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HAMPTON FALLS — Joseph Gyorda never felt he was a good baseball player when he was young, but he ended up landing a position with the Chicago Cubs – though it’s not the type of job you might think.
The Hampton Falls native serves as a research coordinator on the Cubs’ Baseball Sciences team, which utilizes data, technology, and other analyses to enhance understanding of player performance, minimize injury risk, and inform decision-making in player development, coaching, and strategy.
It’s a unique position that he never knew existed until he interned with the Boston Red Sox while earning his master’s degree in health data science from Dartmouth College. The internship gave him an opportunity to analyze models that predicted strikeout probabilities for pitchers and batters to assist the coaching staff.
While Gyorda was initially interested in applying data science within the healthcare industry, the internship with the Red Sox opened a new door.
“I really wasn’t thinking of anything beyond that, but then I came across the summer internship opportunity with the Red Sox,” he said. “I grew up in New Hampshire, went to Dartmouth, and jumped at the opportunity to work there to complete my master’s requirements and have this experience.”
That internship ultimately set him on the path to a career in Major League Baseball — a journey that began after graduating from Winnacunnet High School in 2018 and Dartmouth in 2023.
The Red Sox internship also put him on the career path with the Cubs.
“I’m extremely happy with how things turned out,” he said.
STEM scholarship sparked a big-league career
Gyorda’s interest in data science began in high school, and during his senior year, he was one of six students who each received a $5,000 Unitil scholarship, which is awarded to those pursuing undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Since launching the program, the electricity and natural gas provider has awarded over 75 scholarships to graduating seniors from the company’s service territories in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.
“It’s always exciting to see the achievements of scholarship recipients like Joe, who initially had uncertainty about his long-term career direction, but through his Red Sox internship experience, gained valuable perspective and discovered new professional opportunities that helped shape his future path,” Unitil’s External Affairs Manager Amanda Vicinanzo said.
Applications are currently being accepted for this year’s recipients and must be received on or before March 31, 2026.
“The scholarship was definitely a big help for myself and my parents. We really appreciated the generosity,” Gyorda said.
Turning stats into strategy for the Chicago Cubs
Gyorda has now been working for the Chicago Cubs for nearly two years, beginning as an analyst on the baseball sciences team where he worked on various research projects that studied baseball data in order to understand performance, test ideas, and drive player development decisions.
He’s now a research coordinator.
“I think it’s helped me to grow more in my communication and leadership skills,” he said.
Through his work, Gyorda has deconstructed high-level performance traits like hitting into their most fundamental components to identify targeted opportunities for player development. For example, he said, to hit more home runs a player needs to be able to generate power, which could be accomplished through changing certain mechanics or gaining strength.
He’s also analyzed injury risk and built interactive dashboards for coaches and others to review players’ injuries over time and worked on projection models for evaluating different player populations.
While baseball has always been one of his favorite sports to watch and he played when he was younger, Gyorda stopped after his freshman year of high school.
“I was really bad at it. I didn’t have a lot of athletic ability at the time,” he recalled.
But his lack of confidence on the field didn’t stop him from pursuing a career in professional baseball.
“There are a lot of ways to get into sports,” Gyorda said. “I know plenty of people who have cool journeys as to how they got started and worked their way to the pros – many having spent time at minor league teams or private academy teams that are specializing in training hitters and pitchers. There’s not one set career path for working in baseball, whether as a coach or a scout or a data analyst, which I find really unique about the field.”
As the next class of high school seniors makes plans for post-secondary education, Gyorda encouraged them to be receptive to new ideas.
“Some people aren’t sure what to expect for their college experience or what they want for themselves beyond high school. Be open to trying new things and be flexible,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of curiosity and asking questions.
“Don’t be afraid to speak up when you’re not sure about something because you never know if someone else might have the same question as you. Be willing to ask questions to help you learn more,” he said.
Gyorda shared some words of wisdom from his father as well.
“Something my dad would tell me when I was in high school was that no matter what path I went on, find something that you love doing, because doing it will feel less like work and more like living,” he said. “So, to all students, I’d encourage them to chase whatever their passion is and find something that they love to do, because you’ll feel more motivated and fulfilled to wake up each day and do it.”
For more information on the Unitil scholarship program and to apply, please visit Unitil’s website, unitil.com/scholarship. Only applications from students in Unitil’s service territories will be considered.
