From baseball stats to big data: A Brandeis student turns his passion for sports into analytics

Brandeis Stories

From baseball stats to big data: A Brandeis student turns his passion for sports into analytics

By Mary Horan
March 23, 2026

Sports and statistics have always gone hand in hand for Benjamin Schwartz '27, a student in the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program. Pursuing the Sport Analytics concentration at Brandeis School of Business and Economics, Schwartz is turning that passion into real-world experience - from research on baseball strategy to hands-on work with the Brandeis baseball team.

"I would definitely consider myself someone who is sports obsessed," he says.

"And sports and sports statistics were always interesting to me. Even as a little kid. I would jump up to the breakfast table and read the scores in the newspaper and look at all the statistics. And that was kind of the start of it all. I grew up playing baseball from a very early age, and was fortunate to play through college as well."

That early curiosity eventually led Schwartz to pursue graduate study in analytics after several years working in the golf industry, where he began incorporating data into his work in event operations.

"But during my time with my former company, I was able to start to incorporate some data analytics and really bring that into my role at a very basic level," he says. "That encouraged me to pursue it even further."

"I would definitely consider myself someone who is sports obsessed."

Benjamin Schwartz '27

Bringing analytics to the Brandeis baseball team

At Brandeis, Schwartz has been able to apply what he is learning directly to athletics on campus.

"There are so many opportunities to get involved at Brandeis," he says. I've even started working with the Brandeis baseball team doing some statistics and working with them to build scouting reports and strategy on the numbers."

At the Division III level, analytics can help teams uncover valuable insights, especially without large data departments.

"I'm able to work with them on getting them that data, taking down statistics and helping their players figure out what they're doing well, what they're not doing well, even looking at future opponents to see things that they might be able to take advantage of."

Researching baseball strategy

Schwartz has also collaborated with faculty and classmates on sports analytics research.

Recently he wrote a sports analytics research paper with a fellow student and a professor here at Brandeis that examined how recent rule changes in Major League Baseball could affect late-game strategy.

"We were really interested in learning how the new extra innings rules in baseball have impacted scoring," he said."And how can teams use analytics to get a higher win probability and make sure that they're going to win the game."

Schwartz conducted the research with Professor Ahmed Namini, director of the MSBA program.

"Professor Namini… is fantastic working with students and their interests."

Connecting with the sports analytics industry

The MSBA program provides opportunities for students to engage with professionals working across the sports analytics field.

Last semester, Schwartz attended the New England Symposium on Statistics and Sports, a Harvard event drawing professionals from around the country to present research and discuss ideas. He also attended the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference at the beginning of March, one of the leading gatherings for industry professionals and researchers in the field.

"As someone who was just really getting into this area, I thought it was a great opportunity to get introduced to a lot of people and to learn a lot more about how analytics works in sports," Schwartz says.

"There's so much data that's available in baseball that allows you to practice and learn so much about how analytics can be involved in sports."

Benjamin Schwartz '27

Building a sports analytics community on campus

Schwartz is also helping expand opportunities for students interested in sports analytics. Last year, he co-founded the Brandeis Sports Analytics Club.

"The sports analytics club is something that another student and I started last semester where really we're just looking to expose more people to sports analytics and to all that it has to offer."

Last semester the director of analytics for the Boston Celtics spoke on campus to a roomful of students interested in learning more about the field.

Looking ahead

After graduation, Schwartz hopes to pursue a career in sports analytics working with a professional team focusing on player evaluation.

"As someone who loves sports and loves watching, playing, just being in the sports world, I would love being able to contribute to a team's success."

For students considering the MSBA program's sports analytics concentration, he says the challenge is worth it.

Sports analytics is a challenging concentration in the MSBA but "if you put in the work and you really try to make an effort to learn what's being taught here, and expose yourself to all the opportunities that are available, you'll be successful," says Schwartz.

"And it's such a rewarding experience to learn these new skills, especially when it's related to something that you're so personally interested in."