Uejima Excited About His Future In Baseball

Julian Uejima SS / 2B / St. Thomas More, CT / 2020

OAKDALE, Ct. - It was a decade ago when Julien Uejima realized his love for baseball.

“I was eight-years-old,” Uejima reflected. “My dad was pitching and I couldn’t hit it. We were frustrated. He took all the equipment and threw it in the garbage and said ‘pick another sport.’“

That did not happen.

“I dove in and got it all out,” noted Uejima. “That was when my dad knew I wanted to play baseball.”

The desire has not lessened, with Uejima, now 17 years of age, moving over from River Dell High School in New Jersey to St. Thomas More boarding school in his quest to be better prepared for the next stage of his life - which will include baseball in some fashion.

“I like it a lot,” the 44th-ranked 2020 player in New England said about his new high school in Connecticut, located two-and-a-half hours from his family home in Riveredge, N.J. “You get a real college experience. They try to set it up similar. I take three classes a day for an hour-and-a-half. I workout, have breakfast, take three classes, work out again and then do something baseball related.

“You’re super independent, so you have to learn to make sure you’re staying on top of things. I think it’s helping me mature as a person. For some, being independent early on can hurt you but if you know how to handle it, it will better prepare you for the rest of your life.”

The 5-10 175-pound middle infielder plans on baseball being part of his immediate future.