Junior third baseman Jack Martinez up to bat and a UTampa game. Photo courtesy of Hannah Walls.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published by the Tampa Bay Times on April 30.
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By Emily McLaughlin
On any given day at the University of Tampa baseball field, the roster tells a deeper story than just stats and standings.
Players from powerhouse local programs like Jesuit and Plant high schools, and even major Division I programs like the University of Florida, are finding their way to UTampa. These athletes are not just filling roster spots but shaping the identity of the team.
For junior left-handed pitcher Robert Satin, the journey home wasn’t exactly planned, but it made sense.
“UF was always my dream school,” Satin said. “Even though things didn’t work out … coming here was my second option out of high school. So from here, I knew they were going to be good. I just wanted to be a part of it.”
Satin’s path reflects the unpredictable nature of baseball development. Once overlooked, he exploded onto the recruiting scene after a standout summer performance, earning a sudden offer from Florida. But after struggling to find consistency at the Division I level, Satin returned to Tampa for the 2025 season more experienced, more grounded and more in control.
“I’ve got more experience and the games have become a little bit easier for me to control this year,” said Satin, who boasts a 9-2 record and 1.67 ERA and leads the Spartans rotation with 89 strikeouts. “I took a lot of time in the off season to work on my body. It’s just been paying off.”
He’s not alone.
Junior third baseman Jack Martinez, one of the many talented athletes who played at Jesuit, followed a different but equally telling route. During his high school career, Martinez explained he would just show up to practice or see his teammates in class and that would be it. There were no real bonding activities the team would do together, not as much teamwork as UTampa has.
After high school, he left Florida to play in North Carolina, only to realize it wasn’t the right fit.
“I hated playing there,” Martinez said. “I didn’t like the atmosphere and the coaches just didn’t really care.”
Martinez found his way back to Tampa, spending two years at Hillsborough College before joining the Spartans this season, entering a program that felt different.
“We do a lot more things together here,” Martinez said. “Team dinners, Topgolf, clay shooting and it really brings us closer.”
Martinez also mentioned how blown away he is by coach Joe Urso and the championship program he has built over 26 years at UTampa.
“He kind of coaches like a football team,” Martinez said. “It’s weird to say, but like, he’ll be in the outfield just yelling to stop and do what we just did again … It’s just crazy how he’s already thinking way ahead of the game. It’s really just unbelievable what he does.”
That emphasis on connection isn’t accidental. It’s a cornerstone of Urso’s philosophy and a big reason why players on the baseball team are thriving.
“We do a lot of team-building to create that family,” Urso said. “Topgolf as a team, a bunch of lake parties, you name it, just trying to build that family and these guys have really bought into that.”
Urso, who has led the Spartans to seven national championships since 2001, isn’t just recruiting talent, he’s recruiting a mindset.
“If I have two equal recruits, and one’s from a winning program and one’s from a losing program, I want the winner,” he said. “Guys that come from these winning programs, like Jesuit, like Plant, University of Florida, these are guys that are used to winning every day, and they know the expectations to win every day. So, you know, there are some of these guys that are in our program that haven’t won before, they look at me like I’m crazy when we lose a game and I get upset. But that’s the expectation here. It’s to win every night.”
Clearly this expectation is paying off.
Despite bringing in more than 21 new players, the defending national champs have surged to a 36-7 record (22-2 in the Sunshine State Conference) with just six games remaining before South Regionals begin.
But Urso is quick to point out that talent alone isn’t enough.
“We’re a great team, but not great enough individually to just flip a switch and go win ball games,” Urso said.
Consistency and effort is what coach Urso preaches to his team.
That consistency is being built through a mix of local familiarity — 11 players hail from Hillsborough or Pinellas counties — and high-level experience. Players who grew up competing against each other in Tampa Bay now find themselves as teammates, bonded not just by talent but by shared roots.
It creates a team that feels both elite and deeply connected to its community.
For players like Satin and Martinez, returning home has offered more than just another chance to play; it’s offered perspective.
For UTampa, it’s created a roster that doesn’t just represent Tampa.
It is Tampa.