Photo provided by Michael Diaz ’20 | Michael Diaz ’20 waiting to swing off of an opposing pitch

By Nicholas Williams ’21

Brophy senior Michael Diaz ’20 recently announced his college commitment to Santa Clara in order to continue his baseball career.

Diaz’s primary position is 3rd base, and he also plays in the outfield.

“Diaz is special because of his work ethic, as a multi-sport athlete, he is in the weight room all the time,” said teammate Kyrian Wallace ’20.

During the 2018-19 season, when Diaz was a junior, he played in 23 games and had a batting average of .348. He also had 14 runs on 25 hits.

Diaz has also played linebacker on varsity football since his sophomore year. Throughout his career, he has had 160 overall tackles as well as 7 interceptions.

Diaz said that being a dual-sport athlete has its pros and cons, but overall he really thinks it was a great decision.

“The biggest challenge of playing football and baseball was that they were both very time consuming, as well as Brophy schoolwork that piled on top of that,” said Diaz.

Diaz also said, “playing football definitely helped me with baseball. Everything I have done in football whether it’s lifting, speed, or the sheer physicality.”

Wallace also said, “My favorite moment of Diaz during baseball season was how he showed his leadership by taking multiple people to the side to lift their spirits.”

On Nov. 13, Diaz announced his baseball commitment on signing day.

“I decided to commit to Santa Clara first because of the coaches. I built a great relationship with them over the summer, I felt really comfortable with them.”

“Second, the facilities. Right now, Santa Clara is building a new state-of-the-art facility and it will be ready by the time that I get over there.”

Diaz also stated that he was drawn to the community of Santa Clara. He said that It is very similar to Brophy as it is also a Jesuit school, and he is looking forward to continuing his Jesuit education.