Baseball prodigy, Eli Lesoa is on his way to the bright lights or as some may like to call it, The Mecca of baseball – The United States of America.
The Howick and Pakuranga baseball club member qualified for the under 13 Cal Ripken World Series in Missouri, this June, and will be representing New Zealand. He competed in a National Tournament before going through a trial to qualify for the event.
The Year 8 student will be travelling to his very first overseas competition and it will also be his first time in America. When asked about how he feels receiving this once in a lifetime opportunity, he said he is excited and so he should be, because what he’s about to accomplish is amazing.
Eli has been playing baseball for six years now and began playing Tee ball, a simplified version before moving onto baseball. Eli also plays basketball but says that he loves baseball more. He told us what he most enjoys about baseball saying: “I like pitching and hitting the ball.”
He also said that he admires Aroldis Chapman – a Cuban American pitcher for the New York Yankees and he dreams of one day pursuing baseball as a career in the Major League Baseball competition, which is the best in the world.
We know that he’s going to do his family, Sancta Maria College and the whole of New Zealand proud.
So watch out America because a Kiwi kid is proving that anything is possible.
Shontelle Matano
