is a huge part of our game, both on the offensive and pitching side. We are fully committed to it," Szefc said.
On the pitching side, the Hokies use Pitching Rapsodo and Rapsodo Insight, a newly released slow-motion camera, in their bullpen settings. Whether it is figuring out how pitches pair or where they best play in the zone for generating swings and misses, Sarazin and pitching coach Ryan Fecteau are constantly drawing insights from the platform.
Fecteau and Sarazin both rave about the addition of Rapsodo Insight.
"It turns teaching adjustments in the pitch design process from what was traditionally a verbal teaching process to both a verbal and visual teaching process." Fecteau said. "With the data and video automatically being overlayed after each pitch, players are able to see physical cues for each pitch type versus just being told them."
On the hitting side, coaches Kurt Elbin and Tyler Hanson use Blast Motion sensors, Hitting Rapsodo, and Rapsodo Insight in the batting cages with Trackman being used for batting practice on the field. Blast Motion shows how the bat moves through each swing generating metrics like bat speed and measures of how well the barrel stays on plane in the strike zone. Hitting Rapsodo and Trackman generate information of how hard the ball is hit, at what angle it comes off the bat, and the projected distance. Elbin uses video from Rapsodo Insight to teach concepts like depth of contact by pitch location and different adjustments throughout the swing.
Sarazin generates reports based off of Trackman data collected in both the batting practice and game settings.
"Basically we are getting to show our players data and numbers that support what we are all seeing," Elbin said. "Having this information allows them to use their strengths and know their weaknesses inside the strike zone. With all the data available to us, Kyle helps simplify the message for their in-game approach."
The Hokies also use virtual reality to help develop their hitters. Win reality is a virtual reality headset that helps train pitch recognition and swing decision skills for each of Tech's hitters against arms they actually face during their season. Win reality is also used as a scouting tool.
"I can pull up the starter for that day's game and our hitters can take a few simulated at bats as part of their batting practice routine," Sarazin said. "This way when they step into the box for the first time, it is almost like they have a half dozen at bats under their belt already."
"Win Reality takes what we were doing with scouting to the next level. It completely immerses the hitter in a live four-dimensional video at bat," Szefc added.
Even though there is a plethora of analytical resources at the Hokies disposal nowadays, Sarazin explains "At the end of the day, the primary source of evaluation for our players is the coaching staff's eyes. We use the data and technology as a teaching tool and to draw additional insights that may not be easy to see from the dugout. I like to refer to it as an 80/20 rule. You can see 80 percent of what is going on with your eyes and 20 percent through the data. That 20 percent can play a key role in bringing our players to the next level though."