Student-Athletes Continue to Give Back!

On June 26, 2017 the Hartnell College Baseball and Softball teams hosted their annual summer camps; these camps would not be possible without the help and involvement of our student-athletes. This week we had about 10 student athletes volunteering their time in the week-long camps. The Baseball Team had eight athletes help out including Ricardo Torres, Isaiah Madrigal, Juan Zuniga, Baxter Black, Xavier Moreno, and JJ Ortiz. For the Softball Team there were four student-athletes that volunteered their time; Amber Duplissie, Dominique Pena, Kasey Watt, and Enrique Pacheco. We asked each one of them what was their favorite part of the camps, here is what they told us:

“I enjoyed being here because we get to teach our next generation the right rules and fundamentals of baseball; we go even further to teach them on how to carry themselves. I wish for a better Baseball community here in Salinas.” –Ricardo Torres, Baseball “I volunteer and like to be here for the camps because it reminds me of when I used to be a camper. I really enjoy guiding these girls to become Softball players one day and maybe come back and volunteer; I would love to see them continue that cycle.” –Amber Duplissie, Softball “I really enjoy the annual camps because we get an opportunity to interact and teach children the fundamentals of Baseball.” –Isaiah Madrigal, Baseball “I get to teach these girls new techniques and things they haven’t seen before, but more than anything I like to see the progress they make in just a few days.” –Dominique Pena, Softball “I enjoyed teaching these kids how to love Baseball and helping them improve their skills.” – Juan Zuniga “I really liked to teach them how to play hard, to be passionate about the game, but also to follow their own instincts and to not just copy others.” –Baxter Black, Baseball “The main reason I volunteer in the camps is to give back to my community; sharing my Softball knowledge is really rewarding. I have been a camper ever since I was old enough to be out here, now I get to come back and volunteer to help young girls love the game.” – Kasey Watt, Softball “I enjoyed making memories and forming relationships with the campers, I hope that they remember this experience as they grow.” –Xavier Moreno, Baseball “My favorite part of the camp was making jokes with the kids, trying to make this experience as much fun as possible. I also enjoyed helping them sharpen up on their skills.” –JJ Ortiz, Baseball

I am so proud to have students that commit their time to giving back to their community and become role models for the next generations. I look forward to our Baseball and Softball summer camps next year and I hope to see more students be involved with this type of community service. Go Panthers!