Global Baseball Adventures

09/01/2024

Want to relive the unbelievable 2024 DR Softball Service Trip experience? The official trip blog is live; filled with amazing photos and stories from our life changing time in the Dominican Republic! Click the link below to read all about the adventure!

https://www.globalbaseballadventures.com/news/20240901-2024-a-life-changing-softball-trip-in-the-dominican-republic/

08/24/2024

🧢 🇩🇴Official Dominican Republic 2024 trip hats on sale now! Ask & you shall receive! By popular demand, we ordered a handful of additional trip hats so that you too can wear the Global Baseball Adventures cap around town!

These awesome hats are the exact ones that our players wore in the Dominican Republic this summer and are one size fits all snapback/trucker style! Hats are just $35 and I will hand deliver one to you!

If interested in purchasing one, send us a DM with the number of hats you’d like and we’ll send payment instructions ASAP.
-
-
     

08/20/2024

📸 🇩🇴 Parents/Players, check your email! All photos from our recent Dominican Republic softball service trip have just been sent!

A giant shoutout to our amazing photographer who shot, combed through, edited and uploaded over a thousand photos from our magical time in the DR!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and they’re right! The photos captured from our recent trip give amazing insight into the memories we created and the impact this trip had all everyone involved!

Want to participate in our Summer 2025 trips?! DM us for details as we begin to plan our informational meetings!
-
-
           

08/13/2024

We PLAYED TWO on our final day in the Dominican Republic against their Junior National Team who competed on the world stage in last year’s Central American Games!

Our girls played their hearts out against the national team and came up with some big hits in both games! ripped a sharp single to left field with bases loaded and our innings leader continued to showcase her talent on the mound! It was an inspiring day on the diamond as we learned that DR National Team is working hard to make their first ever appearance at the 2028 Olympics! While we fell a little short in both games, the girls learned so many amazing softball lessons from playing against high level international competition!

This amazing Dominican adventure ended with our annual end of trip awards ceremony where every player was honored by former MLB pitcher and our coach for the week: Pedro Liriano as well as our D1 players/coaches Aria Pogni & Tatum Maytorena!

The most touching part of the award ceremony came when every player & staff went around the room sharing their most special moment from the trip and life lessons that they will take with them from this experience.

Some of the sentiments shared were as follows: “This trip showed me the importance of being grateful for the resources I have at home”, “I may have had trouble speaking Spanish but smiles helped me communicate” and so much more.

To the parents, players, coaches/chaperones, our Dominican staff members and all of the friends we made across the way; we thank you from the bottom of our heart for sharing in this unforgettable week of cultural exchange, softball and community building! 

What an amazing summer! We can’t wait to share this experience with more softball players in the future, stay tuned to see how YOU can be a part of our next trip!
-
-

08/10/2024

Today we focused on our motto of “Play, Live & Give”. The day began with a road trip to the hometown of our MLB Coach: Pedro Liriano! Pedro is the only player from his small town to make it to the Major Leagues and so fans of all ages came out to cheer, pose for photos and give high fives to our players!

Before making it to the ball field, Coach Pedro gave the girls a tour of where he was born/raised, his baseball academy and his church were he provides community members with various social services. Walking down unpaved roads and visiting homes without running water and electricity was an eye opening experience for all. The “Give” portion of our motto was a big part of the day as our girls made/delivered food necessity packages in blue bags to members of the community & donated gently used clothing to all who came out to greet us. One of the most enjoyable moments for the children in Pedro’s hometown was receiving handwritten “getting to know you” greeting cards from the girls.

The excitement upon arrival at Liga Aneja field was palpable as this was put second annual women’s softball night game! The girls were greeted by thousands of fans cheering, taking photos and lining the outfield walls as all seats in the park had been taken. The local news even came out to interview our coaches & players!

After on field introductions and news interviews, it was time to PLAY BALL! Both teams came out swinging with tons of back & forth action streaming live on Game Changer & IG LIVE!

Our girls got the win on the field, but the true victory came from everyone coming together to unite over the game they love!

This special night wrapped up with the girls providing the host team with a ton of used equipment and a post game meal.
-
-

08/09/2024

08/08/2024

An IMPACTFUL day in the Dominican Republic filled with service, games and an our day with the New York Yankees!

