Name: Hayden BrotzSport: BaseballHometown: Lincolnshire, Ill.Majors: Business Economics and Pre-Med
Why did you choose UChicago? The strong academic environment that encourages free speech and the proximity to home.
Favorite moment of your UChicago athletic career? Performing “The Baseball Dance” at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Favorite team tradition/activity? The Baseball Dance.
What made you fall in love with your sport originally? Hitting baseballs really far.
What lessons have you learned through competing in your sport that have stuck with you? The biggest lesson that baseball teaches you is how to endure pain and discomfort. Failure and mental anguish are a large part of baseball and life, but you have to move on to the next play/game/season all the same and work harder to create an environment conducive to better outcomes. I also learned that if you play baseball, your arm hurts a lot.
What advice would you give to your first-year teammates? UChicago is a unique place in that it provides a great environment to challenge yourself intellectually and athletically if you chose to. Surround yourself with those that challenge themselves, and it can really change the trajectory of your life for the better over the course of your four years.
Favorite UChicago class that you learned the most from and why? Improv and Sketch with Susan Messing. That class taught me that my future was not on the stage.
Which UChicago faculty or staff member made the greatest impact on you and why? David K. Larsen has made a tremendous impact on my experience at UChicago. David always makes the experience at the Regenstein Library an exciting one, and he always sends the best emails.
Favorite place on campus? The weight room of THE Henry Crown Field House.
Favorite thing to do in the city? Basking in the glory of the beautiful skyscrapers and enjoying the lakefront view.
What are your post-graduation plans? I will be pursuing an MPH before matriculating into medical school.
Outside of your current sport, which sport or activity do you feel like you would excel at the most? Watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Favorite Chicago restaurant? Steak 48.
Favorite place you’ve visited? Mount Vernon, Iowa.