When Justin Garcia decided to play college baseball, he knew he had to be a hard-nosed competitor and an overachiever.
Garcia started playing baseball at the age of 5 to satisfy his father, a huge baseball fan.
“I didn’t really want to play it,” Garcia said. “I was more into basketball but my dad wanted me to play, so I did.”
His love for baseball soon sprouted from the joy of running around and hitting the ball.
Garcia attended and played baseball for four years at Hialeah Senior High School. During his baseball career there, he hit three homeruns and drove in 35 runs his senior year. He was also named second team All-Dade County his senior year and was named a FACA all-star.
After attending State College of Florida for one year, he transferred to NSU.
I got the chance to sit down with Garcia and ask a few questions to get to know him better.
What has been your most memorable moment playing baseball?
“When I was 18 and I went to New Mexico for the World Series. It was a summer team called the Florida Legends and we played all summer to qualify for this tournament. The top eight summer teams make it to the series. We went to Georgia and New Jersey to compete. At the games, we played in front of 10,000 people every day. It was a great experience.”
What influenced you to play baseball in college?
“I’ve always been pretty good at baseball. I wanted to try it out and see how far I can go. I wanted to play until I can no more and whatever happens after that happens. I thought I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t play and give myself this chance.”
Did you have a coach who influenced you as an athlete?
“Yes, my high school coach was kind of like a dad to me. He helped me with my decisions even outside of baseball and school. He’s been that father figure, honest with me and really close.”
What are your plans after college?
“I hope I can play professional baseball, but that doesn’t always work out. I want to finish my degree in psychology and possibly get a career in sports psychology because I want to stay within sports even if I don’t keep playing.”
Do you have any special rituals before games?
“Yes, I have this bag that’s a mixture of Muddy Buddies, M&M’s and Oreos and I eat one of each before every game. It was my mom’s idea. It started out as a joke, but now I make sure I do it before every game.”
Outside of baseball and school, how do you usually spend your time?
“I just like working out and playing video games. My favorite is Call of Duty.”
How do you balance between baseball and academics?
“It’s definitely not easy and you don’t really get a lot of sleep sometimes. The schedule being so flexible helps out a lot. I study when I need to study. I also have two online classes now which helps tremendously. And the Sundays that we have off are always for school work.”
Who’s your favorite baseball player?
“Mike Trout.”
If you could play another sport at NSU, what would it be?
“Basketball or golf.”
If a movie were to be made about your life, who would you want to play your role?
“Brad Pitt. I need to make sure I make myself look good.”
How would you describe yourself as a player?
“I’m a loose player. I just have fun. Physically, I think I’m a strong player and I have the power to play. I get aggressive when I play.
How do you celebrate winning?
“I think I’m always the first one out of the dugout jumping when we win. I love winning.”
How do you deal with losing? Is practice harder after losing?
“Yes definitely. I’m not a sore loser. I do learn from losing, but I think after a loss, I know that the next day we’ll have to get more serious and get a win. It does make us better.”
What life lessons has baseball taught you?
“It taught me not to be a selfish person, since it’s a team sport. I’m not alone on the team. There are so many guys on the team and we have to come together as one. It’s not always about you. Other people’s success helps you out too.”
Photo Credit: COURTESY OF M.CALLAHAN
