7TH INNING SPOTLIGHT
An ordinary day for a UCLA baseball player sounds a little like this: 6:00 am wake up call for weights, class throughout the day, and practice in the afternoon going into the evening. With most of their days committed to baseball it's hard to think they'd have time for anything else in their lives, but rest assured they do.
The Seventh Inning Spotlight aims to shine light on the unique personalities and lifestyles of each UCLA baseball player with Q & A's to get to know each player beyond their athletic abilities. Each week we will be highlighting a new student athlete. So stay tuned to learn about one of your favorite Bruins.
Q & A with Brett Urabe
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Age: 22
Major: Political Science
Year at UCLA: Senior
What got you started in baseball?
My dad when I was 4. Also all my friends were starting up t-ball so I decided to play with them.
Why are sports so important to you?
Growing up it's just a way to make friends. It's a big youth movement and plus it gave me something to do when I didn't want to hit the books all the time.
As a senior, how do you feel knowing this will be your last season playing for UCLA?
It's kind of sentimental because you spend a lot of time at the baseball field with your buddies and it makes you want to enjoy every moment. It's been a great four years. And baseball's great but it's time to move on to either a professional career or regular adult life.
Describe a friendship that is most important to you.
My teammates. You live with them and you spend every day with them. They become your brothers basically. I know that the guys I am friends with will be in my wedding. We all talk about how we will spend our lives together and look back on all the memories we had. Coach talked about after we won the National Championship that you need to remember everyone in the locker room and cherish that moment together. And I remember everyone on that team and we always talk about Omaha and how special that was.
Do you have a motto you live by?
“Play like a champion.” Daniel Amaral's brother and cousin started the saying. We grew up together and he was always saying it. They also started a small clothing line with the saying on it for friends to wear. I actually have it written in my hat right now.
Say you said goodbye to baseball, what career would you pursue?
I want to do something with an agency either for sports or entertainment. Preferably a sports agency because I still want to be involved in the game because it was such a big part of my life. And I'd definitely be a professional father.
Most people will never get to experience what it feels like to play Division I baseball. Can you describe what it's like to play underneath the lights at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
I think it's surreal. I came to a lot of games when I was younger and grew up idolizing professional baseball players. Now it's more of a reachable goal. When you get out there for the first time it's special to have hundreds of people watch you play, that's for sure. Growing up you think they are super-human people but when you get here you realizes that they are just like everyone else, just a little luckier.
Is it difficult balancing your personal life and athletic life?
Yes and no because a lot of my personal life involves my athletic life. Like all my best friends have the same schedule so there aren't any scheduling conflicts. You usually use your free time to hang with your buddies and playing with your best friends makes that convenient. But there are also a lot of things that you can't do with baseball like I can't go to concerts with my brother and sister whenever they want to go.I also missed a few family trips to Europe and I want to see my little nephew play baseball but sometimes it conflicts with my schedule.
How do you set your goals? Tell us a few of them.
My first goal is to get a college education just because my dad always pushed that. Also for baseball I always wanted to be the best that I could be and UCLA is the “cream of the crop”. To graduate is definitely a goal and I'm on track to graduate this June. Another one of my goals is to be a successful person, whether it be as a baseball player or a successful human being in the professional world. I also wanted to be a chef…My mom took away my cable box away in grade school so I couldn't watch the Food Network.
Name a few of your hobbies.
Definitely going to the beach. I like to take pictures. Frisbee golf and golfing. Napping is a good hobby too…if that counts.
What differentiates you from people?
Work ethic. I don't like to not be doing anything. There's always something to get better at, both athletically or academically and my (twin) brother and I were always competing in both those areas…Being a twin I guess you want to be your own person.
Tell me about what it's like to be a twin.
It's definitely different when going to college because I was always used to waking up, going downstairs and having someone to hang out with. In college you don't always have someone who wants to do the same things you like to do. You get homesick from missing your mom, dad, brother or sister but when you have a twin you kind of have a different bond so that was different at first. But staying busy with baseball and having my teammates helped me out with that. (His twin brother, Matt, goes to the University of Colorado Boulder).
Do you have any pets?
I have a dog named Murphy, it's a French bulldog. But he can't come to games because no dogs are allowed at the games.
If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
In the future I would like to see personal flying devices. Kind of like a wing suit or a personal jet pack, but I'm afraid to do that because I'm afraid of heights. I've always been passionate about flying and always wanted to be a pilot but I think that'd be too much flying for me. My favorite game at the arcade was the one where you land the airplanes.
Previous 7th Inning Spotlights
Luke Persico
Christoph Bono
Eric Filia
Brian Gadsby