Diamond Kinetics Teams Up With MLB and Pittsburgh Pirates for PLAY BALL Weekend

Leading Youth Development Platform Will Drop Exclusive In-App MLB PLAY BALL Experiences, Participate in Live Activation at PNC Park

PITTSBURGH, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamond Kinetics (DK), a leading sports technology company pioneering the future of youth baseball and softball development, today announced that it will be celebrating Major League Baseball's PLAY BALL Weekend with MLB-exclusive digital PLAY BALL mission experiences and rewards, and an on-field activation at PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Diamond Kinetics is a youth baseball and softball player development platform that turns practice into play by gamifying training through one-of-a-kind missions and challenges that reward participation. Its membership-based experience combines a bat sensor attachment and mobile app designed to help players have more fun while they improve their hitting.

As the "Trusted Youth Development Platform of MLB," Diamond Kinetics works with the league to create fun and engaging digital training programs for players to improve their skills and interact with MLB clubs and content. Today, DK is releasing a new in-app PLAY BALL mission that will encourage kids to play games and participate in guided hitting drills to unlock exclusive content and rewards, including team-specific PLAY BALL Weekend badges from MLB.

"Our partnership with Diamond Kinetics gives youth baseball and softball players the chance to discover new ways to engage with the sport they love on the digital platforms where they are already present," said David James, MLB's Vice President of Baseball and Softball Development. "We're thrilled for the PLAY BALL experience in the DK app to launch during PLAY BALL Weekend. This will be an excellent opportunity to merge their passion for our sport with their invested interest in the gamified entertainment of the Big Leagues."

"Diamond Kinetics is dedicated to propelling diamond sports to new heights through the power of technology. Through our partnership with MLB, we're excited to bring the fun of PLAY BALL Weekend to kids across the country and make it possible for everyone to get involved no matter where they are," said CJ Handron, CEO of Diamond Kinetics. "As a proud Pittsburgh-based organization, we are honored to collaborate with the Pirates to deliver an unforgettable experience to local kids that merges fun and skills development on-site at PNC Park."

The Pittsburgh Pirates will feature Diamond Kinetics' proprietary bat-sensor technology and interactive games at PNC Park on June 10th as part of the team's weekend celebration. Local baseball and softball players will have the opportunity to use DK's Swing Match Experience to see which Pirates player their swing most resembles. Diamond Kinetics' Swing Match Experience leverages computer vision technologies to help connect youth players with their favorite big league stars. 

"The Pirates organization has partnered with Diamond Kinetics on a number of initiatives to support youth player development and access to technology, including the recent distribution of 500 bat sensors through our RBI program," said Travis Williams, Pirates President. "We're thrilled to have Diamond Kinetics on-site at our PLAY BALL Weekend event, bringing the Swing Match experience to life on the Jumbotron. It will be incredibly exciting to witness kids matching up with their favorite Pirates players and rediscovering the magic of baseball and softball."

Diamond Kinetics has demonstrated its commitment to supporting youth baseball and softball development through its in-app experiences, on-site activations, and local community work. As part of the Pirates' RBI Power Hitters Program, Diamond Kinetics worked with the team to distribute free DK SwingTracker bat sensors to more than 500 Pirates RBI athletes on May 31. Teams and players had the opportunity to visit the PNC Park to collect their sensors and practice with Diamond Kinetics game stations. The program, powered by Duquesne Light, is designed to help develop the next generation of hitters by providing access to cutting-edge training tools and technology, giving players within the Pirates RBI a competitive edge.

About Diamond Kinetics
Diamond Kinetics (DK), is a leading sports technology company pioneering the future of youth baseball and softball development. With an emphasis on connected devices, computer vision functionality, and virtual reality integration, DK provides affordable and portable mobile technology that enhances real-world play and accelerates learning, development, and overall passion for the game. DK is the Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball, and partners with organizations including PONY, Babe Ruth League, Ripken Baseball, USA Baseball, and USA Softball to reach and engage today's youth baseball and softball players. For more information, visit www.DiamondKinetics.com

SOURCE Diamond Kinetics