BASEBALL TAB: UMO's Santos happy to back on the diamond

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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UMO Public Relations

MOUNT OLIVE -- Julian Santos' future looks bright in both graduate academics and athletics, but it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Miami, Fla., native.

Santos is pursuing a master's degree.

He's also a member of the UMO baseball team.

Santos' love for baseball transpired early on in his childhood. His father played collegiately for Miami Dade Community College. Santos, instead, chased his childhood dream of playing for the New York Yankees. He developed into a standout center fielder in high school and won two awards -- first-team All-County and first-team All-Region -- during his time at Miami Killian HS.

The University of Miami (Fla.) recruited Santos and offered him a scholarship based on his impressive high school stats. He joined the Hurricanes in 2010.

Heading into his freshman year, disaster struck for Santos. He tore his right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and meniscus during a summer game. He eventually had reconstructive surgery that led to a serious infection that hindered his recovery.

Months later, Santos -- after intensive rehab -- returned to the field.

"I was finally cleared to play on March 9, 2011," Santos recalled. "I played center field during the top half of the ninth inning. Later I went up to bat and heard a pop in my left knee, and I instantly went to the ground."

He tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee.

Santos -- again -- faced surgery.

The injury put his athletic pursuits on hold when Miami reduced his athletic scholarship and his starting position.

Santos opted to take the junior college (JUCO) rout and headed to State College of Florida. He attempted to regroup and become the former player that he was before two injuries temporarily derailed his career -- and his dreams. That season, Santos earned all-conference and all-tournament awards.

"My high school coach use to say, 'it's not where you're at, it's where you are going.' I kept that in my mind during my recovery and I kept looking forward," Santos said.

Santos completed his bachelor's degree at Bethune-Cookman.

But he ruptured his Achilles' tendon during his 2015 season and focused on his education. Santos graduated in the spring of 2015 with a bachelor's degree in liberal studies.

Despite the setbacks, Santos never lost sight of his love for baseball. He heard about the the University of Mount Olive and decided that it would be the perfect fit to earn his MBA degree and complete his final year of baseball eligibility.

"I'm thankful that the coaches at UMO have faith in me that I can come back and be the player that I once was, and I am thankful that they have given me this chance," Santos said.

Santos joined the Trojans, who won the Conference Carolinas regular-season championship advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional a year ago.

"We are excited to have Julian as our very first baseball player to enroll into our master's program here at the University," UMO head coach Carl Lancaster said. "He is an extremely hard worker both in the classroom, as well as on the field, and these qualities are certainly not overlooked by our staff or his teammates."

Santos plans to graduate with an MBA in the summer of 2016. His ultimate dream is to play professional ball and then pursue a career in business administration.

The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has several satellite locations --Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.