The Schoolcraft College baseball team, although inactive right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, boasts some international flavor. Right-handed pitcher Jose Marroquin and catcher Carlos Reynoso each hail from Guatemala, which is in Central America and borders Mexico.
“We found out about Carlos and Jose from a friend of mine who has training facilities in different parts of Latin America,” said coach Rob Fay. “Both young men have adapted very well here and are excelling in the classroom and on the field.”
Each is a member of Guatemalan’s national team and each was selected to play in the qualifier for the under-23 World Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Marroquin elected to not play in order to concentrate on his studies and also save his arm for the opening games of Schoolcraft’s season.
Reynoso, who is pursuing an Associate Degree in Engineering and hopes to pursue a bachelor's in Chemical Engineering, did participate.
“This tournament was for the region of Central and South America, and it took place in two different places with two different groups,” Reynoso explained. “Group A played at Managua, Nicaragua, and the countries were: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Brazil and Peru. Group B played at Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and had Honduras, Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala and Panama.
“As a team we were not able to make it to the super round. The countries that qualified to the World Cup were Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, all countries that have a really big baseball culture.”
Indeed, those countries have contributed Hall of Famers and All-Stars, including current Detroit Tigers great Miguel Cabrera, who is from Venezuela.
Although this year’s tournament, which was played in February, didn’t end the way Reynoso wanted, he’ll likely get more chances in the future to represent his country.
“When I was 11 years old I was drafted to be part of the U-11 Guatemalan baseball national team to participate in a tournament in Colombia,” he said “That was my first time traveling and representing my country, and since that time I’ve been part of the national team every year, having the opportunity to travel around the continent playing baseball wearing the Guatemalan uniform on every occasion.”