Major: International Business
Hometown: San Mateo, CA
Career Highlights: Four-time letter winner for Baseball; 2019 WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention; 2020 WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention
Biography: Urata came to USF from Hillsdale High School in San Mateo where he earned First-Team Peninsula Athletic League honors as a junior and senior. Urata Hit .435 his senior year and was named team MVP. He was a back-up infielder his first two years on the Hilltop appearing in 24 total games over the course of his freshman and sophomore seasons. During his junior year he became a starting infielder for most of the year, first at second base and later at third, playing in 52 games with 50 starts. Urata had seven multi-hit games, including a career-high three hits at Santa Clara on March 29. As a senior, he played in all 17 of the Dons' games with 16 starts as the everyday third baseman before the season was shortened due to the Covid pandemic. Urata had a four-game hitting streak from February 29 through March 4, with two multi-hit games and a .462 average over that span.
Why Urata Chose USF: “I believed in the Dons program. I knew that being a part of the baseball team would shape me into the person I would like to be."
Favorite USF Memories: “It was like a roller coaster with a lot of ups and downs. I have so many memories in my mind, that I cannot pick out a single memory. But, I can strongly say that every moment and every experience that I had through four years on the USF Dons baseball team made me not only a better athlete but also a better person, and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
The USF Student-Athlete Experience: “Being able to go through a lot of experiences, ups and downs, with your teammates, learn what it takes to be successful, and build good habits, which will help you for the rest of your life, no matter what you do.”
Did You Know?: Urata was born in Tokyo, Japan and grew up playing Japanese baseball year-round starting from elementary school. He moved with his family to California after middle school.
Life After USF: Urata is living in Tokyo, and is working for Amazon Japan.
