AUBURN, Wash. -- Muckleshoot Tribal School is only 33 miles from T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the site of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week festivities.

But for the more than 200 aspiring baseball players who took batting practice swings, fielded ground balls and played catch at the school’s fields on Saturday, hopes abounded that someday the bright lights of the big leagues would seem a lot closer than that.

The gathering was a Nike Diamond N7 Camp -- made possible by the Seattle Mariners, Nike’s N7 program and US Sports Camps -- aimed at providing sports and educational opportunities for local Native American and Indigenous youth. Since the creation of Nike’s N7 Fund in 2009, more than $8 million in grants has been awarded to more than 270 communities and organizations.

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe -- one of 29 federally recognized Native American tribes in the state of Washington -- has been living on a reservation near the city of Auburn since the middle of the 19th century and it has had its own organized government since 1936. The tribe currently boasts about 3,300 people -- and the school, which has been in operation since 1985, educates the children of the tribe from grades K-12.

The camp took place on the school’s sparkling new all-turf field, a necessity in the rainy Pacific Northwest. The high school’s varsity baseball and softball teams, the Muckleshoot Tribal Kings and Lady Kings, play here. Several of their members were getting their work in on Saturday, while the Mariners’ Moose mascot entertained the younger kids.

Alyanna Ayala, a 17-year-old middle infielder, is excited to play for the varsity Lady Kings in her senior year at the Tribal School in 2024.

“This tribe has all these amazing opportunities and support systems for any type of activity you want to be involved with, and I just think that’s so cool,” Ayala said. “I’m so glad to be a part of it.”

That was the prevailing sentiment for the day, shared by participants and special guests. In addition to the Moose, the Mariners were represented by Ruppert Jones, whose 12-year Major League career included a three-season stint in Seattle from 1977-79. Jones, a two-time All-Star outfielder, hit 24 homers in the ’77 season and played in that year’s Midsummer Classic.

Prior to the kids darting off to their stations to partake in various hitting and pitching drills, Jones spoke to them about how sports can prepare you for life and about how kids can’t let a perceived lack of opportunity derail them from what they truly desire.

“If you can coexist in a team atmosphere and if you can get along with other people, that carries you over to other parts of your life, no matter what you do,” Jones said.

“And we all have dreams. Our dreams supersede anything. If you’re worried about the obstacles, then it's going to be impossible for you to achieve your dreams.”

Dreams are what allowed Jacoby Ellsbury to become the first Major Leaguer of Navajo descent. They also played a big role in launching SilentRain Espinoza to softball stardom at the University of Washington and now for the USSSA Pride in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch league. Espinoza, who is a member of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and grew up on that tribe’s reservation near San Diego, said she wants to show kids -- specifically Native American girls -- that they can play at any level and belong anywhere they want to play.

“Inspiring more Native kids to play softball and baseball is important to me,” Espinoza said. “Being a part of this Nike N7 and Nike Kids Camp shows that someone who looks like them has had success on the field. It’s possible to do anything.”

Muckleshoot Tribe member Tammy Gourdine watched her 10-year-old daughter, Stasia, and her 9-year-old son, Bane, run around the Kings field with similar thoughts in her head.

“An event like this shows that the tribe is growing,” Tammy Gourdine said. “We have a lot more kids that are being exposed to more professional sports and leagues and teams. I think when I was growing up, we only had softball and basketball that we got to play -- and now these kids have soccer, lacrosse, track, football, baseball, fastpitch, basketball and football.

“It benefits everybody here in the community.”