Sports Analytics Research
Applying Sabermetrics to NCAA Softball
Should all statistics be interpreted equally? Can we assume that the highest batting average, highest OPS, and lowest ERA are always the best? In the sabermetrics world of baseball, the answer to these questions is a firm no. This is due to factors that differ for each team, specifically ballpark run environment (park factor) and league-wide averages. Accounting for these factors has led to the advanced statistics OPS+ and ERA+, which demonstrate that surface-level stats do not tell the full story.
What Batting Average Is Missing — And How We Built Something Better
In today’s era of college baseball, nearly every pitch and every swing is tracked. Exit velocity, launch angle, and swing decisions are tracked with staggering precision, offering deeper insight into how offense is generated. And yet, despite this unprecedented level of analytic opportunity, lineup decisions are usually still made by the same familiar statistics.
Flag Football on the Rise: The Growth of Flag Football in Alabama
In the 2028 Summer Olympics, the sport of flag football will make its first appearance on the Olympic stage. This is a clear signal that flag football is growing as a sport on the global stage.
2025 College Football Playoff Predictions: Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis & CFP Championship Odds
The 12-team College Football Playoff in 2025 brings unprecedented uncertainty to predicting the national champion. Using advanced Monte Carlo simulation models, we analyzed CFP bracket outcomes and championship odds for all playoff teams, including favorites Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Texas Tech, and Oregon. With the transfer portal reshaping rosters, NIL deals creating free agency dynamics, and conference realignment redrawing college football's competitive landscape, traditional prediction methods fall short.
Samford Sports Industry Professor’s World Cup Study on American Soccer Fandom Featured in LA Times
Darin W. White, founder of Samford’s Sports Industry Program, is seeking insights on the path professional soccer must take to rival the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball in the United States.
Samford Sports Analytics Program Gets ASPA's First U.S. Endorsement
Birmingham, Alabama – September 2, 2025 - Samford University's Brock School of Business has achieved a groundbreaking milestone, becoming the first university in the United States to receive endorsement from the Association of Sports Performance Analysts (ASPA) for its Sports Analytics - Team and Player Performance Track program.
