custom33Lnumber16custom1R/Rweight190position3B/1BhighschoolGrossmont HSfirst_nameJustinyearSeniorhometownLa Mesa, Calif.height6-1last_nameBaum2006 (Sophomore): Despite getting off to a slow start during his sophomore campaign, Baum delivered a successful sequel to his banner first year as a Tiger with a team-high 12 HR's, a team-high 46 RBI and a slugging percentage of .478. Baum's 12th home run of the season moved him into sole possession of first place in Pacific history with 29 blasts. His record setting home run was a solo shot in the fifth inning of the Tigers' 14-8 loss to Stanford on May 24. Justin saved his best effort for Big West Conference opponents as he posted a .311 average in 20 conference games, including five home runs, eight doubles and 19 RBI. Prior to the season, Justin earned a position on the Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger 2006 Preseason All-American Team. He also was selected as a Preseaon All-America pick by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).2005 (Freshman): Following his freshman season, Baum was named to two Freshman All-American Teams as he was a Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and a Baseball America Freshman All-American. Justin finished the 2005 season with a .332 batting average, 17 HR's, 15 doubles, a .700 slugging percentage, 45 RBI and 39 runs scored. He finished the season ranked 21st in the nation in home runs per game with 0.31 and was 23rd overall in slugging percentage. In addition to his national accolades, Baum earned All-Big West First Team honors and led the conference in both home runs and slugging. He also etched his name atop several Pacific records as he broke the Tigers' single-season record for home runs with 17. The previous record for home runs in one season was 15 by Vic Sanchez in 1994. Justin's 133 total bases ranked third in Pacific history during one season and his 45 RBI tie him for ninth in a season. The pinnacle of Baum's season came during the week of May 9-16, as he earned Pacific's first national player of the week honor by going 13-for-16 (.813) in four games. In addition, Baum was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week. The most prolific output of the week came on May 13, as Justin was 5-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI in the Tigers' 13-6 win over Cal State Northridge. The Tigers were 3-1 during the week, and Baum was not retired more than once in any contest. Earlier in the season, Justin gave his best impression of Kirk Gibson as he helped the Tigers defeat Nevada, 15-5, on Apr. 12. Hobbled by a badly sprained ankle, Baum came to the plate as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with the Tigers trailing 5-3. Pacific had runners at first and second with no outs. Justin laced the single through the left side of the infield, then hobbled to first base, where he was lifted for a pinch runner. Justin jacked his ninth homer of the season, a three-run shot, on Mar. 20 against Stanford that at the time gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead on the Cardinal. He drove in a career-high five runs with two dingers on Mar. 9 against Washington and finished the series with a 3-for-3 showing and two more home runs. Baum's collegiate success started early as he was named to the River City Classic All-Tournament Team in the second week of the 2005 season. Justin was 5-for-13 with three runs scored and nailed his first collegiate home run. He was 3-for-5 with a double and the homer in the Tigers' 9-0 win over San Francisco on Feb. 12.High School: Baum graduated from Grossmont High School in La Mesa, Calif. in 2004. A three-year letterwinner in baseball for the Foothillers, Justin led his team to three consecutive 20-win seasons, including back-to-back 20-13 records in 2003 and 2004. Baum finished the 2004 season with a .382 average, 13 home runs, 38 RBI and a .560 on-base percentage. Following the 2004 season, Baum earned his second consecutive team MVP award. He also was named to the All-GNL (Grossmont North League) First Team for the second straight year. Baum finished his junior year with a .337 average, nine home runs and 33 RBI. Off the field, Baum also excelled in the classroom as he was on the honor roll in each of his four years at Grossmont HS.Personal: Justin Baum is the son of David and Kathy Baum. He has two siblings, Crystal (25) and Derek (16). In his fourth year at Pacific, Justin is a business administration major.