Since joining Rice University in 2023, Scott Powers has poured his extensive experience in the sport industry into developing curricula for a new Sport Analytics major while establishing a research lab that guides students as they explore their future in the global sports analytics market.
Powers, an assistant professor of sport analytics and statistics, previously worked in Major League Baseball front offices – two years as an analytics consultant with the Oakland Athletics, five years in R&D for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one season with the Houston Astros as an assistant general manager. He holds two championship rings, one for the Dodgers' 2020 World Series and the other for the Astros' 2022 World Series.
In addition to quantitative analysis in baseball, Powers’ journal publications and working papers have rigorously evaluated and provided impactful insights to the NFL draft, as well as in volleyball, basketball, and soccer analytics.
Sport analytics involves collaboration between data scientists, coaches, athletes, and business stakeholders to interpret data, gain insights, and make planned decisions. Powers is translating this collaborative mindset in his new academic world.
Joint research with statistics doctoral student Rose Graves and Marina Vannucci, the Noah Harding Professor of Statistics, funded by Major League Baseball, combines pitch-tracking data and biomechanics data to identify risk factors for injuries in pitchers. The work was presented to 30 MLB clubs at the GM Meetings this past November and they are scheduled to present to a broader audience this winter.
Powers is also working with Rice colleagues in the Department of Sport Management to expand connections between the university and the sport industry landscape. In a major initiative, he and a team of students launched the American Soccer Insights Summit in January 2025.
Funded in part by the Rice Creative Ventures Conference and Workshop Development, the event brings researchers and analysts from professional teams and media outlets to the Rice campus. The 2026 summit will take place on January 30–31.
Other key strategies for industry-academia engagement have included guest speakers and seminars, as well as mentorship through the Rice Sports Analytics Team, a student club that supports Rice varsity athletics through analytics tools and insights. Powers is also heavily involved with the Rice Center for Teaching Excellence and the INSTILL Mini-Grant Program.
In building core courses for the Sport Analytics major, Powers teamed up with Hua Gong, an assistant professor of sport analytics, to establish curricula for Sport Analytics SMGT 430/530, Soccer Analytics SMGT 432, Football Analytics SMGT 434, and Baseball Analytics SMGT 435.
The major in Sport Analytics was launched in the fall of 2022, and is an interdepartmental program, overseen by the Departments of Sport Management and Statistics, with the Data to Knowledge (D2K) providing experiential learning opportunities. The major is designed to assist undergraduate students in developing strong data analysis and analytical thinking skills to address important questions, both on the team/player performance side and the business/revenue generation side of the sport industry.
Through programs in education, research, and outreach, CoFES, which is housed in the Department of Statistics, has been a long-term collaborator of the Department of Sport Management. In 2021, CoFES and the Department of Sport Management co-hosted the 9th Eubank Conference on Real World Markets: Sports Analytics and Gaming Risk Management.
At the 2021 Eubank Conference, James G. Disch, P.E.D., Associate Professor Emeritus of Sport Management, was one of three to receive the 2021 CoFES Prize in Computational Statistics. The highly successful event also inspired the Thomas and Carrie Hutchinson Leadership Initiative in Sport Analytics.
The Department of Sport Management is housed in Rice's School of Social Sciences and has been ranked America’s No. 1 Best College for Sports Management since 2020.
- Shawn Hutchins, Communications and Marketing Specialist
