Joe Urban

Bryce Alderton

Joe Urban still has a love for the game of baseball.

The 24-year-old first baseman, who starred at Newport Harbor High,

and who plays for the River City Rascals of the Frontier League, a

Class-A Independent Baseball League, just completed his second season

with the team based in St. Louis, hoping to get that call from a

Major League Baseball team.

“I’ve worked hard with the goal of playing professional baseball,”

Urban said just three days after the Rascals’ season ended Aug. 27.

“But I realize that my chances are smaller and smaller, I’m starting

to get up there (in age).”

A broken collarbone halfway through this season didn’t stop Urban

from producing for the Rascals, who finished third in their division

and sixth overall in the 12-team league that covers teams from

Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Urban missed 20 games in three weeks and said he probably came

back too soon but wrapped up this season with a .277 batting average,

the third highest slugging percentage on the team, 20 doubles, three

triples, four home runs and 36 RBI’s.

“I think I had a better season than last year,” Urban said. “The

injury set me back a little bit. I came back probably a week sooner

than I should have but I got in a groove and finished strong. I think

they pitched me a little tougher this year. It’s much tougher than

college ball.”

After graduating from Newport Harbor in 1997, Urban played two

seasons at Santa Ana College before transferring to Iowa State

University to play his junior and senior seasons.

He earned second team All-Big 12 honors his senior season, batting

.354 with 57 hits, 24 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, four home

runs and 29 RBIs for the Cyclones.

“Most of the guys come from big Division I colleges and some have

played professional baseball,” said Urban describing the caliber of

players in the Frontier League. “Three-fourths of our team played

with an (Major League Baseball)-affiliated team before or played

(professional) baseball. The objective is to get picked up by an

affiliated team.”

Urban hasn’t got that call yet, but said he would play one more

year with the Rascals and if he doesn’t get contacted by an

affiliated team, then he will “move on.”

“I’ll give it one more year and if nothing works out then it’s

time to move on with a new chapter and accomplish other goals of

teaching younger kids the game I was taught so well,” Urban said.

“I’ve always had that dream of playing baseball all my life.”

Urban has a sociology degree from Iowa State and said he’s

interested in teaching at either the high school or college level and

wants to pursue coaching.

“I don’t take anything for granted,” said Urban of his playing

career to this point. “I’ve put a lot of hard work into my baseball

career and it’s still fun to play and still real exciting for me. I

play for the love of the game and not so much for a job.”

Urban’s hard work has paid off for him over the years, as he was

selected Newport-Mesa District Player of the Year in 1997, and held

the district record for career home runs with 20 before Corona del

Mar’s Ty Harper broke the record in 1999, finishing his career with

24. Urban finished his senior season at Newport Harbor with eight

home runs, a .392 batting average and 26 RBIs, while going 4-2 with

28 strikeouts in 31 innings on the mound for the Sailors.

He gives credit to his coaches such as his coach at Newport

Harbor, Jim Kiefer, for helping him both on and off the field.

“My coaches supported me 100%, motivated me and taught me not only

how to play baseball but how to act outside and how to carry myself

on and off the field,” Urban said.

He will live at home in Newport Beach until May when the Rascals

season begins. Urban said he enjoyed the time he spent in the

Midwest, but maintained he is still a “Southern California guy.”

“I really enjoyed the Midwest, the people there are friendly and

love sports and offer the support of their local team,” Urban said.

“We had up to 7,000 people a night at our games. That’s the special

thing about the Midwest.”