Senior Jordan Qsar strives to break records as captain of the Pepperdine baseball team.
The business major from San Diego, California is the team’s right-handed pitcher/outfielder. Qsar has a .281 batting average, driving in 41 runs and scoring 86 over his Pepperdine career. His sophomore season was cut short due to a back injury that took 10 months of recovery.
“Coming back was a weird feeling,” Qsar said. “I’m currently pain free and blessed that it all worked out.”
Qsar said he hopes to go play for the Major Leagues. The West Coast League named Qsar the No. 1 pro prospect in August and Baseball America named him the No. 2 prospect.
“Winning was an awesome experience,” Qsar said. “I am very thankful.”
His friends and teammates are happy Qsar got picked as a top prospect.
“He’s a great player and an even better teammate, so I’m very happy for him, excited for his future and him being named the top prospect is well deserved,” said Michael Mahony, a junior business major and relief pitcher.
Fellow teammate senior Kiko Garcia agreed.
“I can’t think of a more deserving honor for any player,” said Garcia, a business administration major and right-hand pitcher.
Qsar said the biggest influence on his baseball career is his father John, who played baseball his whole childhood and at San Diego Mesa College. He credited his dad for helping him get as far as he has in the game he loves.
“My dad has been my biggest influence because he is always pushing me to get better on and off the field,” he said.
Qsar has been playing baseball ever since he could walk. His fondest memories were formed on the baseball field.
He has continued to break his own records. He earned All-West Coast Conference honorable mention his first-year and sophomore year.
Qsar appeared in 13 games, making 12 starts before his sophomore season was cut short. He underwent direct pars repair surgery for a break and fracture in his lowest vertebrate in early March and was out for the season in May 2016.
Qsar underwent 10 months of physical therapy and conditioning focusing on getting stronger, faster and better.
“I had a series of chronic back pain starting my freshman year,” Qsar said. “I think it was from lifting and playing more baseball than I ever had before.”
Despite his injury, Qsar was back on the field in February 2017.
“Coming back I never felt comfortable at the plate or in the field,” Qsar said. “My body wasn’t ready to endure a 50-game season, but I grinded through it. Toward the end of the spring season I started to get my game back. I brought that feeling to summer ball this past summer and felt it all come back to normal.”
Playing for the Corvallis Knights this past summer, he established franchise records in home runs (14), doubles (22) and RBIs (53), breaking his own records.
Qsar’s advice for today’s young players is to work hard as a player, but also learn how to be a team guy.
“It all falls into place when you are a good teammate,” he said.
Teammates said Qsar enriches the rhythm of the team.
“Jordan as a teammate makes the people around him better by his attitude and example,” Garcia said.
Austin Gehle, a senior economics major and pitcher added that Jordan is always pushing everyone to get better as a captain that leads by example.
Qsar is known for being a tremendous athlete, but many people would be surprised to know that he enjoys school and a lot of his upper division classes such as business and financial management.
If the MLB doesn’t work out Qsar said he hopes to own his own business.
Teammates said Qsar looks forward to building success together.
“He is competitive and wants to win,” Garcia said. “Every little detail is a competition. It really gets the people around him to focus on things they normally wouldn’t. The drive is contagious as everyone feeds off it.”
Hard working, easy going, driven and charismatic are just some words that Qsar’s friends used to describe him.
“When we played Stony Brook University I came in to pitch for him and I got us out of the inning that won the game,” Mahony said. “Jordan was the first person to run out on the field, hug me and tell me that he loves me.”
Talking with Qsar, one would never guess he is one of the baseball team’s most talented players. He is humble and kind on and off the field.
“Jordan is well respected and looked up to by all the guys,” Mahony said.
Qsar said he has high hopes for the team this year and would love to win the College World Series of Omaha.
Miranda Battaglia completed this story under Dr. Christina Littlefield’s supervision in Jour 241 in fall 2017.
