Senior outfielder Ehi Okojie is one of the top breakthrough student-athletes at UMBC this year. He's among the America East leaders in numerous offensive categories ,and hopes to lead the Retrievers to their first conference championship since 2017.

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Ellicott City. So I've just been around the area for a while.

Q: When did you first hear about UMBC?
A: I've always known about UMBC. I think I actually went to a UMBC baseball camp when I was like 10. So yeah, that's kind of my first memory of UMBC baseball.

Q: What teams did you play for growing up?
A: I just played with the local teams, like the ACYP Raiders.

Q: Did you face any challenges during your time at River Hill High School?
A: It was kind of a wild journey because I developed a medical condition.

Q: What was the medical condition you developed?
A: It was called POTS, which caused chronic fatigue. I was always tired, sometimes sleeping 18 hours a day.

Q: How did your condition affect your schooling?
A: It was bad, I was bedridden and out of school for a while.

Q: How did you continue your education during that time?
A: I was homeschooled for about a year or two before returning to school for my junior and senior years at River Hill.

Q: Where did you go to college before UMBC?
A: I went to Harford Community College for the first three years of my college career. I was hurt one year, so I got my year back, and then I transferred to UMBC.

Q: Did you play any other sports growing up?
A: I played basketball when I was really young, and I kind of liked basketball more than baseball at first.

Q: How did you get started in baseball?
A: My mom saw a flyer and asked if I wanted to try baseball. I tried it and liked it ever since.

Q: Did you play any other sports besides basketball and baseball?
A: I played organized soccer for one day, but it wasn't for me. I also wanted to play football, but my mom wouldn't let me. I was not a fan of the ball-on-the-feet style. Yeah, I just had my hands in my pockets the whole time, and all the kids around would fight for the ball. I would just be standing there with my hands in my pockets. So that lasted a day.

Q: Were your parents athletes?
A: My dad is from Nigeria and played soccer growing up with his neighborhood friends. My mom played some sports when she was younger, but not in an organized way.

Q: Do you have any siblings?
A: I have two older sisters and one younger brother.

Q: Do they play any sports?
A: No, my older sister played field hockey in high school, but she was always really smart, so she actually went to Stanford. And then my other sister, same thing, she just played high school sports, like field hockey, and then I think she did palms, and my brother plays baseball now at Montgomery College.

Q: Is there anyone whom you really credit with teaching you the game?
A: I would say there are all my coaches growing up, I feel like I got lucky with having some really good coaches. One that stands out is Adam Leader. He's now a baseball coach at Reservoir. He's been there for a while, and he's a really good coach, so he's one of the coaches that I feel like has really helped me improve. Another family friend, i refer to him as Brandy, but he was really big, he helped me a lot because my dad worked overseas, and so it was just like my mom and four kids, and we're all doing activities, so he was really big at helping, he would take me to games, he would take me to a tournament stuff like that, and he really taught me a lot about the game, so I would say those kind of standout but I thought he was really just on my coaches growing up,

Q: Did you have any favorite major leaguers growing up?
A: So my mom's from Philly, so I kind of grew up a Philly fan, and I would say 2008 when they won the World Series. I really liked to watch Ryan Howard just because he hit home runs, and then Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, like, kind of all the Philly players.

Q: How about position-wise, did you play a bunch of different positions growing up?
A:  Yeah, when I was younger, I played shortstop, and as I got older, I started playing outfield, so I would say around 15 when I kind of was a full-time outfielder.

Q: Why did you pick UMBC?
A: Yeah, I mean, they recruited me in high school, so the school was kind of familiar, and then you know I like the school, I like the coaches and everything, so I feel like a good environment, so I thought, that's what I should do.

Q: You didn't play much last year. How difficult was that for you?  I'm sure you wanted to play more than you did last year?
A: It was difficult because I had a flare-up with my condition, okay, so that was obviously tough on me.  I was supposed to play a lot, and then I had to go through that, and so that kind of was rough.

Q: How did you prepare during the past offseason leading up to this year?
A: Over the summer, I saw a bunch of doctors and really focused on getting my health in check. I didn't focus much on the baseball aspect because health had always been the main issue. Once I got that under control, I was able to perform better on the field.

Q: How did your condition affect you both mentally and physically this season?
A: It affected me both mentally and physically. Managing the condition was key to approaching the season and making an impact.

Q: Did your coaches and teammates play a role in your improvement this year?
A: Definitely. My teammates were very supportive, especially when I was going through challenges last year. They always had my back and understood my situation. My coaches, including Liam Bowen and Phil Disher, were also supportive and understanding. Not many coaches would be as accommodating to a player struggling with health, but they cared about both my on-field and off-field well-being. I'm very thankful for that.

Q: What part of your game has improved the most this year?
A: I would definitely say my defense. I feel like I've gotten a lot better, and that comes down to preparation and taking every rep seriously, whether in practice or batting practice. That's the area that's come along the best.

Q: What are your individual goals for the rest of the season?
A: My main goal is to take every day one at a time and try to do something to get better each day. I don't have many long-term goals because I feel that takes away from focusing on the process. Attacking every day, one at a time, is the best way for me to improve.

Q: Is there anything you want to improve for the rest of the season?
A: Just a few little tweaks here and there. Baseball is a tough game; you can feel great one day and then lose the next. So, I focus on making small improvements whenever possible.
 
Q: Do you have any pre-game rituals or routines?
A: I'm not a superstitious person, but recently my teammate Luke Buscgalia has been giving me salt tablets before every game. The first time I tried them, I had a really good game, so we've kept that going for the last couple of weeks.

Q: Can you talk about this year's team and the mindset coming into the season?
A: The attitude and preparation have been great. Everyone is happy to come to the field every day, and we have a really good group. We all feel like we can do something special in the league, and being close as a group has been a big part of our success.
 
Q: What do you think are your biggest strengths as a team?
A: I think our all-around game is a strength. We might not have the most power, but everyone knows their job, and our starters have been going deep into games and throwing strikes. We've been playing clean defensively, too. Overall, we're just a solid team that does everything well.
 
Q: What's one area the team could improve to win a championship?
A: Maybe just being more consistent in our approach, especially when things aren't going our way. Sometimes we might start pressing, but I think consistency is the most important thing. But honestly, that's just nitpicking.
 
Q: Who on the team helps keep things loose?
A: It's really a bunch of guys, there are a lot of people on the team who like to joke and make things fun.

Q: What would it mean to win the America East Conference and play in the NCAA tournament?
A: It would be a dream come true. Playing in a regional has always been a goal of mine, and not many people can say they've done that. It would be really special.

Q: Have other UMBC teams inspired you and your teammates?
A: Definitely. I'd say men's basketball has been really inspiring, playing in March Madness is crazy, and seeing them do it proves we can do it too.  That's pushed a lot of my teammates and me to try to reach that level.
 
Q: What are you studying, and what are your goals after college?
A: I'm studying media and communications. My main goal is to play pro baseball, but if that doesn't work out, I'd like to start some businesses and be an entrepreneur. For now, I'm just focusing on baseball.