During my junior year of high school basketball, I shattered my elbow. As a result, I missed my junior year of baseball—the critical season when college scouts are evaluating players for their programs. To make up for lost time, I attended every summer camp I could, including one at Fresno State, my parent’s alma mater.
Just two days into the camp, Coach Batesole invited my parents and me to discuss his college program. My first glimpse of a college opportunity came from the very place where both of my parents had attended school.
After my High School graduation, I joined Fresno State’s baseball team and immediately began learning from Coach Batesole. Growing up, my approach to hitting had been fairly simple: see the ball, hit the ball. Coach showed me that I was stepping into a much bigger pond and would need a more sophisticated approach at the plate. Collegiate pitchers had larger, more refined arsenals, and simply seeing the ball and hitting it would no longer be enough. He introduced me to many of the tools I still use today, including understanding the count, reading game situations, and developing a strategic approach to each at-bat.
Coach Batesole’s network included Page Odle, an athlete advisor who worked with some of the older players on our team. Through my interactions with Page during my college career, I developed a level of familiarity and trust with him. So when it came time to choose representation for the MLB Draft, he had a distinct advantage. I trusted Coach Batesole, and Coach Batesole trusted Page. Page then picked up the mantle and introduced me to a team of people who continue to help me both on and off the field. My network was growing.
At the 2022 Baseball Writers’ Dinner, where I was honored with the American League MVP Award, I met Paul Goldschmidt, the National League MVP recipient. We exchanged phone numbers and began texting about hitting. Later that offseason, we met to work together and discuss approach, mechanics, and mindset. The seeds Coach Batesole had planted were nurtured further through this new connection. Today, I have the opportunity to pick Goldy’s brain in the dugout.
Connections matter for ALL RISE as well. Our team is made up of people brought together through my family’s network, whether through my Mom’s experience leading the California Activities Directors Association, introductions from my agent Page, or through the Fresno State family. Each member brings something special and different to our team, whether it is Hien Nguyen’s leadership in education, Matthew Soeth’s insight into online youth safety, the Sass team’s public relations expertise or Ricciuti’s business knowledge and experience with merchandising.
Our networks help us grow and we carry that into our work. The philosophy behind the ALL RISE Mini-Grant Program isn’t simply to send a check and disappear. We continue to support our grant recipients by creating lasting relationships and opportunities for them to connect with others who share similar goals and serve the same communities. The speakers we bring to the