Our morning started off with a once in a lifetime tour of the New York Yankees academy, led by player development coordinator Melissa Hernandez. Ms. Hernandez was an inspiration to all of those in attendance as she shared her story of entering Major League Baseball as a woman. The girls met with the Yankees strength & conditioning coach, education coordinator, and MLB players. To say this experience was impactful is an understatement! We are forever grateful to the NY Yankees for the opportunity for our girls to see all of the doors that are open to them in the world of pro sports!

The afternoon saw us hosting our annual free youth softball clinic for girls in our host town of Guayacanes! With over 50 girls of all ages in attendance; softball and smiles were all that could be seen when looking across the diamond! Every girl in attendance received a donation bag filled with softball items to promote the game we love!

Our post clinic game was a BLAST and featured some LONG drives, big smiles & a ton of post game hugs as the girls said good bye to all of the little ones in attendance who spent the day with us!

-
-

08/07/2024

Day 2 in the Dominican Republic can be summed up in one word: FUN!

From the moment we woke up; our itinerary was fulfilling, action packed and filled with FUN!

Trips are planned with our “Play, Live and Give” motto and it was our priority to start preparing for all of the giving that we’ll be doing throughout the week! After a
morning swim in the Caribbean, the girls did an amazing job of storing, prepping and packing up nearly 500 lbs of gently used equipment that will donated throughout the week!

With our “Give” activity complete, we hit the road for Santo Domingo! A trip to Santo Domingo isn’t complete without stopping at the MLB Museum in Boca Chica where the girls took in the history of the game. One of our favorite moments was viewing the “Baseball Card Wall” where trading cards of every Dominican born player have their cards on display and who did the cards see in the museum case… our very own Coach Pedro Liriano!

One of the newest additions to the 2025 itinerary was a team hike at Tres Ojos National Park in Santo Domingo. The clear fresh water, coral walkways and hand drawn boat ride between the pools made for a once in a lifetime experience!

With the sun setting, our team was ready to play at the University of Santo Domingo! As soon as we pulled into the park, you could feel the excitement! Both teams greeted each other with high fives and introductions in their opponents home language. The warm welcome was all the girls needed to get started warming up together and building new friendships.

The hitters came out swinging and our starting pitcher Fallon Norman was throwing heat! Big hits and gold gloves were on display during the back and forth battle. The game saw both teams smiling, high fiving and being cheered on by the kids in the crowd blowing their air horns every time a big moment took place! The DR girls put on a fight with a late game rally but our girls ended up getting their first “W” of the week with a final score of 11-7.

Thank you all for following along and support! Stay tuned for more adventures as we continue out adventures in the coming day!
-
-

08/06/2024

🇩🇴🥎Our first day in the Dominican Republic with our softball players was a BLAST! Our players hit the ground running in the DR after hopping off their red eye flight from Panama!

After settling into their rooms at resort in Juan Dolio, the girls grabbed a quick poolside snack to recharge! With energy restored, our amazing coaching staff led the girls in a mini stretch/workout routine before heading over to our local host team for an evening practice at the sandlot!

The Delfina’s (our host team for the week) welcomed us with open arms and an unforgettable practice ensued! Both American and Dominican players spent the early evening making introductions in Spanish, playing catch, and taking ground balls.

Practice ended with our players saying “hasta mañana” to the Delfinas as we’ll see them on Wednesday for our free youth clinic and our second game of the week!

After a delicious dinner buffet spread that featured an array of flavors, MLB pitcher Pedro Liriano & Coaches Aria Pogni and Tatum Maytorena led our hat & jersey ceremony.

Despite it being a long day of travel, the girls did an amazing job of bringing energy, positivity and enthusiasm everywhere they went!

If Day 1 is a sign of what’s to come, this trip will be one that we’ll never forget!
-
-

08/03/2024

🥎 ✈️ 🇩🇴 We’re ALL SMILES as we prep to fly out to the Dominican Republic tomorrow for our second annual Dominican Republic Softball Service trip! We’ve added so many new, fun and exciting aspects to this years trip, we cant wait! Team Hike at Tres Ojos National Park, game at University of Santo Domingo, double header at the Dominican Republic Ministry of Defense and more!

