Justine Rosales patiently awaited his opportunity to join UAAP Baseball at the collegiate level for two years after securing a championship with University of Santo Tomas in high school.
As the Covid-19 situation improved, the then-20-year-old slugger seized the moment in his inaugural season.
“Last year po nung first UAAP ko, siyempre may pressure po, pero siguro nadala po ako ng mga experiences ko sa magandang performance ko. Exciting po talagang maglaro sa UAAP,” recalled the only son of RP Blu Boys legend Apol Rosales.
Motivated to lift the España-based side out of the 0-5 hole after the first round, Rosales delivered a remarkable performance, earning the Most Home Runs and Best Slugger awards en route to claiming the MVP title.
“Hindi ko naman po talaga inaasahan na sa ‘kin po talaga mapupunta. Siguro po malaking blessing na rin po na binigay ni Lord sa ‘kin, kaya nagpapasalamat po ako sa kanya,” expressed Rosales.
Aware that he would be a marked man in the current season, Rosales, armed with his accolades as motivation, embraces the challenge of making a significant contribution to UST.
“Ang goal ko naman po talaga is makapag-perform po talaga ko, makatulong po sa team. And ‘yun naman po ‘yung nakatulong sa ‘kin magperform ng 100 percent. Kaya bawat game binubuhos ko ‘yung kakayahan ko,” the second-year infielder shared.
“Yung last year nakatulong kasi talaga sa kumpyansa ko. Sobrang napataas po niya talaga ‘yung morale ko. ‘Yun ‘yung nakakatulong sa ‘kin ngayon para magkaroon din ng kumpyansa sa loob. ‘Yung palo ko tuluy-tuloy, nakakatulong ako sa depensa, nananalo kami; kaya masaya ‘ko.”
