Piedra Vista senior to represent Diné community at Connie Mack World Series

FRUITLAND, N.M.

A couple nights ago, Drew Yazzie laid awake in his bed and thought about what it meant to be able to play in the Connie Mack World Series.

He already knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime, but on that night he realized it meant even more because he was only one of two Navajos who will play in the tournament.

“I sat back wondering, thinking that I’m going to play in the Connie Mack World Series with 600 fans behind us, screaming, and having Gavin Martin on my side; it’s going to be pretty stout and amazing,” Yazzie said. “It’s going to be pretty cool to see a Yazzie out there on the field.”

The tournament begins tomorrow and runs through Aug. 5 at Ricketts Park.

Yazzie and fellow Navajo player Martin, will join their team Farmington Strike Zone and go up against some of the best amateur baseball teams in the country.

Yazzie, 17, said it’s something he can hardly wait for.

“I’m very excited, I’m very ecstatic about it,” he said. “We’re a good team, we got here from training really hard and we’re just going after it.”

The team earned their spot in the tournament after winning the city league tournament about two weeks ago.

It will be Yazzie’s, who will be a senior at Piedra Vista High School this fall, first time playing in the prestigious tournament. Like Martin, he grew up playing baseball. He started with T-ball and worked his way up through the rankings before joining the young Strike Zone in the fall of 2015.

“I set high standards at a young age and I’m working up to it everyday,” he said. “I’m very grateful (head coach) Adam Morrissey gave me the opportunity to play on the Strike Zone team because I worked very hard. It’s in my DNA to work very hard, it always has been, it always will be.”

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