Javi Macasaet

BY MIGUEL G. POLICARPIO

FOR THE Ateneo Men’s Baseball Team Captain and longtime third baseman Javi Macasaet (5 AB MEc), the sun has finally set on a journey that turned his childhood dream of donning the blue and white for Ateneo into a reality.

“It’s all been such a humbling experience,” laments Javi, who comes from a long line of blue-blooded Ateneans. True enough, with a five-year collegiate career that included a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) championship, an invitation to the Philippine national team, and sharing the field with his older brother Paulo, Javi’s life so far has definitely revolved around the pitch.

However, alongside his athletic repertoire is an equally impressive academic resume to boot. From slugging fastball pitches deep into Rizal Memorial Stadium’s outfield to delivering snappy business pitches in international case competitions, Javi’s unique tenure in the Ateneo has indeed been colorful.

Field of dreams

With over 15 years of his life spent playing baseball, Javi was quick to attribute his love of the pitch to the tight-knit baseball community that welcomed him as a youngster: “Everyone knew everyone, so all my friends were there, and I really loved the game. It’s hard to find those two things in one place, and I found that in baseball.” Javi’s early baseball career was sustained by that deep connection with friends. He grew up playing against the same opponents, with the same teammates and coaches, all of whom soon became family to him. Following Paulo’s footsteps, Javi has seen to it that he leaves behind a similar legacy of hard work and consistency for all his teammates by leading through example both on and off the field.

The big league

Fresh off a prolific high school baseball career, Javi finally found himself on a bigger stage, moving up to the Ateneo Men’s Baseball Team in 2015. His second UAAP playing year saw the Katipunan squad finally hit paydirt, despite being labeled as underdogs right off the bat. The Blue Eagles took home the Season 79 UAAP Baseball Championship in 2017, a memory that Javi says he will cherish forever.

While the Blue Eagles came up short in the next two seasons, Javi saw his role in the team and his own mentality improve dynamically: “I felt that I had to take on greater responsibility in the team, and in my academics. I had to be aware that I was setting an example.”

Javi’s baseball career recently came full circle when he was given the honor of representing the Philippines in baseball in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. “It was just like playing with your older brothers,” recalls Javi, who finally shared the field with his former coaches who raised him in the ways of the sport. The familial bonds of Philippine baseball were on full display at the SEA Games, paving the way for a dominant gold-medal finish for Javi and the Philippine baseball delegation.

The next inning

As a soon-to-be management economics graduate, Javi transitioned smoothly between the field and classroom, bringing the same vigor and passion in training for baseball to his academics. As the Captain himself said, baseball is a game of repetition and of mastering form and mechanics; this principle of practice and preparation has served him well in academics, with an Honorable Mention award waiting for him after five years as a student-athlete.

Aside from this, Javi has also taken his talents past the classroom and into international case competitions by joining the renowned Pricewaterhouse-Coopers and the Institute for International Business Development’s Case Competitions held last year. With the help of Ateneo’s professors and a talented team, Javi strutted his stuff on the field of finance, marketing, and leadership and strategy this time around.

With his college career now in its twilight, Javi is already gearing up for life after baseball. In line with his first-hand experience on the field, Javi aims to enter the corporate world of finance, with his long-term goal of starting his own business. When asked to impart some wisdom for the graduating class, this is what the Captain had to say: “Take as many risks as possible, and never be afraid to jump into new things.” With a combined baseball and academic career that has taken him to such impeccable heights, this could not be any more true for Javi. Javi