Former BYU pitcher Justin Su’a, a prominent human and organizational performance development specialist in the professional sports industry, will be the keynote speaker at BYU baseball’s annual First Pitch Dinner and fundraising auction on Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Provo Marriott.
The BYU baseball fundraiser is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT and includes a silent auction, dinner and program featuring a keynote address from Su’a and the presentation of the Cameron Tuckett Award, given annually to the player who demonstrates consistent effort in academics, citizenship and baseball from the previous season.
Su’a, a former BYU baseball player who has worked in Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, currently partners with elite athletes, coaches and executives to build organizational and personal systems for high performance.
In addition to the Rays and Red Sox, he has worked for or consulted with the Cleveland Browns, IMG Academy, U.S. Army, PGA/LPGA Golfers, ATP Tennis Players, WWE, Olympians, Google, Elite CrossFit athletes, various NCAA teams and other corporations.
Su’a also hosts a podcast called “Increase Your Impact” and partnered with Sports Illustrated as a host of a show called “Losing Control.”
In addition, Su’a is the author of two books, “Parent Pep Talks: The 10 Must Have Mental Skills Your Child Must Have to Succeed in Sports, School, and Life,” and “Mentally Tough Teens: Developing the Winning Mindset.”
Su’a played four seasons for the Cougars in 2001 and from 2004-06. He also served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Nicaragua. The Torrance, California native was named first team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2001 and was later named Academic All-Mountain West Conference and a Cougar Club Scholar Athlete multiple times. In addition, Su’a was a member of the Samoan National Olympic Baseball team, where he played in the 1998 Oceanic Games in Samoa and the 1999 Summer Tourney in Guam.
Su’a graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in communications and later earned a master’s degree in sports and performance psychology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in organizational behavior. Su’a and his wife Melissa live in Florida with their three children.