University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana UnLimited: Patience and Perseverance Has Made Brock One of Nation’s Best
4/28/2023 10:26:00 AM | Baseball, Louisiana UnLimited
This story is based off Julian Brock's conversation with Jay Walker on Ragin' Cajun Connection, the official podcast of Louisiana Athletics. You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The journey hasn't been easy for Ragin' Cajuns catcher Julian Brock, but the junior has followed a path that has turned him into one of the best catchers in college baseball.
Brock leads the team this season with nine home runs and 47 RBI, 16 more than anybody else. The 2021 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection is also second on the team in batting with a .336 average and caught 10 would-be base stealers, but the start to his high school career was delayed.
After his freshman year of high school, Brock was rezoned to Fulshear High School in his hometown of Fulshear, Texas. The newly-opened school was ineligible to field a varsity squad his sophomore season, meaning Brock would have to wait a year to showcase his talents.
The school was declared eligible to field a varsity team in time for Brock's junior year and he hit the ground running, batting .408 as a junior and .434 as a senior. He then earned the distinction of becoming the first student-athlete to sign their NLI in the school's short history when he decided to play for legendary baseball coach Tony Robichaux and the Cajuns. But Brock never got to play for the coach, who passed away in July 2019.
"I really wanted to play for Coach Robe considering the way he built men and built this program," said Brock. "I was excited to play for him and become part of the culture of the program. It hurt me and my family but we stuck through it."
A visit to campus and a tour of the Tigue convinced Brock that playing for the Cajuns was the right choice for his future. Seeing the Tigue up close to go along with photos of a packed house showcasing the home atmosphere the Cajuns have had him convinced to stay.
It wasn't a dream start to his collegiate career as Brock hit just .243 and started once behind the plate as a freshman. With the year just 17 games old, head coach Matt Deggs delivered the heartbreaking news that the remainder of the season would be canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
"I remember we were getting ready to play Coastal Carolina," he said. "Coach called us into the locker room to tell us. At the time it didn't process correctly, I was a freshman and still trying to find my place and help the team win."
Coming out of the pandemic the Cajuns won 32 games and reached the SBC semifinals, but Brock struggled at the plate in 2021. A .167 batting average and three RBI in 17 games took a toll on someone who hit over .400 just two seasons earlier in high school.
"It was a big hit to my confidence and my confidence in my ability to play and produce," said Brock.
But Brock continued to work hard and show up every day in practice. According to him, there was no one to blame for his struggles but himself.
"I can only control what I can control, how I carry myself, how I handle my teammates and coaches. There were times I was frustrated I was not playing. There are days you don't want to do what you have to do, but you have to put your family and your faith within that and let the work take care of itself."
The slump at the plate continued to the start of summer league ball where Brock played for the La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods League. Behind the plate, he was playing some of the best baseball of his career. That allowed the then-20-year-old a chance to relax but maybe a little too much.
"The struggles left a bad taste in my mouth and it carried over into the summer. I got complacent a bit and had a talk with my coach and figured some things out in the last month of the season."
Heading into the 2022 season, Brock was anointed the team's starting catcher. He wasn't focused on his offense for much of the season and was hitting just .212 after a game against Louisiana Tech on April 6.
"Coach Deggs made sure I knew my job here was to catch, not drive in 80 runs or hit 15 jacks," Brock said. "My job here is to catch and the hitting will come whenever it wants to. I thought I was hitting the ball pretty well and just not finding any holes."
Well, the hitting came in bunches. A 4-for-5 game to close a series at Arkansas State. Six straight multi-hit games, including three games with three hits. Back-to-back three-hit games against UT Arlington and Rice. Suddenly Brock became one of the most feared hitters in the Cajun lineup, finishing the year batting .303 and was named First Team All-SBC.
There was some speculation that Brock would enter his name in the MLB Draft and jump to professional ball with two years of eligibility on the table. For Brock, the answer was easy to return to school and finish his degree in the spring of 2023.
"I hadn't given enough to this program and felt there was more for me to give. I didn't think I had proven enough that an organization would bet on me after one good year."
Still, the thoughts are in the back of his mind that in a short period of time, Brock could walk across the stage with a degree in business management before being selected by an MLB team soon after.
