Dodgers Dreamteam a fixture at RBI World Series

While the Dodgers Dreamteam has the most appearances in the RBI World Series, that isn’t the only way to measure their success.

Angelina Porcayo first took the field for the Dodgers Dreamteam as a player at nine years old. Now, she is back and in her first year of managing the team.

“With this organization, the culture behind it, I knew I wanted to come back,” Porcayo said. “Finding my love for softball at such a young age at the academy, I knew I had to come back.”

In her first year as head coach, Porcayo led the Los Angeles-based softball team to their record-setting 52nd appearance in the RBI World Series at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla. The team has reached the RBI World Series in four consecutive years and have won it all in 2000, 2010 and 2011.

The Dodgers’ frequent appearances where the MLB affiliate used to play for Spring Training prove to Porcayo the impact the coaching has had on players.

“It speaks volumes about how we hold our girls to a standard,” Porcayo said. “We always want to push and persevere no matter what the outcomes are. We just always talk about having heart and having fun whenever you play.”

The impact of Porcayo coming through the organization isn’t lost on her players. For shortstop Dulce Novelo and third baseman Celest Torres, Porcayo’s presence gives them hope.

“It shows that we can do it,” Novelo said. “It brings us joy [and] excitement that she went through this. It’s exciting to know she was here and then we’re also here. She’s helping us out. She’s awesome.”

Torres also noted the impact of the Dodgers Dreamteam and their consistent appearances in the RBI World Series.

“It gives you opportunities,” Torres said. “People see you out here and they see what you have, and knowing that they’ve been here for so long makes us want to leave our mark here.”

The Dodgers’ journey to the RBI World Series began five weeks ago at regionals when they played the Rockies’ RBI affiliate. Despite having such a short amount of time to come together, pitcher Gwen Tennant described their ability to gel so quickly as a “miracle.”

“These girls are absolutely amazing,” Tennant said. “We’ve only had this team for maybe about five weeks. We’ve completely just become a family. It’s insane how fast we’ve come to love each other. We can talk to each other on and off the field. Like, ‘Hey, I’ve got your back on the field and off the field.’ It’s a miracle that we’re able to work together so fast.”

Tennant’s high school coach helped lead her to the opportunity with the Dodgers Dreamteam.

“We worked very hard to get here and it’s such an honor to be able to compete, and knowing that we can come back so many times shows us that we have some really good players in our foundation,” Tennant said. “It solidifies that we earned it.”

Catcher Miranda Morelos, who previously played for the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., echoed Tennant’s sentiment. She noted that their success proves the organization’s standing.

“It says to me that we’re a good organization,” Morelos said. “The team every year, they can put a good group of girls together to come out and compete throughout regionals and through this big World Series.”

The Dodgers have gotten off to a slow start, losing their first three games of the tournament. But even with the rough patch, Porcayo noted that failure is part of the game, and as a whole, she isn’t surprised by the Dodgers successfully reaching the RBI World Series.

“You are going to fail more times than you succeed, I think as a softball player and as a woman as a whole,” Porcayo said. “We’re just helping them fight through that. Having the Dodgers' foundation be the team that’s been here the most, it’s not shocking. We have high hopes for our program.”

Wednesday's results in the Softball Division, ages 18U, featured the following games:
Harrisburg RBI (2-1) defeated Hoboken RBI (1-2) 14-1
Miami Marlins RBI (3-0) defeated Cleveland Guardians RBI (0-3) 12-4
Houston Astros RBI (3-0) defeated Puerto Rico RBI (2-1) 6-1
Cincinnati Reds RBI (1-2) defeated Dodgers Dreamteam RBI (0-3) 9-7

First round of double elimination playoff games:
Houston Astros RBI (4-0) defeated Cleveland Guardians RBI (0-4) 10-2
Puerto Rico RBI (3-1) defeated Hoboken RBI (1-3) 8-7
Miami Marlins RBI (4-0) defeated Dodgers Dreamteam RBI (0-4) 13-1
Harrisburg RBI (3-1) defeated Cincinnati Reds RBI (1-3) 15-0