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The University of Cincinnati’s baseball team is enjoying improved batting averages after its first season conditioned by a vision-training program.

The paper, “High-Performance Vision Training Improves Batting Statistics for University of Cincinnati Baseball Players,” elaborates on the research conducted on UC’s baseball team.

The paper was published Jan. 19 in PLoS ONE, an online peer-reviewed scientific research journal.

The team of researchers includes Johnny Bench, Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer and catcher for the 1970s Cincinnati Reds; Dr. Joe Clark, athletic trainer and professor of neuroscience at UC; Dr. Jane Khoury, biostatistician and research associate professor of pediatrics at UC; Dr. James Ellis, UC’s team optometrist for athletics; and Pat Graman, director of UC’s Athletic Training Program and professor in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services.

“[The study was] a way to get creative and separate ourselves, and give us an edge over our competition,” said Brian Cleary, head coach of the UC baseball team. “This is one thing no one else is doing, [so] we might be able to give ourselves an advantage… [With] minimal investment and time, we might enjoy some real benefits.”

The vision training was implemented in January 2011, six weeks before the start of the season.

Each team member participated in thrice-weekly, pre-season training sessions, each session averaging 30 minutes. A more concentrated schedule was conducted during the season, training twice weekly, each session lasting 20 to 30 minutes.

Individualized combinations of eight training techniques designed to quicken visual motor skills and recognize images faster were presented to the players.

“[The study focused on batting averages because it’s] something that resonates with everyone and it’s a very quantifiable parameter,” Cleary said.

It is noted in the paper that some exercises simulate defensive play.

UC competes in the Big East Conference against 11 other teams. While the Big East’s batting average fell from .305 in 2010 to .272 in 2011, UC’s batting average rose from .251 to .285.

The NCAA regulation bats were changed simultaneously with the vision-training program conducted at UC.

In collegiate baseball, aluminum bats are typically used. The bats were altered to mimic wooden bats, causing the cumulative batting average for Division I to be the lowest statistic since 1976 at .282.

“[There are future plans to conduct a] study with control groups to make a more definitive report … Definitive research hasn’t been done, [but] it’s generally agreed that vision training is beneficial,” Clark said. “It fills in gaps of understanding about how to improve sports performance with vision neurocognitive training.”

Opinion among the team was “basically unanimous,” Cleary said.

Fourteen of the 16 players believed the program was helpful, and the two that didn’t individually feel affected thought it was helpful enough for the rest of the team to continue the training in
following seasons.

Braden Kline, a fourth-year criminal justice student and a catcher and outfielder, said the program increased his ability to see the height of pitches and bettered his reaction time.

T.J. Jones, a fourth-year sports administration student and UC infielder, said that his performance has definitely improved since he began vision training.

Both players said that their individual averages improved.

The Bearcats will start their second season under this conditioning on Feb.17 against Purdue University.