Drafted from UNCG to MLB, Bryan undergrad eyes his MBA

With stops in St. Louis, Missouri and Charlotte, North Carolina, Andrew Moritz grew up playing baseball. In high school, his passion and dedication to the sport provided him the opportunity to play in college — Moritz was recruited by the UNC Greensboro baseball team, which led him to visit and gain the full Spartan experience.

From the time he stepped foot on campus, he knew it was where he wanted to be. 

“I didn’t know much about UNCG until the baseball coaches recruited me. I went on a visit to see the campus and I thought it looked really nice,” said Moritz. “And I had also heard about the business school, so getting the opportunity to play baseball and attend one of the best business schools in the country made my decision easy.”

Being a student-athlete has its benefits, but it can also be difficult. For Moritz, his time at UNCG taught him how to better manage his time so he could get the most out of his college experience. 

“Our academic advisors and coaches did a really good job of working around our course schedules and making it easier for us to be on time for practices and games,” he said. “It was difficult at times balancing the time I had to spend at the field training with some of the course work, but it made me better at time management.”

Moritz was a star for UNCG’s baseball team, and because of that, the Atlanta Braves drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Though he decided to play professional baseball, Moritz continued to pursue his degree online.

“My goal from before I stepped foot on UNCG’s campus was to get a degree and graduate,” he said. “So I just wanted to fulfill this goal even if it meant taking a few extra years after getting drafted.”

Life has been different for Moritz since he joined the Braves organization. He constantly bounces around from city to city for games during the season. He almost exclusively lives out of his suitcase when baseball season is in the full swing. 

“I’ve traveled more and lived in more places than I would’ve ever expected to live in my whole life. The Braves have treated me well and I’ve enjoyed the experience,” he said. “During baseball season we travel around quite a bit, so I feel like I’ve been a nomad most of the last three or four years.”

With constant travel, Moritz found himself writing papers on the team bus or taking exams in hotel lobbies.

“There have been multiple times where I’ve taken exams and final exams in hotel lobbies where I would try to find a quiet place to work. I’ve also written papers on bus trips which made it somewhat difficult to concentrate,” he said. “Overall, it’s been very enjoyable and I’m glad that I’ve continued taking courses while playing professional baseball.”

Moritz is slated to graduate in December with a degree in Business Administration. After he graduates, he is interested in obtaining his Master’s of Business Administration from the Bryan School. 

“I would like to further my education at UNCG while I have the chance,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about the MBA program at the Bryan School and I think it would be helpful to learn more in this program about how to be the best professional I can be in the business world.”

Baseball plays a huge role in Moritz’s life, but it is not the only job that interests him.

“I’ve thought about getting into coaching baseball potentially whenever I step away as a player, but I’ll be considering other options as well of course,” he said. “I could see myself working in finance as a financial advisor among other things.”

The college experience provides plenty of lessons for students. It can show them who they truly are and help them build toward the future. For Moritz, he learned plenty about himself both on the field and in the classroom. 

“I’ve learned how to be even-keeled, mostly. I went through a lot of highs and a lot of lows during my time at UNCG and it’s helped me learn to stay positive and work through things even if it’s not going to be easy,” he said.

Written by Eric Jackson ’23 MBA