BRADENTON, Fla. — An elite athlete and educational academy in Bradenton started using a new software system in November that is helping improve athletes' performance.


What You Need To Know

  • IMG Academy started using a new software called Smartabase in November 2022

  • The software helps organize tech data into one place 

  • The data will be used to improve athletes' performance

Stone Russell takes a lot of batting practice. “Its always something I’ve done. It's something I love to do,” he said.

He's a baseball player and a student at IMG Academy. “My hopes and dreams are to set myself up this year in the best possible position in the future. I want to play professional baseball,” he said.

He's been at the academy since kindergarten. He’s now 18 years old and in his senior year. “I always grew up around the game and have been playing ever since I can remember, honestly,” he said.

The academy uses different types of technology to help players succeed. John-Ford Griffin is a hitting coordinator for baseball at IMG Academy. “So right now I am setting up the Rapsodo iPad,” he said.

A camera and radar technology are used to measure ball flight velocity and other metrics. All of this data is then sent to the academy's newest technology called Smartabase.

Bryce Murphy is the head of data management and analytics at IMG Academy. He says it collects all tech data from different sports at the academy and puts it all in one place. “That can range from force play data GPS data to heart rate data, but it's all coming to one location so you can get a whole profile picture of the student-athlete,” he said.

He says the system helps them make better decisions on training that can improve an athlete's overall performance. “In soccer you can use a drill library using GPS, so if a coach likes to run certain drills you slap the GPS on, then tag the drills and name the drills, and over time you build up this database,” he said.

Stone practices about six days a week. He says it's beneficial to use a range of technologies during his training. “I know it definitely helps me and a lot of other guys at the academy,” he said.

Still, it all starts with the basics and maybe his favorite kind of drill is just playing catch with his dad.

Stone dreams of making it all the way to the pros and he’s hoping cutting-edge technology will help him hit it out of the park.

Stone will be going to college in the fall playing baseball for the University of Florida.