Coastal Bend College Baseball Hosts Washington Nationals Scout Team for Veterans Day Game

The CBC Cougar baseball team played against the Washington Nationals Scout Team on Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11th! One of our own CBC alumni who played on the CBC baseball team is a scout for the Nationals and organized the event.

During the game, their was a raffle every inning for a chance to win Washington Nationals memorabilia including shirts, rally towels, and jerseys. Both teams played their hearts out in the cold and rainy weather. What a great opportunity for our student-athletes to play against individuals that have been scouted by the Washington Nationals.

Jimmy Gonzales, the coach for the Nationals Scout Team, has been scouting for over 20 years. At 17, he joined the Coastal Bend College baseball team where he was able to get playing time before transferring to a four-year university. Keeping with the theme of honoring our veterans, all veterans got into the game free of charge.

The two men who threw out the first pitches were Richard Garcia and Felipo Vazquez. Garcia from Beeville, served in the Army artillery from 1961-1963 and became a tanker in the Army Reserves from 1963-1970. During his years of service, Garcia lived in Lompoc, California for thirteen years. Vazquez of Beeville served as an Army Staff Sergeant in Guayama, Puerto Rico and served in the Iraq War. He is currently the President and member of the VFW Post #9170.

The Coastal Bend College baseball team got an unique experience by playing a game against athletes that have been scouted out by a professional baseball team. Although the weather did not cooperate fully, the memories made will last a life time for the student-athletes, the fans, and all the families that got to experience this event.