NSU baseball player Luis Penate was inspired by his father to play baseball. But he is at NSU because of his mother.
“I’m here [NSU] so I’m close to my mom,” he said. “When she had a brain aneurysm, I thought that I should take care of her.”
Now, the senior sports and recreational management major is in his second year with the team and plays shortstop. He was recently named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week.
“It feels pretty good knowing that I had a really good week, helping my team take two out of three from the number six team in the country, and knowing that people recognized my being productive that week,” he said.
Penate said he has a great relationship with all his teammates.
“They respect me. I respect them,” he said. “It’s kind of like a big family. We’re all basically brothers. That’s the way they see me and that’s the way I see them.”
Penate hopes to help the team win a conference championship and win a regional competition.
Questions and Answers with Luis Penate
In a movie about you, who would play you? “Adam Sandler because I would say I have a great personality and I’m pretty funny and I’m fun to be around.”
What is your favorite pre-game meal? “I don’t like to eat too much before a game, so just a regular sub from Subway.”
In the movie, who would play your love interest? “Megan Fox.”
If you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only bring three items, what would they be? “A ball, a glove and a bat.”
If you could travel back in time, which time period would you go to? “I would travel back to the 1980s to see more of Michael Jordan play basketball.”
If you could sit down for dinner with anyone, famous or not famous, dead or alive, who would you choose? “Derek Jeter.”
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be? “Spiderman.”
If you won $1 million, what would you do with the money? “I would buy my mother a house and a car. I would pay off everything that my mother and father owe.”
How would you describe yourself in three words? “Competitive, outgoing and respectful.”
