Photo Courtesy of Jakub Brown
Loading into his back hip and preparing to hit the baseball, Jakub "Kuba" Brown awaits in the batter's box in a game against Team Colombia. Brown played for the Czech National Team at this year's DRD International Academies Baseball Tournament in Puerto Rico.
This season, Jakub “Kuba” Brown has been a top contributor on the Gretna East baseball team, showcasing his talent both offensively and defensively, as he helped the Griffins’ big wins over Class A’s No. 1 team, Lincoln East Spartans, and Class B’s No. 2 team, Norris Titans.
The success he’s had this spring got a kick-start over the winter when he took to the field with red, white and blue stitched across his jersey, and while most people would automatically assume he was playing for the United States, the experience of donning those colors came differently for Brown; this time, it wasn’t for the US; it was for the Czech Republic.
Brown played for the Czech Republic Youth National Team at the DRD International Baseball Academies Tournament in Puerto Rico. Competing against the top 17 and 18-year-olds from the the world, he was able to represent his family’s heritage on an international stage.
“Playing in tournaments like these is always something I look forward to,” Brown said. “It’s a chance for me to reconnect with the guys that live in Czech.”
Unlike the rest of his teammates, who were either born in or currently reside in the Czech Republic, Brown’s story began on the West Coast of the United States. But thanks to his mother, Lucie Brown, who was born in a small Czech village, Kuba was eligible to represent the Czech Republic internationally because he is considered a legal citizen of the Republic.
Many might assume that competing in a communication-heavy sport like baseball with players who speak different languages would be a challenge, but Brown is fluent in both Czech and English.
“Most people would think there was a barrier, but there’s not,” he said. “I was able to speak with them in Czech, and many of them speak fluent English.”
Teams from all around the globe gathered in Puerto Rico on Feb. 1 for a week of baseball. The Czech team was placed in a competitive Group B alongside Mexico, Germany, Colombia, Aruba and tournament favorite Puerto Rico.
In their opening matchup, the Czech team faced Aruba, where the final score was 10-2 in favor of Aruba.
“Despite the loss, the atmosphere in Puerto Rico was amazing,” Brown said. “The games had a lot of energy and people.”
The team rebounded in their next game, notching a 7-3 victory over Germany to even their record at 1-1. Their third game, however, brought an even bigger challenge: a matchup against host nation Puerto Rico, fresh off a tournament win in Florida. Brown and his teammates jumped out to a 1-0 lead early, but Puerto Rico responded with nine unanswered runs, sealing the win via run-rule in the fifth inning.
With their medal hopes hanging in the balance, the Czechs faced a must-win scenario against Colombia. The team’s offense erupted, and so did Brown’s bat. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles in a clutch performance.
“Going out there and being able to hit the ball felt good,” he said. “The pitchers there were some of the best their countries had to offer.”
The Czech squad held off Colombia’s late-game surge and walked away with a 9-6 win, improving to 2-2.
“Getting those hits was great,” Brown said. “I wanted to help the team out in any way, and I was able to do just that.”
Their final group-stage matchup game against Mexico. Down a run in the sixth inning, Brown came through in the clutch once again. He crushed a fastball deep into the outfield gap, skipping it against the wall. One run scored, and Brown slid into third with a game-tying triple. The Czech team held on to win 4-3.
“It was electric,” Brown said. “Helping my team win in a big situation like that was something that meant a lot to me.”
Despite winning their last two games, the Czech team fell just short of the championship bracket. In the consolation round, they faced off against a familiar international opponent, Japan. Brown and his teammates brought the energy, cruising to a dominant 17-1 win in just four innings.
The tournament wrapped with a rematch against Colombia, this time with eighth place on the line. Brown stayed hot at the plate, collecting another hit and helping the Czechs lock in their final tournament standing.
“The experience was amazing to play against players from other countries,” Brown said. “Hanging out with the other players in the hotel and outside the field was awesome to learn about their culture and way of life.”
Brown’s participation in the tournament might be just the beginning of a promising journey in international baseball. He’ll be eligible to try out for the senior Czech National Team at age 20, a team that’s already secured a spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Until then, he’ll continue supporting the team from afar.
“During my eighth-grade summer, they [Czech Youth National Team] happened to have a tryout while I was there [Czech Republic],” Brown said. “I made it, and now I hope the same will happen when I get older.