Major league baseball pitcher Josh Osich visits UNE

San Francisco Giants pitcher Josh Osich greets UNE students after class
San Francisco Giants pitcher Josh Osich greets UNE students after class

As the Major League Baseball playoffs kicked into full gear, San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Josh Osich would have loved to be still playing ball. Instead he was enjoying his off-season in Maine.

Osich recently spent some time on UNE’s Biddeford Campus speaking with students in Aimee Vlachos’ Legal Issues in Sports class.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to hear from someone who's actually living the dream that they all aspire to,” said Vlachos, M.S., an instructor in the Department of Sport and Recreation Management.

Osich recently moved to Kennebunkport with his wife, Jessica Osich, Ed.D., (Educational Leadership ’18), who is a recent UNE graduate. The couple is now expecting their first child.

The students questioned Osich for about an hour. Vlachos said it helped give them insight into the world of a professional athlete.

“It was a unique opportunity for them to pick someone's brain in the field,” she stated.

Osich was very candid with students about realizing his childhood dream, losing his privacy by becoming famous and the reality of pro sports being a young person’s game.

“You always have to keep thinking about what's after sports,” Osich explained. “You never see a 40-year-old man playing baseball anymore.”

Osich has had his ups and downs. As a star at Oregon State University, he missed an entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The next year he bounced back by throwing a no-hitter against UCLA.

On July 3, 2015, Osich made his major league debut, pitching one scoreless inning of relief against the Washington Nationals.

Osich realizes he’s fortunate to play baseball for a living. He passed on some advice to students aspiring for a career in sports.

“Never give up your sports dream, just plan for something else as well,” he advised.

Osich has a degree in criminology. He says after baseball he may explore a job in outdoor law enforcement. For now the avid fisherman and hunter is enjoying the off-season and everything the outdoors in Maine has to offer.

Josh Osich spent about an hour with students discussing the ups and downs of being a professional athlete
Josh Osich spent about an hour with students discussing the ups and downs of being a professional athlete
Aimee Vlachos chats with Josh Osich and his wife Jessica, a recent UNE graduate
Aimee Vlachos chats with Josh Osich and his wife Jessica, a recent UNE graduate

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.