GoHuskies.com caught up with senior outfielder Caleb Brown to find out a little more about what makes him tick. Brown is one of only two seniors on the roster and had a solid weekend in the Huskies' series win at UC Irvine. Last Saturday, he went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI against the Anteaters.

Here's what Caleb had to say:

Q&A with Senior Outfielder Caleb Brown

Why did you choose Washington?

I chose to come to Washington because of the opportunity to play baseball at the highest collegiate level while also enabling myself to be successful off the field whenever my career ended. The fact that the UW was in my backyard caused the University to be very familiar to me while growing up. These factors helped construct a very clear picture to me about where I belonged and made the decision to attend reasonably simple.

Do you have a pre-game ritual?

I am not too wrapped up in superstitious behavior or anything like that. However, I do believe in visualization as a tool that can lead to better performance. That being said I typically like to take a couple of minutes before a game to visualize what I want to do and how I want to do it and I feel those few moments translate strongly to how I perform on the field. In short, visualization is the only pregame ritual that I have other than a good night of rest.

As a Seattle-area native, did you grow up watching Husky baseball?

The first Husky baseball game I ever saw was in my senior year of high school after I had already committed. Even though my awareness of the baseball program specifically did not arise until my recruitment, I have come to learn and love the tradition that has been made here and will forever wear my participation in the program as a badge of pride especially considering the top-tier talent that have also called this program theirs.

What sport would you play if you didn't play baseball?

Golf would be my first choice but that's not because I am especially good at it. I just love being outdoors and that teamed with the strategy and perseverance an individual must have in order to be successful in golf I feel translates well to my personality. If I were to choose another sport based on my ability it would most likely be football. I enjoy football because I feel that it is the most pure form of the utilization of athleticism that occurs within sports. High school football games were some of the most fulfilling and fun experiences I have ever enjoyed playing sports. The camaraderie amongst teammates who engage in football games that require extreme physical and mental exertion is hard-pressed to be matched by any other sport.

What do you like to do during summer vacations?

Summer ball is always something that a college baseball player experiences and I have enjoyed the few experiences I have had with it. Other than baseball I also enjoy spending time on the water around Washington. There is no better place in the world to enjoy a summer than in the state of Washington. When I am not playing baseball, golf and boating generally fill up my schedule and as far as I'm concerned that's not a bad life.

What's your favorite thing about Seattle and why?

I enjoy the diversity of the city. The ability to enjoy a downtown setting in Seattle while walking around Pike Place Market to crossing the lake and enjoying the higher end places like Bellevue Square is unmatched by many other college cities. It also does not hurt that I get to enjoy Seahawks and Mariners games at a whim, a luxury I did not enjoy growing up.

What's your favorite class you've taken at UW and why?

Introduction to Political Economy has been my favorite class. The class was the most real-world oriented material that I have had at the University. Beyond the technical applications of intellectual hypotheses, the class provided strategies that can be applied to simple life decisions as well as a basis for a future understanding of the ever-present connection between social, political and economic institutions.

Which teammate is the biggest comedian?

It is hard to pinpoint one individual that could be dubbed team clown. The funniest conversations or situations that arise are generally dominated by a large portion of the team and I think that is what makes our team so fun. The diversity of personalities on our team can cause a simple conversation about which NFL team is better to a full-fledged comedic argument between a dozen individuals. Those type of situations often become the funniest and most memorable experiences.

What are you most looking forward to about this season and why?

I am excited to experience the success that I can see breeding from the attitude surrounding this team. This team feels unlike any other team I have been on here. The mutual competition amongst ourselves has caused this team to continually grow in every aspect of the game and I am excited to see the culmination of all the work we have put in leading up to the season.

What do you want to do after your playing career is over?

First and foremost I want to have a job that allows me to be mentally engaged as well as excited to go to work every day. Any job that can satisfy those two requirements while allowing me to comfortably support a family that I can happily watch grow would be all that I can ask for.

What is your favorite place to play an away game in the Pac-12 and why?

