Program monster: Rochester-based software company keeps Minnesota amateur baseball teams running – Rochester Minnesota news, weather, sports

Steve Loos uses a computer program to try to make life easier for sports organizations.

He also hopes to keep as many people as possible active in the sport.

Loos, 46, is the founder and president of Da Vinci Software in Rochester. He formed the company in 2008, and in 2011 he launched ScoreMonster.

ScoreMonster is a program application that helps a sports organization meet the majority of its needs in one location. It includes the ability to maintain an in-game box score as well as update team and player stats. But the program can also provide a team with a website, online player registration, and background checks.

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“ScoreMonster is really a whole ecosystem for a sports organization to do it all,” Loos said. “We saw that the problem in the market was that most youth and adult sports organizations are all volunteer based. And they’re trying to find tools to help them deal with the growing need to manage the sport.

Loos, a native of Lakeville, played amateur baseball for 25 years and the Minnesota Baseball Association was ScoreMonster’s first customer.

The Minnesota Baseball Association Board of Governors has made ScoreMonster its official platform for its website, and all amateur teams in the state now enter their schedules and rosters through ScoreMonster. The program has the ability to do live scores and teams can easily post scores and box scores after their matches.

The Rochester Royals use the iScore app to track their box scores on an iPad.

ScoreMonster is an integration partner with iScore. The Royals use the iScore app to track their box scores on an iPad, then import iScore stats into ScoreMonster to share and integrate their status online into the

Minnesota Baseball Association website

.

“We score every game on an iPad and then it’s an easy submission to ScoreMonster,” said Royals player / manager Tim Oesterlin.

There are just under 300 amateur baseball teams in Minnesota and they are all registered to use ScoreMonster. The association has just signed a 10-year extension to use the program.

“We saw this as an opportunity when we started doing more of the rating platform,” Loos said. “We have started to bring this ecosystem together. Now when you register a player, it is automatically registered in the website list for example. Then that person will automatically appear in the grading app when you need to grade them. You don’t need to re-enter them three or four times in different apps.

The Minnesota Baseball Association may also use the Player Ranking program to determine whether teams should be Class A, B, or C.

“Everything is powered by ScoreMonster,” Loos said. “He examines the age of the players, where they live, their experience, whether they have played pro (ball), DI (college), D-II, D-III, high school. He takes a look at how well this team has done, whether they’ve been in the state tournament, the last four, or won it all (a state title) in the last few years.

ScoreMonster is primarily used in baseball and softball at this time, but Loos intends to use the program in other sports in the near future.

“I think what sets us apart is that everyone involved is invested in youth sport and amateur sport to be successful,” Loos said. “We’re really excited to keep the kids active and the adults active. “

ScoreMonster also updates player and team stats.

“By keeping people more engaged with their team, more fans watched amateur baseball,” Loos said. “It’s pretty cool to see your stats, to see your team, to follow you as a player, isn’t it?” ”

All information provided by the program is updated on each team’s website and is available to fans.

“Once the league signs a contract to use ScoreMonster, all fans, whatever they see on the public website is under the umbrella of the association and can use it for free,” Loos said.