Veronica Alvarez, USA Women's National Baseball Team Coach - prepping for World Cup in Thunder Bay

• Looking back at limited female representation in baseball during his youth & acknowledges the historical and recent progress, mentioning the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , the Colorado Silver Bullets & the USA Women’s National Team.
• Veronica Alvarez shares that her love for baseball started at a very young age
• She recounts seeing the Colorado Silver Bullets play when she was 12, a significant moment since female athletes were rarely highlighted on TV
• The movie "A League of Their Own" was a staple in her household, reinforcing her love for baseball
• The importance of recognizing historical achievements in women’s baseball
• Ongoing achievements of women in baseball, using Rachel Balkovec & Kelsie Whitmore as examples
• Women in male-dominated fields have to work hard and are not token hires
• Mark praises the talent & achievements of the USA Women’s National Team & mentions the inspiration young girls get from seeing women excel in baseball.
• Trailblazer Series - young girls can play baseball together & instruction of women coaches who have significantly impacted the game
• Mentorship & leadership development among young female baseball players
• Veronica explains her role with the Oakland A’s, focusing on player development in the Dominican Republic & the importance of facilitating smooth transitions for young players
• The importance of  the "freedom to fail" as part of their development
• Cultural challenges faced by international players & the passion required to succeed in baseball.
• Women in baseball needs for more competitive play  &recognition
• Veronica believes the USA Women’s National Team has the talent & drive to be an Olympic team & stresses the need for people to recognize baseball & softball as separate sports.
• Alvarez advocates for the coexistence of men’s and women’s baseball and softball in the Olympics without needing additional facilities or resources
• Options for women in sports, emphasizing the need for women's baseball at the NCAA level & recounts historical challenges faced by women's collegiate teams.
• Alvarez notes how concerns about women being hit by a ball persist, but asserts women's resilience and toughness.
• Recent experience in Dominican Republic where a female umpire officiated for the first time, addressing concerns about her safety.
• Veronica outlines the timeline for the USA Women's National Team's tryouts & training in July, emphasizing the development of young players through MLB camps.
• Veronica is the MLB Ambassador for Girls Baseball, explaining the consistent messaging and training for young female athletes.
• Increased competition & improved quality of players for the Women's National Team, aiming for a challenging selection process.
• Mark & Veronica discuss the historical and ongoing efforts to elevate women's baseball, aiming for inclusion in the Olympics.
• Emphasis on hard work and dedication of the women preparing for the national team, often training independently to be ready for competition.

Discover more on the Women's Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay 

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Transcript

USA WNT Baseball - Veronica Alvarez 

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz on deck. I am Mark Corbett, your host. And with me today, I have miss Veronica Alvarez, I got to tell you when it comes to women in baseball, there is talent out there. There are leaders. There's people who inspire, you know along  the way, Veronica, thank you for being part of that group.

[00:00:21] Mark Corbett: Glad to have you on here today. Thank 

[00:00:24] Veronica Alvarez: Thank you for having me on. 

[00:00:25] Mark Corbett: I appreciate it. 

[00:00:27] Mark Corbett: I mean, I look at you in a career in baseball, there's been very little of that for women. And I'm, as I was growing up, I mean, the closest thing, and I've probably said this to many times already, is that, you know, when I would see, uh, was it Tatum O'Neill or whatever and Walter Matthau and said, that's women in baseball.

[00:00:46] Mark Corbett: And it stopped there. And then I, then I learned, oh my gosh, there's the all Americans. And they were here and, but what the heck happened? I, and I, I scratched my head, but then I see the, if they're actually doing a little homework, I see the emergence of things like more recently, the silver bullets, and of course the USA women's national team.

[00:01:08] Mark Corbett: And what you've been a part of and you're leading now is the manager. So, wow. Um, now that I've said so much, what I think about what, what do you have to say as far as, you know, your own personal history, when was that first love of the game? Come in front of you. What, what was the first thing you saw that said, that's fun.

