By: Frankie Benvenuti

When Ottawa Titans’ utility man Jackie Urbaez steps to the dish at Ottawa Stadium, you hear a couple of things; his upbeat walkup song, “Kulikitaka,” and a growing group of supporters yelling “We love you, Jackie” at the top of their lungs. 

The Miami, Florida native has called Ottawa home for the past three seasons, endearing himself to the fans in the nation’s capital each day. Not known for immense power, or incredible speed, Urbaez has played his way into the fans’ hearts the old-fashioned way, especially defensively. 

Whether he’s playing his natural position at second base, or somewhere in the outfield, Urbaez routinely flashes the leather, and chips in with the stick, owning an OPS well over .850 this season. 

When you consider Urbaez’s success, and couple it with the fact that the Titans have been red hot since the beginning of June, it’s no shock the fans have heaped the love toward the 26-year-old. 

Not only does he hear the chants, but Urbaez absolutely loves it. 

“Oh, it’s dope,” Urbaez said, while his teammates jokingly mocked him from the clubhouse yelling ‘we love you, Jackie’ in high-pitched voices. “Everyone on the opposing team is always asking me about it, and it’s like, dude, it’s just great. It gets me going, it pumps me up, and I feed off of it. I love it so much.” 

In independent baseball, where the turnover rate is so high for players, hundreds of players come and go each season without ever feeling a connection to the city they play in, with so many only ever spending one year in any given city. Urbaez is ahead of the curve on that one already, as one of the handful of players who have been Titans since the clubs’ inception. 

Even then, there’s hardly any guarantee that fans latch onto a single player. It’s only a lucky few who become intertwined in the city’s baseball culture, and many times, they are local players. In Ottawa’s past, it has been Sebastien Boucher and Phillippe Aumont, or it’s someone who was once a big-name prospect for a Major League club, but Urbaez is neither of those things. 

What he does have going for him, however, is an incredible personality, complete with a bright smile and relentless work ethic. Urbaez is always having fun, and is exactly what you would imagine a person who plays a kid’s game well into his 20s would be; an enthusiastic, fun, and lovable person, and the perfect role model for young kids. 

Though he dreamt of this with an MLB club while he was young, the feeling of the chants is irreplaceable, regardless of whether it’s at Ottawa Stadium, or under the lights at Fenway Park. It’s the kind of thing Urbaez knows won’t last forever, and he’ll relish the opportunity for as long as he can. 

“Everyone wants to feel wanted and accepted wherever they’re playing, it doesn’t matter if it's in the bigs or indy ball,” Urbaez said. “The fact that the fans here cheer me on like they do, I feel loved. I feel that same attachment to them.” 

Making the experience all the more fun has been the winning baseball Urbaez and the Titans have rewarded their fans with in 2024. A 10-14 start to the season had them in a tough spot, needing to correct themselves quickly if they wanted to keep their playoff chances healthy, but since, they have gone 20-5, pulling themselves into third place in the East Division, only one game back of the top spot. 

“We’ve always had it,” Urbaez said. “We’re starting to put it all together, you’re seeing all of the hard work, and the vision Bobby [Brown] had in the offseason by bringing us all together. We have to keep it going. It’s a great feeling right now.” 

The job is far from over as the All-Star break nears, of course. Both Trois-Rivières and Tri-City are nipping at Ottawa’s heels, forcing the Titans to keep winning ball games. 

“We know what we bring to the table,” Urbaez said. “Once we get going, we want to pick one another up, and keep the ball rolling.”