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Eagle Lake athlete Roger Toriz, Jr. achieved a lifelong dream by playing in the select baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY.
The tournament is primarily for 12u baseball players, and they develop an appreciation for tradition, values of faith and baseball as well as meet some MLB players and visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
“I was in disbelief when my teammates called me and told me we were going to Cooperstown,” Toriz, Jr. said.
His mother, Jennifer Toriz, was in just as much shock but also had an overwhelming feeling of pride for her son.
“We are just so proud of him and all of the hard work he has put in to get to this tournament,” she said. “He has been playing on a selected team in Katy for a few years now and seeing that team hard work and earn their trip to Cooperstown, I am just so proud.”
While it was exciting to get the invite to Cooperstown, the Toriz family had to figure out a way to get there. They decided to fly and the team held fundraisers to help cover some expenses.
Toriz, Jr. put his entrepreneur cap on and went to work helping earn money for the plane tickets.
“Roger raises chickens, and he decided to sell the eggs from his chickens. He put all that money towards Cooperstown,” Jennifer said. “He sold them for $5 a dozen and actually made a good bit of money.”
Toriz, Jr. did not stop there. He also joined forces with his mom and grandmother to sell tamales. When it was all said and done, Toriz, Jr. had raised around $800, and when the time came, he turned it in.
“He had a little bank in his room that he would keep all of that money for Cooperstown and when it came time to submit the final payment, he brought his money to us and we were off to Cooperstown,” Jennifer said.
After seeing Toriz, Jr.’s hard work on and off the field, his parents gave him one more surprise.
“We surprised him with firstclass tickets,” Jennifer shared.
Toriz, Jr. said he was excited to ride in first-class and elated to know that all the food and drinks were free.
“He kept asking if he could get this or get that, and we told him to have fun and get whatever he wanted,” Jennifer said.
First-class drinks are something everyone who rides firstclass looks forward to. Toriz, Jr. was no different and said he took the edge off with a cold, crisp Coke while enjoying the ride.
Once they made it to New York, Toriz, Jr. was able to stay in dorm rooms at the facilities in Cooperstown where he has been spending time with his teammates.
“It’s been really fun. We have been hanging out laughing and making a ton of memories and trading pins with other teams,” Toriz, Jr. said.
As for the games, Toriz, Jr. made sure he left his mark on Cooperstown.
“He was in the dugout, and he looked at his dad and was like, ‘You’re not going over to home plate to film this? I got a good feeling about this one,’” Jennifer shared.
Toriz, Jr. was right; he ended up hitting a home run.
“I was just in the box, and I swung hard and hit a home run,” Toriz, Jr. said.
While Toriz, Jr. is proud of his achievement in Cooperstown, it came with some sacrifice. He had to bypass his Little League season with Rice Little League. Even though he traveled across the country to pursue his baseball dream, he did not forget to give some love to his teammates back home.
“I just want to give a big shoutout to Rice Little League and my parents for helping he get here,” he said.
Making it to Cooperstown is a significant accomplishment in Toriz, Jr.’s young baseball career, but his parents said his commitment to his hometown and community speak just as strongly about his character as his success on the field.
