Fresh out of college and recently engaged, Bryan Lambert '05 is living the dream. The six-foot-nine Brandeis athletic icon-who had been an all-UAA selection in both basketball and baseball-was signed by Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals organization in June, barely a month after graduating as a fifth-year senior. It was a change of plans for Lambert, who in May told the Justice that he had arranged to play professional basketball in Portugal.But Lambert pitched well in a New England all-star game at Fenway Park on June 6, attracting the attention of Washington scouts. He worked out for the Nationals, and shortly after was signed and reported to the Gulf Coast League Nationals in Florida, the team's rookie ball affiliate. After going 3-1 in 10 appearances with a 1.54 ERA, he moved up to the A-level affiliate Savannah Sand Gnats last week.

"It's been exciting," Lambert said. "Playing in front of big crowds, little kids asking for your autographs, fans cheering for you; it's everything you expect."

Lambert said he's happy with his decision to forgo his basketball opportunities for now, saying the chance to eventually play baseball in the major leagues was too enticing to pass up.

"I love playing baseball and basketball equally," he said. "So with the chance to stay in the U.S., and the chance to play the game at the highest level, which I'll never have with basketball, I had to take it."

Lambert describes his life after graduation as one of constant grueling workouts, with challenges and evaluation from the people who employ him every day.

He told the Justice he typically spends up to 14 hours per day at the Sand Gnats' ballpark.

"The daily schedule is exhausting," Lambert said. "You get to the ball park and [work on] conditioning, lifting, skill. Everything is based around working out and getting better, and then you still need to play a game and go out there and compete against professional players that are very talented. So it's a daily grind. Mentally preparing yourself to perform gets exhausting."

Lambert said the biggest challenge is adjusting to the caliber of hitters he faces every day, and explained that the margin for error is much smaller than in the collegiate game.

"At the college level you could get away with making a bad pitch," he said. "Here you make a bad pitch and the guy is standing on second base."

He described the highlight of his young career as his only start (Lambert is usually reliever and a closer), in which he pitched six innings and had four strikeouts while not allowing a run.

"It showed me that when they need me I can do whatever they need," Lambert said.

Despite the hard work he puts in every day, the summer has brought celebration for him as well, as Lambert asked his long-time girlfriend Joanna Schleider '05 to marry him and she joyfully accepted. Schleider still lives in the Boston area.

"We have an apartment together in Boston," Lambert said. "We haven't set a [wedding] date or anything, but it's been tough [not seeing her]."

Basketball is hardly out of the question for him. Men's basketball coach Brian Meehan told the Justice that Lambert could easily get back into playing basketball, and Meehan's not the only one who thinks so. Lambert recently signed with a basketball agent, and is waiting to hear from a team in Spain that has expressed interest.

"It'd be exciting to spend the off-season playing basketball," Lambert said, adding that he certainly won't give up baseball. "[I want to] play both."

In the meantime, his life revolves around getting better while he spends his days on the mound in the Savannah heat.

"I'm happy with how I've pitched so far," Lambert said. "Next year I want to be playing at a higher level than I am this year. 'You're either moving up or you're moving out,' is the saying."

That Savannah heat seems to be his only complaint, having gone from the blistering cold of Waltham to the scorching heat of Georgia.

"It's hot [in Savannah]," he said. "In Boston I complained about the cold weather and now I'm complaining about the hot weather."

With only four earned runs so far, the heat doesn't seem to be affecting his pitching.