Follow us for all of the adventures, memories, games, community service and fun! We’ll be Live Streaming our Friday night game from the hometown of our coach and MLB player Pedro Liriano, stay tuned for IG Live details!
-
-
-
     

08/03/2024

We’re ALL SMILES as we prep to fly out to the Dominican Republic tomorrow for our second annual Dominican Republic Softball Service trip! We’ve added so many new, fun and exciting aspects to this years trip, we cant wait! Team Hike at Tres Ojos National Park, game at University of Santo Domingo, double header at the Dominican Republic Ministry of Defense and more!

Follow us for all of the adventures, memories, games, community service and fun! We’ll be Live Streaming our Friday night game from the hometown of our coach and MLB player Pedro Liriano, stay tuned for IG Live details!
-
-
-
     

07/30/2024

🚨LOVE the coverage of our recent Dominican Reoublic baseball service trip! A giant shoutout to & reporter for highlighting the magic of our trips!

Click below to read the story👇🏽

https://www.petaluma360.com/article/sports/baseball-dominican-republic-petaluma/

Our annual girls softball trip is less than a week away! Stay tuned for amazing stories, photos and adventures!

Want to join us on a future trip?! DM us to find out how!
-
-
-
     

07/27/2024

🥎Current Softball Mood: Calm, Cool and Ready to Rock & Roll!

We depart for our second annual Dominican Republic Softball Service trip on Sunday and we can’t be more excited! Follow us for all of the smiles, adventures, new friendships, once in a lifetime experiences and more!
-
-
-
-
     

07/23/2024

Hello friends! In less than two weeks, we’re heading back to the Dominican Republic for our second annual Girls Softball Service trip! We’ll be playing games & bonding with softball girls from across the island and would love to give them gently used equipment as well as vital food necessity packages!

The teams we’ll be playing with/against share one or two bats per team, have limited access to gloves and softballs are used until they fall apart.

We’d be forever grateful for monetary donations of any size as well as words of support as we work to bring these amazing girls safe equipment and other necessities so they can safely play the game we all love! GRACIAS!

Love Softball? Love making a difference in the lives of impoverished youth… Isaias Franco needs your support for Dominican Republic Softball Gear & Food Drive

07/19/2024

🚨Just Published: read the newest blog all about our Dominican Republic baseball/service trip! If you enjoyed the photos from the trip, you’ll love reading all about our adventures!

Thank you all of the continued support & stay tuned for next month’s girls DR softball trip! 🇺🇸🥎❤️🇩🇴

2024 Dominican Republic Baseball Community Service Trip in the Carribean High School Sports Athletes

07/13/2024

🇩🇴 🥎 🇺🇸 We are less than 1 month away from our Dominican Republic Softball Service Trip! To say that we’re excited is an understatement!

We are beyond pumped to return to the DR and spend a week playing ball across the island, immersing ourselves in the Caribbean culture and most importantly giving back to the local communities via impactful community service!

Enjoy photos from last years trip! They say a photo is worth a thousand words; whoever came up with that saying hit the nail on the head!
-
-
-
-
     

07/04/2024

HAPPY 4th OF JULY! 🇩🇴 ❤️ 🇺🇸 💥

One of the most memorable moments while we’re in the DR comes when we travel to the hometown of MLB pitcher Pedro Liriano. Coach Pedro, as we call him, is the only Big Leaguer to come from the town of La Piedra.

Despite the entire population living under the international poverty line, the hospitality they bestow upon our players is unparalleled and this is super evident right before the first pitch is thrown!

Even though community members live on less than $1.75 per day, they come together and setup a speaker system before we arrive so that the National Anthem can ring across the field prior to the start of the game! This gesture is just one of the many ways in which our players learn about how generous, special and family oriented the Dominican culture is.

Pictured here is our 16U team, taking in the beauty of our National Anthem while in Coach Pedro’s town just weeks ago! This moment, the silence and the heartfelt love for both the USA & DR embodies the freedom that is the 4th of July!
-
-
🇺🇸

06/27/2024

🇩🇴🇺🇸 An UNFORGETTABLE final day in the Dominican Republic!

The last games of the week for both the 18U & 16U team were a BLAST and featured some LONG drives, big smiles and a ton of post game hugs as the boys from California got to play at the iconic Juan Marichal Stadium in Santo Domingo! Dominican legends such as Big Papi and Juan Soto have graced this field and so to say it was an honor to play here is an understatement!

Local fans came out to cheer on the boys, get autographs and pose for photos! An afternoon lunch where our guys served meals to the teams/players that hosted us was the perfect way to end our day at the stadium!