USC has the best field, stadium, and weather to offer while on the road and those factors create a good experience while playing there. ASU however provides the best atmosphere for playing on the road. The crowd size they attract on top of their fans appreciation and knowledge of the game cannot be beat on the road in the Pac-12.

What musical artists are currently in your iPod?

There is a lot of Kanye West, John Legend, and Jay-Z. Other than those three it varies a lot. A little country here, jazz there, I enjoy a lot of different genres of music.

What are you majoring in, and why?

Political economy. Other than typical business-related degrees such as economics and finance I felt that political economy offered the greatest understanding of how different controlling entities of our current world work with and against each other. I thought this knowledge combined with the specific understanding cultivated about the political and economic worlds would provide me with the most functional basis to enter the business world and contribute to a company immediately.

Who is your favorite major league player, and why?

Torii Hunter. His style of play is something that I think coincides nicely with my abilities and as such, I try to model my game after him. He also displays a high level of maturity given his background growing up and his team-first attitude is something to be desired and modeled after.

What family member has been most inspirational to you?

My parents are easily the most inspirational people in my life. Every perk I enjoy in my life today is because of them and the sacrifices they made raising me and my siblings. I cannot complain about the childhood I enjoyed and the type of person it has made me today. I can only hope to be half the parent to my kids that they were to me.

The edge of the universe is expanding at the speed of light.  And here I am sometimes thinking that things are moving too fast for me.  Time distortions created by black holes are seen differently from inside and outside of the black hole.  Your experience of a situation is not always the same as someone else's.

I finally finished my book on The Black Hole War.  Thank God.  That's not to say it wasn't interesting, just intellectually demanding.  I was holding my own up until the end when the string theory started.  Perhaps it's analogous to thinking I'm doing well with my running until I go try to workout with the cross country team.  Reality check.

I enjoyed the 5 and 0 start to the softball season and sunshine down in Tempe this past weekend.  I also had time to get re-acquainted with my little friend Vitamin D.  Unfortunately, the only vegan source of Vitamin D is UV-irradiated mushrooms and yeast.  Yummy.  However, dietary sources (fortified milk and cereal, fatty fish, eggs, etc) are only a very small part of your body's Vitamin D supply.  The Seattle sunshine needs to provide the vast majority through 10-15 minutes of exposure on your arms and legs twice a week.

This quiche contains milk and eggs to help bring in some Vitamin D as well as calcium.  By using phyllo dough for the crust, you can enjoy the filling without a large amount of crust.  I had never worked with phyllo dough before and was somewhat surprised that it resembles sheets of paper and is quite finicky.  One note about phyllo dough:  This is found in the freezer section of the grocery store.  Read the package for defrosting instructions far in advance from when you plan to start cooking your quiche as defrosting can take at least 2 hours.  You will likely also have leftover blue cheese, phyllo dough and sage after making this recipe, so it may be a good idea to have other uses planned for these ingredients so they do not go to waste, or just double this recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage

Adapted from Closetcooking.com

Ingredients

·         ¼ cup + 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

·         2 cups onions, sliced (about 2 medium)

·         Water, as needed

·         2 cups butternut squash (probably less than 1 small squash), peeled and cut into bite size pieces

·         Salt and Pepper to taste

·         8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

·         4 eggs, lightly beaten

·         1 cup half and half (or ½ cup milk and ½ cup heavy cream, or 1 cup heavy cream)

·         2 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled

·         1 tbsp sage, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add the sliced onions and sauté until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Drop the heat to a little below medium, add ¼ cup of water, cover and cook until the onions turn a deep golden brown, about 50 minutes.  During this time, you will need to stir the mixture every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, and then every 5 minutes until the time is completed (adding extra water if necessary).

While the onions are cooking, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the squash on top of it.  Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Place pan in preheated oven (middle rack) and cook until tender, about 30-40 minutes.  Set aside.  Increase the oven temperature to 375F.

Prepare the crust by greasing a 9-inch pie pan or spring form pan (pour a little olive oil on a paper towel and wipe down inside of pan), and then brushing a sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil.  Place the sheet in the pan with the edges hanging over the pan.  Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough, overlapping as you go to cover the entire pan.  Some of your sheets are likely to rip.  This is okay as long as they are layered.  If you will have extra sheets, discard the ripped ones. 

When the onions are done cooking, place them in a large bowl and mix with the squash, eggs, milk, gorgonzola, and sage.  Pour into the crust. 

Bake on the middle rack until golden and set in the center, about 25-45 minutes. 

GoHuskies.com got a minute to catch up with senior catcher BK Santy.

Santy, a team captain and leader from San Diego was a JC transfer in 2010 from Palomar College. He caught 43 games last spring for the Dawgs, hitting .288 with seven doubles, one home run and 18 RBI.

We wanted to find out some more about the man behind the mask. Here is what we learned:

Q & A with Sr. Catcher BK Santy

Why did you choose Washington? I chose UW because I wanted to play in the best conference in the nation, and I knew this was the best option in terms of academic prestige.

Do you have a pre-game ritual? A pre-game ritual I have is visualizing success a few minutes before the game, and singing some of my favorite songs to calm myself.

As a junior college transfer, what has been the biggest different from JC to the Pac-12? In JC ball there are a few guys on each team that are special in terms of their ability to play baseball at a high level. In the Pac every guy has that ability no matter who you play, and every game is going to be a challenge and a grind.

What sport would you play if you didn't play baseball? If I didn't play baseball I'd either be a beach volleyball player or play professional dodgeball player.

What do you like to do during summer vacations? During summer vacations I like to go to the beach all day, surf, and play volleyball.

What's your favorite thing about Seattle and why? My favorite thing about Seattle has got to be the beautiful surroundings. It's always fresh and clean everywhere which is extremely refreshing.

What's your favorite class you've taken at UW and why? My favorite class at UW was probably history of the Vietnam War. It was great learning about Vietnam's brutal history and get an in-depth glimpse of the Vietnam War.


What does it mean to you to be a Husky? Being a Husky means working hard not because you have to but because you want to. This year we have bought into this motto and the attitudes of every individual player on our squad is something I'm pumped about.

Which teammate is the biggest comedian? The biggest comedian on the team is sneakily Zack Wright. Anything that guy does makes me laugh.

What are you most looking forward to about this season and why? This season I'm looking forward to playing with a dugout full of Huskies who want to win just as bad as I do. I want to prove people wrong and leave the UW on a positive note, knowing that I was an important part in the transformation of Husky Baseball. Above all else I want to win, and make the post-season tournament.

What do you want to do after your playing career is over? After my baseball career is over I want to be a high school history teacher and baseball coach somewhere. I love working with people and socializing, and I can't see myself becoming bored with a job like that.

What is your favorite place to play an away game in the Pac-12 and why? My favorite place to play in the Pac 12 is probably USC just because it's closest to home which allows my family and friends watch me play, because USC is only an hour and a half north of San Diego.

What musical artists are currently in your iPod? Music artists currently on my iPod are Slightly Stoopid, Sublime, ACDC, Jack Johnson, and Tribal Seeds.

What are you majoring in, and why? I am majoring in history, because it's the only subject that doesn't bore me, and I'd like to teach to teach it one day.


Who is your favorite major league player, and why? My favorite MLB player is Derek Jeter, mostly because I am a huge Yankee fan (blood not bandwagon), and he is the ultimate symbol of class, respect, and consistency in the game of baseball.

What family member has been most inspirational to you? The most inspirational family member for me is a tie between my mom and dad. My dad has always been my coach and great teacher of the game, but at the same time he never put too much pressure on me, and wanted me to enjoy playing the game of baseball. My mom on the other hand did care about baseball, but much more about me succeeding in life, and being a good person. She has shown me nothing but love and support in every aspect in my life, and I am blessed to have such great and devoted parents.