Key Takeaways
- Former Intel president Renée James is adding a real-time roster and transfer portal database to Rule42’s baseball and softball scouting business.
- 64 Analytics founder Jason Ratcliff joins Rule42 in a new amateur analytics role under EVP of Baseball and former MLB infielder Jed Lowrie.
- Rule42 has now announced an AI scouting tool, a media acquisition, a league investment and this deal, with a consumer app still to come.
Rule42, the baseball and softball analytics and scouting company founded by former Intel president Renée James, is acquiring 64 Analytics, a college baseball transfer portal data platform, for an undisclosed sum, Sports Business Journal reported on October 6, 2026. The two companies negotiated the transaction directly. As part of the deal, 64 Analytics founder Jason Ratcliff joins Rule42 as Director of Amateur Baseball Analytics, reporting to Rule42 EVP of Baseball Jed Lowrie, a 14-year MLB veteran.
What Does 64 Analytics Bring to Rule42?
According to Sports Business Journal, 64 Analytics runs a real-time database of player statistics, rankings and transfer portal entrants that athletic departments use to manage their rosters. The platform has focused on college baseball and softball.
James told the publication the acquisition will also extend to softball, with Rule42 planning to strengthen the platform’s offerings for that sport. She described the pairing of Rule42’s tools with the 64 Analytics database as “the single best management tool for a college [baseball/softball] coach today,” pointing to the ability to track players and attach analytics, video and coaching notes in one place.
James said Rule42’s mission has two parts: helping overlooked young athletes get discovered, and helping coaches, scouts and agents find talent. The 64 Analytics deal serves the second.
How the College Baseball Transfer Portal Stretched Coaching Staffs
Lowrie framed the deal around a staffing problem that has grown since NIL and the transfer portal changed college roster management. He told Sports Business Journal that programs are handing assistant coaches the job of acting as a de facto general manager, which pulls time away from coaching.
Outside the Power Four conferences, Lowrie said, most programs lack the budget to hire someone dedicated to that work, yet they still have to handle NIL and the portal. He described 64 Analytics as a well-regarded resource for those overstretched staffs and called it the tool that helps those teams stay competitive.
That positions the platform’s core customer as the mid-major and smaller program, not the best-funded departments.
Rule42’s Youth-to-College Scouting Build-Out
The acquisition is the latest step in Rule42’s effort to build a scouting and analytics platform covering baseball and softball from youth levels through college, Sports Business Journal reported. In recent months the company has:
- Launched an AI-powered scouting intelligence tool, announced in August 2026
- Acquired softball media outlet Softball America
- Invested in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), where James also sits on the board
James brings a technology operating background to the build. Before Rule42, she served as president of Intel and founded chip designer Ampere.
A Rebuilt 64 Analytics and a Consumer App Still Without a Price
Rule42 does not plan to run 64 Analytics as a standalone product. James told Sports Business Journal the company will take the platform’s existing customers and track record and rebuild it in the Rule42 format, designed to operate at a much larger scale for coaches.
The company is also preparing to launch a consumer app that tracks athletes’ metrics across their amateur careers, among other features. Rule42 has not set member pricing for the app, and that number will determine how far the platform reaches into the youth and family side of the market it says it wants to serve.
Source: Sports Business Journal, Rob Schaefer, October 6, 2026, https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/10/06/rule42-acquires-64-analytics-to-bolster-college-baseball-scouting/
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
