After getting engaged to Arie, and then getting dumped by him in a spiraling turn of events on the most recent season of The Bachelor, Becca Kufrin is returning to the hit reality show as the next Bachelorette to find love once and for all. She has quite the lineup of men waiting to steal her heart on the upcoming season. And, one of them, thanks to his record in professional baseball, might just hit a home run and win the whole thing. He now lives a life dedicated to fitness and modeling, but Bachelorette contestant Connor played professional baseball for the Atlanta Braves, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Connor Jordan Obrochta also played for the University of Tampa Spartans during all four years of his collegiate career, where he led the team in several offensive categories at various points, including on-base percentage and runs scored. He and his team also won the Division II national championship in 2013, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He graduated from U of T with a bachelor's degree in public health in 2014, and shortly after, was signed as a free agent out fielder on a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. He played for the franchise's rookie league affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Braves, for nearly a year before being released, during which he obtained a batting average of .214 in 64 at bats.
These days spent professionally catching pop-ups are over, and if Becca chooses to marry him, there will most likely not be a World Series ring in their future. However, the St. Petersburg native still has a love for the sport, and has since adopted two different — and equally exciting — career paths: modeling and personal training, according to his website. In case you feel like every Bachelorette contestant seems to be in the fitness or modeling business, you're forgetting one sliver of the pie — the "small business owners," of course.
It seems as though Connor has managed to become a combination of all three. According to his personal website, his current pursuits are helping him combine his passions for sports, fitness and health, and body confidence. "After being released [from baseball], I dedicated my efforts to helping others achieve their personal and physical goals through health and fitness," his website says. "I became interested in modeling and love how it challenges my confidence and overall shapes me as a better person."
His site says he is certified in group and personal training, and offers fitness programs that are "specifically created and customized to your health/fitness goals." The programs he offers include a beginner's guide, a four and eight week program, and body region-specific programs for abs, legs and glutes, and arms. He also somehow has the bandwidth to produce and sell his own merch — t-shirts, tanks, and snapback caps that bare his logo for "CJO Fitness."
His modeling career spans multiple platforms — commercial, editorial, and personal. So far, according to his site, some of the major clients he has worked with as a model include Nike, David Yurman, John Craig, Coors Light, Winghouse, Florida Lottery, Smith Optics, Nordstrom, Home Shopping Network (HSN), and Bealls.
In announcing his participation on The Bachelorette on his Instagram, he pointed out his disdain for a fully-fastened button-up in a quirky caption that read, "Went searching for my buttons for the last couple months .... I mean love." He apparently is very steadfast in his dedication to a three button minimum rule on all shirts.
Here's to hoping his fielding skills come in handy when he's playing the field for Becca's heart. And, if he couldn't find love with her — well, maybe he at least found his buttons.
