By: Krissy Hetherington
Even without a junior season, Redwood Baseball’s Diego Alvarado, ’21, and Ethan Garcia, ’21, were able to earn scholarships to further their academic and athletic careers based purely on talent and heart.
This past week, the boys were 2 of the 4 total athletes able to sign their National Letters of Intent securing a spot on their collegiate teams.
Unfortunately due to COVID-19, they had to sign from home instead of the traditional ceremony that takes place in the quad every fall and winter during school.
Athletic Director, Michael Wright, said “Hopefully, at some point this school year we will be able to celebrate properly. I know it is a special moment and they deserve the proper recognition and celebration so I am anxious to give that to them.”
His encouragement to the athletes signing is to enjoy the time they have in high school and to realize there is always time to get better.
Diego Alvarado- Oregon State University- Baseball
Diego Alvarado, ’21, verbally committed to Oregon State University last fall during his junior year and plans to major in bio-health sciences. Oregon State is part is an NCAA Division 1 school and part of the Pac-12 conference. In their 2018 campaign, the Beavers secured the National Championship.
What drew Alvarado to Oregon State is the legacy of the school.
“OSU is consistently in the College World Series and the coaches preach on building a brotherhood,” he says.
Being a part of the Redwood Varsity Baseball team since sophomore year, Alvarado said he learned how to be a great teammate and pick up his teammates whenever they needed it. He also learned a lot from the high intensity games and under the pressure situations such as playoffs and the program’s many tournaments in Clovis.
Redwood Baseball Head Coach, Dan Hydash, said, “Diego has been outstanding for us. The work he has put in to get to where he is has been inspiring. Many players say they want to go as far as they can athletically, but very few are willing to put the work in to get there. Diego is dedicated to being a great player and student. He is also a leader in the Redwood Baseball program.”
“Diego has no quit in him. He works for everything he has and takes a lot of pride in what he does. He understands that details are important. These qualities will bode well for him in life.”
Redwood Varsity Baseball Head Coach, Dan Hydash
Travel ball has also always played a big role in Alvarado’s life especially when it came to securing a scholarship with Oregon State.
After sending out emails and getting phone calls with the OSU coach, Mitch Canham, they came to watch him play through connections playing for the SoCal Giants travel ball team.
He said his biggest takeaway from playing travel baseball has been, “learning how to be a good teammate and understanding how others react because we often all come from so many different teams. We make new friends from places all over the world and that really helps when it comes time to transition into college because you are basically meeting your team for the next 4 years and the commits that come in after you who are younger.”
His biggest inspiration has been his mom because “she has always been there for me and wants to see me succeed.”
Ethan Garcia- Long Beach State University- Baseball
Making the early decision to commit to Long Beach State as a sophomore, Ethan Garcia, ’21, knew exactly where he was meant to be at. Garcia has also decided to major in criminology.
“Long Beach is a beautiful place down south and I really just like the scenery of it. The head coach has a very old way of the game of baseball…I know he has my best interest at heart and will get me to my full potential as a pitcher. I committed there because I know this school will better me both as a baseball player and academically in the long run,” Garcia says.
Long Beach State’s Baseball team is coached by Eric Valenzuela and is a part of the Big West conference.
Garcia has been an active member of the Redwood Varsity Baseball team since freshman year.
He appreciates Redwood’s Baseball program because “Hydash and the rest of the coaching staff really make practices like a college atmosphere which has really helped me prepare for college. I’ve learned to work hard when people are watching and also when no one is around. Just learning how to give it your all, 100% of the time.”
Coach Hydash said on behalf of Ethan, “He has been an impact player for the Redwood Baseball program since he entered as a freshman four years ago. In fact, he started a game on the mound as a freshman and got the win. We knew then that he would be a special player. He is naturally talented but works hard to be the best player he can be. Over the years it has been fun watching him grow and develop as a player and young man. He is one of the leaders in the program.”
“Ethan is determined to be successful. He isn’t afraid to put the work in to get to where he wants to be. This has been evident through the extra work he has put in as not only a baseball player, but as a student. He understands the importance of working with others to improve as a team. Ethan also has integrity. You won’t find a better person. He is a great teammate and one of my favorite players I have ever coached.”
Redwood Varsity Baseball Head Coach, Dan Hydash
Garcia played travel ball for El Monte Dukes where he received his connection to Long Beach State through.
“Playing travel taught me to value the game more and to appreciate that I am still playing the game of baseball,” he says.
His biggest influence and mentor has always been his dad, “He’s always pushing me to work harder so I can get to where I can go.”
Although Garcia adds it was weird not being able to sign in front of all his friends and coaches who have helped him towards this opportunity, he is just grateful to sign to play the game he loves at a Division 1 college.
Hydash’s final advice for both of the boys is, “keep grinding. College athletics take dedication, passion, and commitment. Both Ethan and Diego have these qualities. They need to just keep doing what got them to where they are and if they do so, I have no doubt they will be highly successful college athletes.”
Expectations for the potential, upcoming season
Redwood Baseball has a long standing tradition of success and sending many talented players to play at the next level.
In their 2019 season, Garcia and Alvarado contributed to the team’s 18-10 season and 8-2 record in League. They were able to bring home a WYL Championship and made it to the Division 1 playoff season.
With a strong group of players across all ages, the 2020 season was looking promising before COVID stuck. Although the team started with a 2-7 record, the Rangers played some tough Clovis and Bakersfield teams in preparation for their upcoming league games.
Coach Hydash said on behalf of the upcoming season, “After such a long break, I am just excited to see the players. It’s been a long time. I don’t think I have ever been so excited for a season to start.”
“When something is taken from you, you really start to think about how lucky you are to do something you love. I love coaching at Redwood and I know the players love playing for Redwood. I know players have been staying active and in baseball shape. This makes me very proud. Working hard and being successful is important to our players.”
Redwood Varsity Baseball Coach, Dan Hydash
Alvarado adds “I just want to have a great season because we have a great team this upcoming season. We all are just hungry to win Valley.”
“As a team, I want us to play for each other out on the field, always have each others’ backs, and picking each other up,” says Garcia.
His expectations for the season are “to simply win Valley. I know we can do it, it’s just a matter of if we are all willing to put in the work which I have a feeling this will be the year.”
If things begin to return to normal then Redwood is looking at another strong baseball team with Alvarado and Garcia to lead, a few juniors being actively scouted to play in college, and many senior leaders who never took a break in hopes of returning soon.