Field Report: July 2025 in Barahona

Every trip to Barahona reminds me why this program exists. July 2025 was no different. Between the games, the practices, the conversations with families, and the moments that don't make it into any report — here's what a week in Barahona with Los Piratas del Sur actually looks like.

On the Field

Saturday morning games are the heartbeat of the program. Three teams. Multiple age divisions. Kids who've been practicing all week showing up ready to compete. Coach Ulises Batista runs the field with the kind of calm authority that only comes from years of genuine relationship with these players. He doesn't just coach baseball — he coaches kids. There's a difference, and our players feel it.

The older players — our high school division — are the ones I watch most closely. These are the kids closest to graduation, closest to the decisions that will define the next chapter of their lives. Some will pursue baseball further. Most won't. What all of them will carry is a diploma, a commitment letter they kept, and the knowledge that someone held them accountable because they believed in them.

Off the Field

Bernarda Acosta runs the program from within the community in a way I never could from Utah. She knows which families are struggling. She knows which players are at risk of falling behind in school before it shows up in their grades. She moves through Barahona with 25 years of relationships behind her, and those relationships are the infrastructure that makes everything else possible.

In July 2025, we were tracking school enrollment ahead of the new academic year — making sure every player on our roster had their registration confirmed, their supplies in order, and their family's commitment renewed. This isn't glamorous work. It's the work that makes the commitment letter real instead of just a piece of paper.

What We're Still Building

The program works. But it works on a shoestring. Bernarda and Coach Ulises both earn $200 a month — a number that doesn't reflect the value of what they do or the hours they give. The Vias Learning Center, our Phase Two vision, is still ahead of us. Our Education Via is ready in concept. What it needs is funding.

If you want to see what your support builds, this is it: Saturday morning games in Barahona. Kids who stayed in school because baseball made it worth it. A community that chose to build something instead of wait for someone else to do it. See our full impact or donate today.

This isn't a clinic. This is a community. And it runs 365 days a year.