Profile
Pia Bartraij is the Talent Coach for the TTNL softball program and serves as an Embedded Scientist within the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB). With an academic background in Sport Science and Human Movement Science, she brings a fresh and research-driven perspective to athlete development—one that challenges traditional approaches and emphasizes long-term growth.
Specializing in performance monitoring, visual training, applied research, and data analysis, Pia works at the intersection of science and sport. One of her key initiatives has been the implementation of a visual training program aimed at improving athletes’ decision making by strengthening the link between perception and action. In addition, she developed a centralized exercise platform to share knowledge and learning progressions across the federation, supporting coaches in applying innovative, evidence-based practices in their daily work.
In addition to her work with KNBSB, Pia also consults for the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates organization. There, she contributes to applied research projects, supports the integration of visual training, and helps embed scientific thinking into organizational decision-making.
At the 20th EBCA Convention in Antwerp, Pia will lead a softball session on applying science within player development programs. Her talk will highlight how perception-action principles can be implemented through visual training, and will outline key focus areas for building more effective and evidence-informed practices.