This amazing Dominican adventure ended with our annual end of trip awards ceremony where every player was honored by MLB players and our coaches for the week: Pedro Liriano & Yorkis Perez!

The most touching part of the award ceremony came when every player and staff went around the table sharing their most special moment from the trip and life lessons that they will take with them from this experience.

Coaches and players were on the verge of tears as they shared with the group. Some of the sentiments shared were as follows: “This trip showed me that community and not money brings true happiness”, “Making friends with people from other cultures was amazing” and so much more.

To the parents, players, coaches/chaperones, our Dominican staff members and all of the friends we made across the way; we thank you from the bottom of our heart for sharing in this unforgettable week of cultural exchange, baseball and community building! 

Stay tuned for exciting softball trip updates in the coming weeks as we prepare to head back to the DR in August for our annual softball/service trip!
-
-

06/25/2024

Day 5️⃣ Our motto of “Play, Live & Give” was in full effect as we road-tripped to the hometown of our MLB Coach: Pedro Liriano! Pedro is the only player from his small town to ever make it to the Major Leagues and so fans of all ages come out to cheer, pose for photos and give high fives to our players!

Before even making it to the ball field, Coach Pedro gave the boys a tour of where he was born and raised. Walking down unpaved roads and visiting homes without running water and electricity was an eye opening experience for all. The “Give” portion of our motto was a big part of the day as our boys delivered food necessity packages in blue bags to members of the community & donated their gently used equipment to the local youth players.

When the boys arrived at Coach Pedro’s academy; Dominican music and smiles from spectators in the crowd filled the ball field. Even the local media came out to capture special moments!

After on field introductions, players from the DR & USA participated in pre-game warm ups before both National Anthems played across the Diamond.

It was then time to PLAY BALL! Both teams came out swinging with tons of back & forth action!

The 16U team lost in dramatic fashion with a walk off baseball loaded 2 out hit in the bottom of the 8th!

This special day wrapped up with the boys providing a post game meal where both teams (USA & DR) gathered together as if they’d known each other for years. The boys from the Bay Area truly got to LIVE an authentic Dominican experience!
-
-

06/24/2024

Day 4️⃣ took us to Saona Island for a day of Rest, Relaxation & Natural Beauty!

Saona Island, located off the southern coast of the DR, is internationally renowned for its mangroves, coral reefs and golden beaches that surround the island! Fun facts: Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here in 2003 & Christopher Columbus landed here in 1494 on his second voyage to the Americas!

The boys arrived to the island in speedy fashion on a boat playing today’s favorite Dominican music while the beautiful Caribbean water splashed onto the boat providing a cool reprieve from the sun rays!

Before getting to the island, our speedboat driver stopped in the middle of the Caribbean where our boys were able to dive into the waist deep crystal clear water for swimming and exploring!

Upon arriving at Saona Island, the boys were treated to a delicious and traditional Dominican lunch right on the water! If that wasn’t enough fun, the boys & coaches spent the afternoon playing on the beach taking in the beauty around them!

Tomorrow brings the most impactful day of the week: our Dominican Republic road trip to Coach Pedro’s hometown where we will provide the community with vital food necessity packages and more.

06/22/2024

Day 3️⃣ with the Yankees and Future Stars Game!

Our day was filled with future stars making their way to the MLB! “Baseball City”, as it’s known is a five mile stretch of land in Boca Chica that houses more than 20 MLB facilities where newly signed teen players train and start their ascent to the Big Leagues!

New York Yankees coordinator Melissa Hernandez welcomed us with open arms at the start of our academy tour and the boys immediately felt like they were part of the Yankee family! Melissa informed the boys of the Yankees educational program hosted at the facility, took the boys on a tour of the workout room and even accompanied the group to one of four diamonds at the facility to watch a Dominican Summer League game and introduce the boys to Yankees players & coaches!

If the day couldn’t get any better, the boys got to play their third game of the week, this time at the largest private academy in the DR: Quality Baseball Academy (QBA) in San Antonio De Guerra! QBA is one of the most recognized private academies in the DR where several players are signed to MLB contracts on an annual basis!

Everyday is bringing our boys more adventures, more learning and more smiles!
-
-

06/21/2024

On Day 2️⃣, We Played 2️⃣! When in the Dominican, it’s baseball 24/7 and that’s exactly what we did!

