Baseball has been a passion for Jonathan Isaac, a fifth-year outfielder for the Varsity Blues, since he was young. At age 11 after only playing on house league teams, Isaac decided to try out for a rep team in his neighbourhood with one of his best friends: “We had a really good experience…I just fell in love with it.” Isaac continued playing throughout grade school and into high school, retaining his love of the game.
Hoping to advance to a higher level in his sport, he wanted to play in the United States, but was restricted due to his size. Playing Canadian university baseball had never crossed his mind, so in order to fill the baseball void after being unable to compete south of the border, he signed up for a Toronto club team.
Two years later, after an unsatisfying stint at York University, Isaac decided to transfer to U of T. “A couple guys on my club team actually played at U of T,” said Isaac, “and when they knew I was transferring over, they were like, ‘You have to come out to tryouts; you have to check it out.’ And I just kind of showed up, and made the team.”
In Isaac’s second year, although the team was unsuccessful, he was able to prove himself as an elite player. “I got a call from my coach saying I had been asked to play in the oua all-star showcase at the Rogers Centre, which was a nice way to end the season,” he explained. However, as the season was coming to a close, he suffered a game-changing injury: “I actually had a pretty bad bike accident. I went over my handlebars…so the whole summer I couldn’t work or play and I had a pretty bad concussion.”
The following season, Isaac slipped into a new role: helping the team without competing on the field. “I was able to help with the coaching duties…mentoring some of the younger, newer players,” Isaac said. “It was very difficult to kind of watch things happen.” This season finished with an oua win for the Blues, and Isaac was able to get back on the field for the playoff run as a designated hitter.
Isaac’s health was restored in time for his fourth year; he fully recovered from his injuries, and began playing very well. Although the team was struggling, Isaac was hitting a .300 batting average. Then, disaster struck again: “We were playing against Guelph, I think the second last week of the season, and I actually collided with a center-fielder in the outfield. I went head-first and he went feet-first, and I actually got another concussion.” Isaac was forced to drop all of his classes for the semester, but remained part of the team by returning to help the coaching staff. For the second year in a row, Isaac was forced to miss part of the season due to injury — and again, despite a rough start, the team was able to pull off a win at the oua championships.
Looking forward to graduation, Isaac is keeping his options open. One thing that he knows for sure is that he wants baseball in his life. He plans to continue coaching a youth aaa baseball team next year, and will be directing the North Toronto Baseball Camp for the second year in a row.
For his final season as a Blue, Isaac is ready to play once again, and, of course, “the goal is to win an oua championship.” Nevertheless, at the end of the day, winning is only part of what matters to Isaac. “We have a lot of really good rookies coming in, so if I can help guide them the right way, and do my part on the field, I’ll be happy.”
