Tracking Body Composition Profiles In Division I Collegiate Baseball Players

Shifts in athletes’ body composition (BC) may significantly impact sport performance. Thus, accurately tracking these profiles may improve performance and prevent major injuries. However, changes in athlete BC profiles using state-of-the-art technology are unquantified. PURPOSE: To evaluate BC profiles in a sample of male, collegiate baseball players during the 2023-2024 season. METHODS: Data from 34 athletes with three, BC assessments were analyzed. The participants were 18.6 ± 1.4 years old, 79.4% non-Hispanic white, and 52.9% pitchers. Bone mineral content (BMC, g), non-bone lean mass (NB-LM, g), fat mass (FM, g) and % body fat (%BF) were quantified via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in the off-season (December), pre-season (February) and late season (April). Participants followed all pre-testing guidelines and were tested in the morning. Changes in BMC, NB-LM, FM and %BF were evaluated via repeated-measures ANOVA, adjusted for familywise error. RESULTS: BMC significantly increased (+0.04 ± 0.01 kg, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.2) between the off-season through pre-season. No significant differences in BMC were observed between pre-season and late season (+0.007 ± 0.01 kg, 95%CI: -0.03, 0.04). For NB-LM, a non-significant decrease was observed between the off-season and pre-season (-0.1 ± 0.2 kg, 95%CI: -0.5, 7.9). However, between pre-season and late season, significant decrements in NB-LM (-4.4 ± 0.2 kg, 95%CI: -4.9, -3.7) were found. Increases in FM did not significantly change between the off- and pre-season (+0.26 ± 0.2 kg, 95%CI: -0.29, 0.83), however, significantly increased during pre- and late season (+3.1 ± 0.3 kg, 95%CI: 2.5, 3.8). %BF also exhibited a non-significant increase between the off- and pre-season (+0.3 ± 0.2%, 95%CI: -0.25, 0.75), however, significantly increased during pre- and late season (+3.8 ± 0.3%, 95%CI: 3.2, 4.4). CONCLUSION: Through the off- and pre-seasons, only BMC showed a statistically significant increase. But, from pre-season through late season, significant decreases in NB-LM and increases FM and %BF were observed. These changes were consistent across all positions.