Youth players reunite for Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Youth baseball players Elise Berger and Alana Martinez are as distant from one another on the East Coast as two players can be, but the pair reached their goal together on the diamond and are forging a strong friendship.

The two players are part of the 29 roster invitees for the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series, an event at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex that will focus on preparing young baseball players for the next level of hardball.

The players will receive instruction from the USA Baseball Women’s National Team players and coaches, female Minor League coaches and former Major League pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. The event is free for all participants hailing from 13 states and Canada.

On Friday’s first day of camp, Berger and Martinez talked about achieving their top priority -- making the WNT that consists of players much older than them.

“I was not expecting it,” said the 17-year-old Berger, a native of Shelburne, Vermont, who is primarily a pitcher but also plays shortstop. “I was definitely surprised, and speechless, for sure. When I found out, I did not know how to respond. It was an amazing feeling and an opportunity.

“My goal before I went to tryouts was to make the national team. I went there with hopes and expectations to make the team, and it was really cool to do that. It was rewarding to hit that goal, but I also want to try and play in college, get better on the national team and expand on what I’m doing.”

Martinez, who is the youngest player on the WNT roster at just 16, didn’t have to travel very far to get to Florida’s Treasure Coast and the JRTC. She lives two hours south of the venerable complex in Cooper City in Broward County, just north of Miami.

The middle infielder, outfielder and pitcher said making the WNT roster was an experience she was lucky enough to share with her family.

“When I made the U.S. Women’s National Team, it was crazy,” Martinez said. “I never thought it would happen this soon. Making the team at such a young age -- I just couldn’t imagine it.

“I ran downstairs to tell my mom. She just hugged me and started crying. It was [a thrill] for my mom and my dad.”

Now, Martinez finds herself playing on a team with some of her baseball idols.

“For coaches, [WNT head coach] Veronica Alvarez was a role model. For players, Kelsie Whitmore was definitely my role model. And now she’s my teammate,” Martinez said.

Whitmore, 24, was a standout for the Cal State Fullerton softball team, winning a silver medal at the 2014 Women’s Baseball World Cup and a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. She then played professional baseball for Sonoma and Staten Island in their respective independent leagues.

Martinez has relished her time on the field with Whitmore.

“Playing with her is so cool,” Martinez said. “Look at her, she’s playing professional baseball, and I’m her teammate. It’s like, wow, [one day] I could really be up there with her. I love baseball because it shows that I can do whatever I put my mind to.”

Berger and Martinez have become good friends over their time at camps around the country, including a chance to play together at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.

“It was amazing,” said Berger, who admitted to being a little starstruck by the massive ballpark she had seen on TV. “It’s still pitching. I was so focused on my catcher. Once I got up on the mound in the set position, it was just me and my catcher.”

Martinez, whose only other experience was walking around Marlins Park as a spectator, had the luxury of playing a variety of positions in the game and basking in the different views.

“I played multiple positions, so I was just embracing the moment. I just blocked out the fact that it was a Major League field,” Martinez said.

The rookie players share the age factor on the WNT, which features a 41-year-old player. They have become friends after numerous events around the country.

“The relationship between me and Elise is really great, especially being the two youngest who have made the team. It’s made our relationship stronger,” Martinez said.

Between the lunch break and afternoon session, the 29 players were gathered in the Jackie Robinson Room, where senior director of MLB's Front Office and Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program Tyrone Brooks showed the young ladies the opportunities that were ahead of them.

In a power point presentation, Brooks showed them the future if they decided to pursue a career in baseball -- from baseball operations to business operations and everything that constitutes those paths.

But for Berger and Martinez, whose homes are over 1,500 miles apart but have become new friends near each other between the foul lines, all that can wait.

They have baseball to play.