Press Release

Atlanta, GA, United States – May 14, 2026 – The Southeastern Conference (SEC) will utilize Hawk-Eye Innovations, a Sony group company, to implement the tracking for an Automated Ball-Strike Challenge system on an experimental basis for each game of the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament.

For the first time in a collegiate setting, the SEC is leveraging Hawk-Eye’s tracking technology, as part of its continued push to bring premium solutions into college baseball. Already implemented in the professional game this season, the ABS Challenge System will allow teams to challenge an umpire’s strike or ball call via an automated tracking system that monitors the exact location of each pitch, relative to the specific batter’s zone.

In addition to tracking pitched balls, the system captures the bat (swing path, bat speed, and attack angle), along with full biomechanics for both pitchers and hitters that can be analysed in the KinaTrax Dugout platform, part of the Hawk-Eye suite of solutions for baseball. It also ties directly into the SEC’s replay system, adding additional synchronized camera angles to give officials better visibility and more context when reviewing plays.

“We’re proud to bring a truly best-in-class ball, bat, and biomechanics tracking system to this year’s SEC Tournament,” said George Baines, Head of Baseball at Hawk-Eye Innovations. “This is the same core technology trusted at the highest levels of professional baseball, now being deployed in a collegiate environment for the first time at this level of fidelity. Our focus is on providing the most accurate and comprehensive tracking data possible, enabling deeper insight into player performance.”

The SEC Baseball Tournament will be held on May 19-24 at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala. Each team will have three challenges to start the game. When a challenge is successful, the team will retain it. If the original call is confirmed, instead, the team will lose the challenge.

This deployment follows up to a number of successful projects Hawk-Eye has undertaken in collaboration with the SEC in recent years, including Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology (SMART) video review systems in soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s basketball.