Diné athletes bring talent to Connie Mack
FRUITLAND, N.M.
Naa’taanii Pack pitcher Brandon Larson throws a pitch during a game with Strike Zone in a Farmington league game. Strike Zone defeated Naa’taanii Pack, 2-1. Larson is one of the new members of the team and has committed to play for Eastern New Mexico University. (Times photo – Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi)
Over 60 miles west of Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M., 10 Navajo baseball players have been gearing up for their chance to prove that there is more to the reservation than basketball.
The NMAZ Halo baseball team, made up of Navajo athletes from Tuba City, Chinle and Shiprock, is the newest addition in the Connie Mack tournament.
They are one of three teams comprised of mostly Navajo and Native American athletes looking to make a run in the Connie Mack tournament and to possibly become the host team of the Connie Mack World Series. Naa’taanii Pack and Four Corners Braves also have a high number of Native American athletes on their teams.
NMAZ Halo head coach Pedro Tom said the baseball talent on the reservation is often overlooked because many athletes don’t have opportunities beyond high school. He said that’s why he wanted to put the team together.
“You see a lot of those athletes that kind of just stop playing. Nobody gives them a chance or they can’t afford it,” he said. “I want to give them that chance to come out here and to play in that league, to show off their skills and their abilities, that they can play baseball, not just basketball.”
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow