How PLNU × Padres Captures Game-Speed Swing Data With Theia3D

Summary

The PLNU × Padres Biomechanics Lab set out to measure swings the way athletes actually perform them—at full intent, in real training environments. With Theia3D, the team now captures synchronized bat and body mechanics without markers, sensors, or workflow disruption. Early results reveal what game-speed swings truly look like and why this shift is reshaping both research and player development.

Overview

The PLNU × Padres Biomechanics Lab is a joint facility between Point Loma Nazarene University and the San Diego Padres, focused on player performance and injury-prevention research. Their goal: collect data that reflects how athletes actually move, not just how they move in a lab.

Traditional marker-based systems delivered precision, but at a cost: hours of setup, constrained spaces, and limited throughput. The team needed lab-grade accuracy that could live on the field.
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Indoor baseball biomechanics lab at PLNU × Padres, showing the full hitting and pitching lane used for high-speed video capture and markerless motion analysis. — Theia3D operates seamlessly within PLNU x Padres’ existing training lane, allowing staff to capture full bat and body biomechanics without altering their normal workflow.
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The Challenge
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Setup flows limited how many athletes could be captured in a session.
Capturing bat and body together required multiple hardware systems and extra post-processing.
Swing analysis was often restricted to lab environments rather than game-speed practice.

Side-by-side view of a hitter swinging naturally with Theia3D automatically detecting the bat and generating full bat-path and body-kinematics tracking. — Theia3D allows athletes to swing naturally in their normal training environment. The system automatically detects the bat and produces a full 3D bat path synchronized with complete body tracking, without any sensors or workflow changes.

The Solution
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With Theia3D’s markerless bat tracking, PLNU researchers now capture both bat and body motion in a single, synchronized workflow.

No markers. No wearable sensors. No additional bat hardware.

What previously required heavy calibration and controlled setups can now be deployed directly in training environments. Athletes swing naturally, and researchers collect full-context motion data that aligns with how hitters actually move on the field.

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Early Impact
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Workflow designed for rapid setup and minimal calibration burden.
Ability to capture larger groups of athletes within a single session.
Consistent bat+body capture across real hitting environments.
Researchers are able to observe true game-speed swings, not lab-only versions.
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Multi-camera video inputs feeding into Theia3D’s automated 3D reconstruction of a hitter’s swing, showing synchronized bat-path and full-body tracking. — Theia3D provides coaches and performance staff with precise bat-path and body-mechanics data they can use to diagnose issues, tailor interventions, and accelerate athlete development.
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“Theia’s markerless technology represents a breakthrough in how we capture and analyze swing mechanics. It removes the barriers of traditional setups, letting us gather quality swing data directly from the field or the cage. That’s a game changer for both research and applied development.”

– Dr. Arnel Aguinaldo, Director of the PLNU Biomechanics Lab and President of the American Baseball Biomechanics Society.

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Ready to see markerless bat tracking in action?

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Book a Demo with Theia’s team to explore how this system can elevate your hitting analysis and player development. We’ll walk you through a live capture and answer any further questions specific to your environment. Get a hands-on look at the only markerless bat-and-body tracking solution validated at the professional level – and see how it can work in your cage or lab.

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Book a demo today to take the next step in data-driven player development!

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