Our 18U sandlot field was filled with mud and puddles due to overnight showers but when life throws you a curveball, you make adjustments! Both teams boarded the bus and headed to our alternate field located in the heart of the Juan Dolio neighborhood where we played split squad games with the locals. Foul balls flew onto the roofs of the homes that were inches from the foul lines, local kids came out to cheer and the Dominican players gave us a run for our money! Great pitching and defense from both the American and Dominican players kept things close but the DR bats have just a little bit more pop which led them to victory.

After recharging our batteries with a post game lunch, our boys took the afternoon off to prepare for their night games in Boca Chica! Boca Chica is home to some of the biggest names in baseball!

As night fell, our boys headed to the ball field and were greeted with energizing Spanish music, the smell of food vendors and a crowd that was ready to watch a ball game.

The bright lights brought the power to the bats of both the 18U & 16U teams but the speed of the DR team and a few errors in the field led to our boys still looking for their first Win in the DR.

The big fastballs, the cheers, and the kindness of our local hosts has us all feeling so grateful for this once in a lifetime trip!

Stay tuned for more action and updates!

06/19/2024

DAY 1️⃣ in the Dominican Republic was a hit! 🇩🇴❤️⚾️🇺🇸

We hit the ground running in the DR once we landed in Santo Domingo! After a short bus ride along the southern coast, we arrived at the resort where we were welcomed with open arms and an open kitchen! Our boys helped themselves to a hearty meal before unpacking and getting a little R&R.

Once we settled into to our rooms, it was time to lace up the cleats and head out to the sandlot for our first taste of Dominican baseball and our local host team (Reyes Baseball) did not disappoint! A sea of enthusiastic little leaguers greeted us with cheers, high fives and enthusiasm! With wide eyes and even bigger smiles, our boys hopped onto the field for an afternoon workout to remember: playing catch, batting practice, sh****ng fly balls and more. The energy on the field was electric and set the tone for the week. As our boys said goodbye at the end of the workout, they were quick to remind the little leaguers that they’d be back tomorrow hosting a free youth clinic and handing out equipment donations.

This first day in baseball paradise wrapped up with one of our favorite traditions: Opening Night Hat & Jersey Ceremony! Our boys got to hear from their MLB coaches Yorkis Perez & Pedro Liriano who shared what their journeys were like from humble beginnings in the DR to making it all the way to the Big Leagues. Our 16U & 18U teams looked sharp standing next to their coaches with their Padre connect themed hat/jerseys!

Stay tuned for more action as games start today with an AM/PM doubleheader!

06/17/2024

1️⃣ MORE DAY UNTIL OUR DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SUMMER BASEBALL SERVICE TRIP! 🇺🇸❤️⚾️🇩🇴 ✈️

So excited to see everyone at San Francisco International Airport tomorrow morning to start our transformative week of baseball, cultural immersion and community service!

Follow us to be a part of the adventure and leave your favorite emoji in the comments to show your enthusiasm!

In honor of being 1️⃣ day out from our trip, enjoy some shots of our #1’s with our MLB coach Pedro Liriano from over the years!

06/02/2024

Hello friends! We’re beyond excited to announce that in just a little over 2 weeks we will be departing to the Dominican Republic! This summer, we have the honor of traveling to the Dominican Republic with more than 35 high school baseball players from across the San Francisco Bay Area! While in the DR, we’ll participate in transformative community service projects & play in exhilarating baseball games! To say that we’re excited is an understatement!

While in the Dominican Republic, one of our goals is to provide the families of La Piedra (our host community) with vital food staples as the few jobs that were available have been wiped out due to the economic fall out from the pandemic. La Piedra is a beautiful town where the entire population lives beneath the international poverty line (surviving on $1.90 per day) and so the loss of jobs has led to extreme hardships in acquiring even the most basic needs like food.

We would be forever grateful for your support in helping us raise funds to feed the local community as well as help us with the costs associated with brining gently used equipment so that we can hand deliver it to the local youth leagues.

No donation is too big or small and all support is super appreciated: sharing our Go Fund Me link with friends/family on social media, sending us positive thoughts, and showering our ball players with words of support!

Thank you all!!

Love Baseball? Love making a difference in the lives of impoverished y… Isaias Franco needs your support for Dominican Republic Food, Equipment & Supply Drive