SABR and Deborah Marshall to honor student biomechanics research with award recognition
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 — SABR is pleased to announce the continuation of the Dr. Mike Marshall Baseball Biomechanics Research Award through the 2030 SABR Analytics Conference.
The award was established in 2025 through the support of Deborah Marshall and Dr. Mike Marshall’s Pitching Academia, and named in honor of the maverick former major-league pitcher. The award honors the legacy of Dr. Marshall by encouraging the study of baseball biomechanics and its application in further understanding pitching, with an emphasis on the risks, causes and/or prevention of pitching injury.
“SABR’s mission is to foster the study, discussion, and understanding of all aspects of baseball, and few baseball players have shown more intellectual curiosity about the game than Dr. Mike Marshall,” said Scott Bush, SABR’s Chief Executive Officer. “Marshall had a deep curiosity about pitching and embodied the goals of any baseball researcher: to learn more about the problem and contribute new knowledge to the field.”
“As an educator first, my father would be proud of this award for its commitment to academic research and scientific rigor,” Deborah Marshall said. “He believed biomechanics and kinesiology could unlock a future where baseball pitchers no longer had to choose between performance and health. This award continues his relentless pursuit of that future—a mission that lives on through Dr. Mike Marshall’s Pitching Academia.”
All student biomechanics research submitted for consideration for the SABR Analytics Conference will be eligible for the award, which comes with a cash prize of at least $2,000 per year. A call for presentation abstracts for the 2026 conference will begin next week at SABR.org/analytics. The next SABR Analytics Conference will be held on February 27-March 1, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Click here to learn more about the Dr. Mike Marshall Baseball Biomechanics Research Award.
Originally published: September 10, 2025. Last Updated: September 9, 2025.