Basin ball players prepare for trip to Nettuno, Italy

MOSES LAKE - America's Pastime has now become a global game.

So much so that Northwest Elite, a select baseball team based in University Place, will head to a tournament in Nettuno, Italy in early Aug. with two Basin baseball players in tow.

Caleb Juarez, of Moses Lake, and T.J. Martinez, of Othello, both were able to work their way onto the Northwest Elite roster, although in different manners.

"Caleb was 12 and during fall ball they had an opportunity to do tryouts after fall ball was over and it was through a program called Be the One," Steven Juarez, his father, said. "It ended up being that Rhett Parker and Northwest Elite was recruiting kids through the process of tryouts and they were going all over the place."

All over the place meant the west coast, east coast, Montana and Alaska.

Eventually, Caleb was tapped to play up a year as a 12-year-old and last year made a trip to Maryland with the team.

This season, Northwest Elite was in need of some extra players and asked Steven if he knew anyone who might fit the mold.

Steven had just the kid in mind.

Enter Martinez, an agile, speedy and focused player out of Othello.

"From what the coach described to me what he needed he was a perfect fit so we took him to Olympia for a tryout and within the first five minutes they knew he was exactly what they were looking for," Steven said.

Caleb and Martinez have been playing against each other since they were nine years old. Both are relieved to not have to face each other from opposing dugouts. Especially Martinez, who is new to Northwest Elite this year.

"It's kind of nice that I actually know at least one person on the team," he said.

Currently, Caleb plays catcher for the Columbia Basin Junior Dogs and is a two-time state champion who was named the MVP of last year's state tournament.

The two together should make for a formidable duo.

Outside the diamond, Martinez is excited to see the Italian scenery, which shouldn't disappoint as Nettuno sits right on the coastline. Caleb is interested to find out the differences between the people in Washington and the people in Italy.

"I think it's going to open up quite a bit of opportunities for these boys, having the opportunity to go down there to Italy," Isidoro Martinez, T.J.'s father, said. "I think they're going to get into different cultures, play different people with different backgrounds, different techniques, styles, approaches towards things

"I think it's going to be a good experience to get them prepared for adult life and if the baseball world is what they want to do. If they want to continue they might come back with a different spirit and attitude towards baseball that baseball can actually take you a lot of places."

Across the Atlantic Ocean is certainly farther than T.J. thought baseball could take him. Growing up the younger brother watching his sisters excel on the softball field, T.J. envisioned trips to Las Vegas or Colorado. Not the Italian countryside or the Colosseum in Rome.

Despite T.J.'s success, the shadows of his sisters still loom large.

"One thing T.J. has, he has pretty big shoes to fill and when he gets on the field that's all he's thinking about, you know, how far his sisters took it," Isidoro said. "He's the type of person that's not going to stay sitting down ... He definitely turns into quite the monster out there."

T.J.'s sisters helped boost the profile of softball in Othello and Isidoro hopes this trip will help spark interest from the Columbia Basin in the Northwest Elite program.

Performing well at the tournament won't hurt either.

"By next year you'll see," Isidoro said. "There's going to be a lot of people wanting to participate in the Northwest Elite team, I think so. Especially if we come home with some bling bling."

Along with seeing the world, the two will also be coached by an astute baseball mind in Parker. Parker is the NW Elite Director and also serves as an associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles.

Parker showcased his knowledge with Caleb after he helped him navigate a new position.

"While I was playing I was playing at a different position and he was really helping me out while I was on the field and he was in the stands," Caleb said. "Kind of just directing me where to go."

Steven and Isidoro were impressed with how Parker put a premium on the kids' education. The first question he asks prospective players is about the status of their grades.

"Starting with that kind of conversation kind of tells you a lot about a person and his expectations," Isidoro said. "They're not just baseball junkies, they actually want you to get something out of this whole program."

T.J. and Caleb will be in Italy from Aug. 3 to 11. The trip's estimated cost is $3,000 and the kids have been raising money through car washes, odd jobs and donations.

Anyone looking to donate or have work done can contact Steven at 509-760-4771. Isidoro hopes that the Columbia Basin community can rally to help T.J. and Caleb raise enough money to help pay for the expenses that incur when travelling across the globe.

"Help the boys accomplish something, help them get to their goals," he said. "A dollar, five dollars, everything ... It means a lot to the kids. Obviously for them to raise this kind of money it takes the community's support ... Try to help out because they're out there for a reason."