Diné Nation represented at Atlanta baseball showcase

WINDOW ROCK
This past summer, the Atlanta Braves hosted their 2nd Annual Native American Baseball Showcase at their home field in Georgia. They welcomed 50 high school baseball players to the showcase on June 23-25, all representing different tribes from across the U.S.

This year, the Navajo Nation had seven representatives making an appearance at the showcase, consisting of Osai Garcia from Kirtland, Christian Benally from Farmington, Ethan Smith Eaton from Bloomfield, Padraig Callan from Albuquerque, Miles Frost from Cortez, Jeremiah Walters from Tuba City, and Shaydin Tsosie from Chinle.

Garcia has been playing baseball since he was young, back when he first started playing T-Ball. He is Kiyaa’áanii born for ‘Áshįįhi, he lives in Kirtland but is originally from Shiprock.

“I just enjoy playing the game really,” Garcia said. “I love playing baseball and love watching it, it’s just a love for the game.”

He is an all-around player, capable of playing any position including pitcher, but he primarily plays second base and shortstop. He believes his greatest strength is his batting, as he doesn’t strike out often.

Another athlete who grew up loving baseball is Benally, a sophomore from Farmington. He is Kiyaa’áanii, born for Bit’ahnii.

“I think it’s a reliever for me,” Benally said of the sport of baseball. “It’s like something I can get away to, it makes me feel good, just playing with my friends, people I grew up with and just having fun on the field.”

He believes his greatest strength is playing in center field or in the outfield. He enjoys playing good defense and likes to yell when he makes a successful catch. It’s a challenge playing in the outfield but one he greatly enjoys. He also plays first base and is a southpaw pitcher.

Benally believes baseball really changed his life, not only did it make him a faster and stronger individual, but also a more determined one.

One important lesson he learned was to never give up. When he was playing baseball as a kid, a team he played with had that as their motto and they’d shout it whenever they won, “Never Give Up!”

Garcia wasn’t sure what to expect from the showcase and he wasn’t too confident he’d be accepted, as there are many applicants from across the country. So, it was a surprise when he got the news.

“It was amazing really,” Garcia said. “When my parents first told me that I got accepted to go there I didn’t even believe them until they showed me that email, so it was amazing, you know, a great feeling.”

Benally had similar thoughts when he received his confirmation email too.

“It was great, I was surprised, really surprised, because I knew there was a lot of people probably applying for it and I was just lucky enough and blessed enough to be picked and to go and I was very excited,” Benally said.

Despite it being a long trip, the Garcia family decided to drive all the way to Georgia. The trip was about a weeklong, but for Garcia and his family, it was fun as they got to see different places and each night ate somewhere new, always trying new and authentic food.

When they arrived in Atlanta, they had time to go sight seeing before the showcase on Friday.

Benally’s family drove to Albuquerque, where they caught a flight to Dallas before swinging towards Atlanta. They also spent a day sightseeing as well and they got to visit distant relatives.

On Friday, both boys were dropped off at the designated hotel where they checked in with the other 50 baseball players and received new gear: clothes, caps, practice gear and gloves. Then, they were transported to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta MLB team.

There they were given a tour of the stadium, got to meet their instructors and ate authentic southern BBQ. They also had time to interact with each other, where Garcia and Benally caught up with one another and met the other five Navajo players, more then they were expecting to find.

The other native athletes were nice, and Benally thought they were all pretty cool as they all shared the same love for the sport.

Garcia felt a little bit of pressure facing these other athletes, but it was mostly because he wanted to make a good impression for the Navajo Nation and wanting to show his tribe is capable of producing good players.

On Saturday the showcase really started with athletes being given pro-level training, working with strict coaches and doing tough workouts. They worked on defensive work, fielding, throwing, pitching and catching. And Garcia loved every minute of it.

Benally enjoyed it as well, but the humidity weighed on him, but it was no worse than the time he played in 120-degree heat in Phoenix. Still, he enjoyed every second of the experience.

“I’m thankful that happened and it just felt unreal, just standing on that field where other good players had stood on,” Benally said. “Like I watched a Atlanta Braves game today and I was like, ‘dang, I was standing on that field, I was in that stadium.’ It was really cool, something I would have never imagined.”

On their last day, they played a 9-inning game, using what they learned and playing at their best.

Garcia felt he did well, he pitched against two batters and recorded an out. He also hit an impressive ground ball.

“It was amazing,” Garcia said. “Definitely a ten out of ten, I would definitely go there again, it was really fun.”

Benally felt his performance was strong too, particularly his fielding. His batting was good, and he faced the most challenging pitchers ever in his baseball career, with some balls coming in at 92 mph.

Both Garcia and Benally love the game of baseball and are hoping to play collegiately, and they believe that this showcase will increase their chances.

“I think it’s an amazing experience for Native American athletes,” Garcia said. “We don’t get enough exposure, so I feel like this definitely helps.”

The two players are grateful to have gotten this opportunity and both greatly enjoyed the experience. They hope to have the opportunity again or at the very least the chance to continue playing baseball after high school.

“I’d definitely want to have more kids reach out and see more natives,” Garcia said. “I also would like to see more Navajos there to represent and showcase, but you know, this is a great experience for anyone, anyone wanting to play baseball at the next level. Or just to go out there and have fun.”

Benally thanked everyone who made this opportunity possible for him, from the top organizers in the showcase, to the bus driver who drove them to the ballpark in Atlanta.

“I was proud to be out there as a Navajo,” Benally said. “I wasn’t really intimidated because I knew I had six more dudes who were Navajo there too, and I was proud of that, and I was happy. I was just really confident and happy to be out there and I was just ready to play ball.”

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