It's been a great year for UC Irvine baseball. The team is 35-16 and has kept its name in the mix for a postseason bid. The Anteaters have had players step up and perform all season, including hometown hero Mikey Filia. We caught up with Mikey before the team's upcoming three-game series with UC Riverside to find out why he chose UCI and how he got to this point in his career.

 
Q: Growing up in Irvine, how much consideration did you give to attending college somewhere else and what made you decide to stay local and attend UCI?

A: At first there was a little consideration to go elsewhere, but once I got my offer from UCI I knew that the academics would help me throughout my life forever and baseball here has always been at the top of the Big West, and to see them reach Omaha (2014) was something special. 

Q: What was it like growing up in a household with so much athletic talent?

A: Growing up it was amazing to see all of the success my older brother, Eric, had. He was my role model and I always wanted to be like him. Now that I'm almost done with my college career and I see my little brother, Marc, but we call him Bubba, it's crazy to see how much he has grown and the player he has become. All three of us have a really close bond and we go to each other for advice so it's amazing and I'm so thankful to be able to see my brothers have so much success.

Q: What are your goals and aspirations for after your playing career at UCI?

A: After I'm done playing at UCI, I hope to get a chance to play professional baseball. Once I'm done playing baseball I would like to become a firefighter or, if possible, stay in the sports world.

Q: When did you first start playing baseball and what drove you to continue playing?

A: I started playing baseball at the age of 4. What kept me playing was the love I have for the game. Baseball is a game of failure and I love having to persevere through the good and bad times when playing baseball.

Q:  What has been your greatest moment in sports so far?

A: My greatest moment in sports so far actually came when I was playing high school football and caught the game winning touchdown with 19 seconds left on the clock to beat our rivals to win the city championship.

Q: What would you say is the greatest feeling in baseball?

A: For me the best feeling is either making a great defensive play in center field, as in diving or robbing the batter of a hit, or throwing someone out at the plate.

Q: Which coaches or mentors have inspired you and helped you to develop your skills the most?

A: The main person who has helped me through everything when it comes to sports is my dad. He has been there from the beginning and is my biggest fan. No matter if I have a good or bad game, he is always there trying to help me and remind me of the player I am and what I'm capable of.

Q: What hobbies and interests do you have outside of sports?

A: In my free time I hang out with my nephews as much as possible. I try and be in their life as much as I can with my busy schedule. Another thing would be hanging out with my family and friends.

Q: What is your thought process like from when the pitcher goes into his windup to the time the ball crosses the plate? What are you looking for to determine if you will swing or not?

A: All I'm thinking about when in the batter's box is be on time and hit the ball hard. If I can do those two things, I like my chances. The one thing I'm looking for is if the baseball has spin out of hand. If it does have spin I'm looking for the height of the pitch to determine whether it's a ball or a strike. If it's a strike I then have to determine whether or not I can hit that specific pitch hard and if I can't, I take it.

Q: If you were to make a Mount Rushmore for baseball, who would be the four people on it?

A: If I had a Mount Rushmore, the people on it would be Tony Gwynn, Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., and one current player I enjoy watching to finish it off would be Javier Baez.