College Sports
Davidson College Baseball
AT A GLANCE
The Davidson College Baseball team faced a difficult 2023-2024 season marked by underperformance, high injury rates, and unclear leadership dynamics. In December 2024, they partnered with WISE Sport to better understand individual and team performance needs, leadership gaps, and environmental misalignment. Through this tailored approach, the team was able to transform both their culture and performance in the months that followed.
CHALLENGES
Overtraining & Fatigue: Players were over-scheduled with little rest, resulting in injury spikes, poor recovery habits, and skipped meals.
Low Joy, High Rumination: WISE Trait scores revealed extremely low joy and high rumination, indicating burnout and mental clutter.
Fear of Disruption: Players hesitated to speak up due to fear of “rocking the boat,” leading to poor communication and psychological safety scores.
BENEFITS
01
Shifted Practice Design from Volume to Purpose
Reducing total weekly hours and adding team input
02
Supported Coach
Supported a coach in moving away from negative reinforcement toward positive performance feedback
03
Check-ins 1 on 1
Introduced accountability pods and one-on-one coaching check-ins
KEY STATS
+17 games from the previous season
+60% improvement in feedback time
74 Wise Score improved
Practice Load: Time reallocated to rest & recovery.
Player Input in Practice: Integrated across leadership levels
“This brought things to light that we hadn’t really talked about before. It’s made a huge difference.”
- Davidson Player
“I’m so thankful for this process. It helped me figure out what I need to be better—not just in baseball, but in life.”
- Davidson Player
“We didn’t just get better physically—we understood how to show up for each other and for the team.”
- Team Captain