For Brandon Schoenwether, a soon-to-be PhD graduate from the University of Miami’s School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), a childhood dream is becoming a reality. This June, he will join the Detroit Tigers as a baseball biomechanist, trading the classroom for the major leagues.
Schoenwether credits his journey to the unique opportunities within the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences. The program allowed him to customize his coursework, blending core studies in biomechanics with electives in statistics and data science. This provided the technical foundation he needed for his new role.
His hands-on work in the Sports Medicine & Motion Analysis Lab proved equally critical. The lab's markerless motion capture technology, the same type used by the Miami Hurricanes baseball team and numerous MLB organizations, gave him direct experience with industry-standard tools. Through a collaboration with the UM Baseball team, Schoenwether analyzed in-game biomechanics data, honing the crucial skill of translating complex data into actionable insights for coaches and players.
“This combination of technical and soft skills directly aligns with the work of a baseball biomechanist, preparing me for a fast-paced role in professional baseball,” Schoenwether said.
For the Michigan native, this opportunity carries deep personal significance. “Working in professional sports has been a dream of mine ever since I was little,” he said. “Being born and raised in Michigan just makes it that much better by having the chance to contribute my skills to the hometown team’s championship pursuits.”
Schoenwether, who defended his dissertation on using AI in baseball, acknowledges the challenges of moving far from family to pursue his goals. However, he leaves UM “leagues ahead” of where he started. “Leaving with the relationships I've built and landing an opportunity like this makes all those sacrifices worth it,” he said. He credits his wife, Alyssa, and his mentors, Dr. Moataz Eltoukhy and Dr. Zack Ripic, for their unwavering support.
