Trevino treats Uvalde Little League team to amazing outing

Jose Trevino has played on some of baseball’s biggest stages: under the bright lights in the Bronx, in the All-Star Game, in the postseason. But even so, the Yankees catcher was still filled with nerves before surprising the Uvalde Little League team over the weekend.

A native of South Texas, Trevino has deep roots in the Lone Star State. It’s part of the reason why the Robb Elementary School shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers -- including 10-year-old Xavier Lopez, a member of the team -- hit so close to home for him.

So, he decided to give back to the community by treating the team and their families to some fun.

Trevino is known for giving back. It's something that was instilled in him at a young age. Since 2017, he’s held Trevino’s Toy Drive -- a project that collects hundreds of toys and monetary donations delivered to families in need of assistance during the holidays -- and has taken part in a number of other community efforts in his native Texas and New York.

For the Uvalde Little League team, though, he went big.

“I was, like, super nervous, like, my hands were sweating,” Trevino said. “I was, like, getting shaky and stuff picking up the kids. I didn't know how I was gonna greet them or anything like that.”

When Trevino pulled up in a stretch limo, the players had no idea what was in store for them. He greeted everyone with a handshake and a Yankees cap, then took them for a spin. While in the limo, he could already tell by the looks on their faces that they were having a good time. Little did they know, that wasn’t even half of the surprise.

After a shopping trip and some time cruising around San Antonio, Trevino took the team and their families to Six Flags Fiesta Texas -- which he rented out for the day -- to ride roller coasters and play games, then ended the night with a Q&A session where he talked to the kids and gave away prizes.

“I know we can’t change what happened. We can't. But for those couple hours, I wanted to make them feel the fun,” Trevino said. “I wanted them to be involved and wanted them to feel safe. And I think we did a good job.”

Between the limo ride, shopping and some amusement park fun, one thing remained a constant (aside from the smiles on everyone’s faces) and that was Xavier Lopez’s memory.

Throughout the day, Trevino and the team donned matching T-shirts with Lopez’s baseball portrait across the front -- a small but powerful gesture in showing support for the Uvalde community.

“We can't change what happened,” Trevino said. "But we can be there to support them and I plan on supporting them as much as I can, whatever they need, and whenever they need it."