Alex Watson
Baseball Operations Trainee | Cincinnati Reds
WVU Major: B.S. Sport and Exercise Psychology (Minor: Physical Training and Performance, M.S. Executive Sport Management)
Graduation: 2024
WVU Role: Operations Assistant and Student Manager
Career Path Summary
When I originally joined WVU Baseball, I had no intentions of working in the industry, but instead was set on attending medical school. After my second year with the team, I knew that baseball was my passion and where I saw my new career path. I met with a former WVU Baseball student manager, who introduced me to performance science, which was the perfect mash of baseball, the human body, and science. I picked up a minor in Physical Training and Performance and communicated my new interests with the coaching staff, who worked to create opportunities that would help me develop skills in the field of Sports Science.
Post graduation, I attended Texas A&M University to earn a masters degree in Kinesiology & Sports Physiology, with the goal of joining a professional team in Sports Science. While in Texas, I also worked for the baseball team to build on experience from WVU. In June of 2025, I moved to Cincinnati to join the Reds in their Baseball Operations Department and support their Applied Sports Science Department.
Key Skills Built at WVU
Attention to Detail – learned about how much happens behind the scenes of a DI program and how important it is to not overlook things
Relationship Building – built relationships with others that I was working with. I met mentors and friends that I have leaned on a lot.
Communication – I learned the importance of detailed communication, especially when working with such an integrated program
Technologies: TrackMan, BATS, Force plates, Pison, WHOOP
Player Evaluation – I learned more about how our staff approached advance scouting, as well as how players performance was evaluated.
Highlight Project
During my last year with the program, the team started a pilot program with Pison Technology. With a background and large interest in Sports Science, I was asked if I were interested in joining the coaching staff in meetings with the company and team. I assisted with the onboarding of the device and worked on some brief analysis of the results. This project and opportunity drove a deep interest in wearables and their utilization in the baseball field.
Alumni Quote
WVU Baseball is special. I really believe it is a one of a kind program with one of a kind leadership. I would not be in this field if it wasn’t for this program and staff, which taught me what a positive and supportive baseball culture looks like. I will forever be grateful to WVU Baseball, especially because it demonstrated the type of program and organization I want to work for.
Advice for Future Students
Ask questions, the staff with WVU is so knowledgeable and willing to share; build meaningful relationships with everyone; take advantage of the diversity of the program and say yes to new experiences; maximize your time while at the stadium, you’ll be there a lot; don’t take this opportunity for granted, you are so lucky to be working with this program; have fun, you work in a game; don’t be afraid to utilize your connections, I continue to lean on members of the coaching staff for advice and help.
