During the University of Virginia baseball team’s 2015 run to a College World Series championship, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound freshman laid down a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt to set up UVA’s go-ahead run in a 3-1 win over San Diego State.
It came in the eighth inning of the second of the Cavaliers’ 12 NCAA Tournament games that postseason, a small moment among the many big ones that carried the Wahoos to a national title.
Novak, while surrounded by his teammates, holds the 2015 NCAA Championship trophy following UVA’s win over Vanderbilt University in the College World Series. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
But it was a moment, nonetheless, for Justin Novak. Ten years later, as the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen catcher, he is reminded daily about his contribution to UVA history.
The diminutive Novak is affectionately known as “Champ” to those within the Mariners organization.
“Nicknames are given to you,” Novak said, “and that’s a cool one.”
Beginning Saturday, Novak will be part of what he hopes is another long playoff run as the Mariners, American League West Division champions, open their AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers.
Novak has been Seattle’s bullpen catcher – a nonplaying member of the team’s staff who helps pitchers warm up before entering a game – since 2023. In 2021, upon starting a similar role with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners’ AAA-affiliate, a Tacoma coach introduced Novak to the team by noting a grand achievement on Novak’s resume.
A visitor to Novak’s van shows off its cooking capabilities. Novak lived out of the versatile vehicle in 2021 while working for the Tacoma Rainiers. (Contributed photo)
“COVID protocols were still in place, so I didn’t go to spring training and just showed up for the season,” Novak said. “So, just to let the players know I used to play, our manager was like, ‘He won a national championship at Virginia, so he’s our champion.’
“And then it turned into ‘Champ.’ It stuck.”
Ten players from UVA’s 2015 team have played in the big leagues. And then there’s Novak, who works on the periphery. He’s been involved with professional baseball since graduating from the University in 2018 with a psychology degree. (Novak played four different positions, including catcher, over four seasons for the Cavaliers, finishing with 132 hits in 174 games.)
A Tokyo native, Novak interned in Major League Baseball’s Japanese office, helping in and around the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. He then parlayed that experience into an interpreter position with the Mariners the following season, when he translated anything from team meetings to mound visits to media sessions for then-Seattle pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