"I really try not to (think about it). It only pops in my head when I'm alone, but when I'm out there on the field playing I'm free."
The journey hasn't been easy for Ragin' Cajuns catcher Julian Brock, but the junior has followed a path that has turned him into one of the best catchers in college baseball.
Brock leads the team this season with nine home runs and 47 RBI, 16 more than anybody else. The 2021 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection is also second on the team in batting with a .336 average and caught 10 would-be base stealers, but the start to his high school career was delayed.
After his freshman year of high school, Brock was rezoned to Fulshear High School in his hometown of Fulshear, Texas. The newly-opened school was ineligible to field a varsity squad his sophomore season, meaning Brock would have to wait a year to showcase his talents.
The school was declared eligible to field a varsity team in time for Brock's junior year and he hit the ground running, batting .408 as a junior and .434 as a senior. He then earned the distinction of becoming the first student-athlete to sign their NLI in the school's short history when he decided to play for legendary baseball coach Tony Robichaux and the Cajuns. But Brock never got to play for the coach, who passed away in July 2019.
"I really wanted to play for Coach Robe considering the way he built men and built this program," said Brock. "I was excited to play for him and become part of the culture of the program. It hurt me and my family but we stuck through it."
A visit to campus and a tour of the Tigue convinced Brock that playing for the Cajuns was the right choice for his future. Seeing the Tigue up close to go along with photos of a packed house showcasing the home atmosphere the Cajuns have had him convinced to stay.
It wasn't a dream start to his collegiate career as Brock hit just .243 and started once behind the plate as a freshman. With the year just 17 games old, head coach Matt Deggs delivered the heartbreaking news that the remainder of the season would be canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
"I remember we were getting ready to play Coastal Carolina," he said. "Coach called us into the locker room to tell us. At the time it didn't process correctly, I was a freshman and still trying to find my place and help the team win."
Coming out of the pandemic the Cajuns won 32 games and reached the SBC semifinals, but Brock struggled at the plate in 2021. A .167 batting average and three RBI in 17 games took a toll on someone who hit over .400 just two seasons earlier in high school.
"It was a big hit to my confidence and my confidence in my ability to play and produce," said Brock.
But Brock continued to work hard and show up every day in practice. According to him, there was no one to blame for his struggles but himself.
"I can only control what I can control, how I carry myself, how I handle my teammates and coaches. There were times I was frustrated I was not playing. There are days you don't want to do what you have to do, but you have to put your family and your faith within that and let the work take care of itself."
The slump at the plate continued to the start of summer league ball where Brock played for the La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods League. Behind the plate, he was playing some of the best baseball of his career. That allowed the then-20-year-old a chance to relax but maybe a little too much.
"The struggles left a bad taste in my mouth and it carried over into the summer. I got complacent a bit and had a talk with my coach and figured some things out in the last month of the season."
Heading into the 2022 season, Brock was anointed the team's starting catcher. He wasn't focused on his offense for much of the season and was hitting just .212 after a game against Louisiana Tech on April 6.
"Coach Deggs made sure I knew my job here was to catch, not drive in 80 runs or hit 15 jacks," Brock said. "My job here is to catch and the hitting will come whenever it wants to. I thought I was hitting the ball pretty well and just not finding any holes."
Well, the hitting came in bunches. A 4-for-5 game to close a series at Arkansas State. Six straight multi-hit games, including three games with three hits. Back-to-back three-hit games against UT Arlington and Rice. Suddenly Brock became one of the most feared hitters in the Cajun lineup, finishing the year batting .303 and was named First Team All-SBC.
There was some speculation that Brock would enter his name in the MLB Draft and jump to professional ball with two years of eligibility on the table. For Brock, the answer was easy to return to school and finish his degree in the spring of 2023.
"I hadn't given enough to this program and felt there was more for me to give. I didn't think I had proven enough that an organization would bet on me after one good year."
Still, the thoughts are in the back of his mind that in a short period of time, Brock could walk across the stage with a degree in business management before being selected by an MLB team soon after.
"I really try not to (think about it). It only pops in my head when I'm alone, but when I'm out there on the field playing I'm free."
Players Mentioned
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