In March, pitcher Tomas Lopez CC’27 will temporarily trade his Lions jersey for a different one — that of Team Brazil. Lopez, a right-hander with a fierce fastball, is one of five collegiate pitchers who’ll suit up for the prestigious World Baseball Classic (WBC).

The international tournament, which takes place every three years, will see teams from 20 countries vie for the championship title. The vibe is akin to the World Cup or the Olympics, with elite, often professional, players going back to their roots and competing for national pride.

Lopez was initially contacted by one of Team Brazil’s coaches in the fall, but it wasn’t until early February that he learned he’d been selected. His connection to the country comes through his mom, who hails from a small town outside of São Paulo. Lopez has spent time there, though he grew up in Redondo Beach, Calif.

“Our coach talks about this,” Lopez says, referring to the Lions’ longtime leader, Brett Boretti. “You play for the team on the front [of the jersey] and the name on the back at the same time. And now, being on Team Brazil, those two things kind of go hand in hand. It feels honorable.”

The WBC begins with teams divided into groups and progressing through a round-robin schedule before shifting to a single-elimination bracket. Brazil is in Pool B along with Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and the United States. In fact, Brazil’s first game is against the U.S. on March 6 at the Astros’ Daikin Park in Houston. That means Lopez will potentially be facing down MLB stars like the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Phillies’ Bryce Harper.

“I know it’s going to be different from seeing them on TV,” Lopez says. “To be in an actual MLB stadium with them — it’s going to be very special. That’s something that I’m going to talk to my kids about someday.”

Lopez caught baseball fever as a grade schooler from two friends who’d moved from Boston and were big Red Sox fans. (Today his loyalty is closer to home, with the Dodgers.) When they joined a team in second grade, he followed suit — though he originally had a very different view of the mound, as a catcher. “When I was around 15, I had this humongous growth spurt,” he says. “I grew three or four inches, gained 40 pounds. Catching became very awkward.” He laughs. “So I started pitching. And then I kept growing.” (He’s now 6 foot 4 inches tall.)

After being recruited by Columbia, Lopez called the decision to become a Lion a “pretty easy choice.” He says, “I thought, if I could play baseball and get a really good education and be in New York City, I’m going to do that.”

Last season Lopez made nine appearances and one start for the Lions, who were the 2025 Ivy League champions. The financial economics major boasted a 2–0 record with a 0.73 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work. (That included two scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a win over Penn in the Ivy League Tournament.) This year, preseason polls picked Columbia to again finish first — the season opened on Feb. 20 — but for Lopez, the road will travel a bit further than usual from Morningside Heights. His adventure begins with exhibition games in Phoenix March 3 and 4, against the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers spring training teams.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and seeing how these men play baseball,” Lopez says of Team Brazil. “That’s their job. And one day, that’s something I want to do. I’m curious to see how they go about things and what their experiences are like, and just to learn from them.” (Fun fact: The group includes sons of three MLB luminaries, Dante Bichette, José Contreras and Manny Ramirez.)

After the March 6 game against the U.S., Brazil will play Italy (March 7), Mexico (March 8) and Great Britain (March 9). The top two teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, and the championship takes place March 17.

“I’m looking forward to any chance I get to step on that mound,” Lopez says. “It’s like I’ve got some fire on my head — super, super awesome. Our Columbia coaches have done a really good job preparing us pitchers to be ready for our season. My arm has never felt better. I’m just kind of locked in and in the mindset where I’m ready to go. This could be tomorrow, and I’d be ready.”