[00:01:29] Veronica Alvarez: I mean, for me, when I speak about these moments, it's like, it was almost like born in me and it wasn't that I saw one thing and like, or at least remember that one moment that I saw something because I was so young when I. You know, was so intrigued by this sport and fell in love with this sport ultimately.

[00:01:46] Veronica Alvarez:, I mean, there's pictures of me on, with my brother when he started baseball, when he was like three years old in the stands, right? So I obviously don't remember being three years old and remembering one moment, but. Um, so that's how I know it was kind of born in me and I wanted to do it no matter what, and I absolutely loved it.

[00:02:06] Veronica Alvarez: I was completely engaged. There's a picture of me looking at the coach that wasn't my coach. I was just a sister and all the other players, their little boys, right. They're six, seven years old, and they're just all kind of like looking off into different directions. And I'm just like, yes, tell me more. And, uh, that's how I continue to be within this board.

[00:02:25] Veronica Alvarez: Um, later on, I. I did, you know, come to learn of the Colorado silver, but bullets, like, like you said, right, that their existence, I was about 12 years old when I saw one of their games on TV. And up until that point, the female athlete wasn't represented on television. Uh, they weren't highlighted, uh, especially not a woman in baseball.

[00:02:48] Veronica Alvarez: I mean, that almost near didn't exist. So, um, It was, it was just this moment that I will never forget where I saw them playing. It was women that did this sport that I loved, um, and that there was some sort of future in it. Uh, so that was a, uh, amazing moment that maybe just continued the love and continue to cultivate the love that I had for the game and, and for, uh, The possibility of growth within it and then I, the movie, a league of their own was always, uh, playing in our house.

[00:03:17] Veronica Alvarez: I mean, my dad jokes every time it comes on and I still watch it to this day when it's on TV or I put it on, um, my dad jokes. Oh, good. You've never seen this one before, you know, uh, just cause I've seen it so many times. So all those moments that have very important. Moments in history, very important women in history within the game of baseball, I think are so important to highlight, um, their existence.

[00:03:41] Veronica Alvarez: So like you said, uh, if you do some research, you come across those, those names in those groups of people. Um, so I always, it bums me out when, you know, there's a little girl in the little league in the little league world series, or another girl playing high level. Collegiate baseball now that we have right or, or we have Kelsey, when we're playing professional baseball, but they don't, they don't do the research to discuss what had come before.

[00:04:09] Veronica Alvarez: They want it to be this like, uh, first, you know, first of many, hopefully of many, but they want it to be like the, you know, the, the only, right. To make it more important when in reality, it doesn't need to become more important like that. We can highlight history. We can highlight the past, um, and still highlight the greatness of this current moment.

[00:04:30] Mark Corbett: Well, you make a very good point there, because that's one thing I, you know, I'm glad to see certain people when they come in at first, but the thing of it is that person got there for achievement, and if they didn't have that achievement, they're not going to stay there long. Uh, I, for instance, living here in Tampa, I saw when Rachel Balkovec came up and she was going to be managing, you know, the single team, uh, single A team here in, in town with, uh, the Yankees.

[00:04:56] Mark Corbett: And I thought, yeah, you know what? But I looked back at her history and I looked at all that she did, you know, whether strength and conditioning and coaching and everything else she did before that, I said, this didn't happen, people, this didn't just a light switch flick and this lady stepped to the field.

[00:05:10] Mark Corbett: So let's put a spotlight on her today. And then we can forget about her in two months. 

[00:05:15] Veronica Alvarez: Right. Yeah, it's, it's, it's really, I think about this pretty often, but, um, we didn't get to these positions. Women in, in male dominated industries, men, women in leadership positions didn't get there by accident. Those women are hustlers, right?

[00:05:29] Veronica Alvarez: They're, they're finding a way, they're figuring it out. They're constantly learning, constantly trying to push the envelope on their own personal growth, but also for just, you know, You know, it gives them better capacity to achieve, uh, in the future. And so, um, yeah, any of those women, it didn't happen by accident.

[00:05:45] Veronica Alvarez: It wasn't a token hire. It wasn't, it was it's women. Token hires don't survive in these worlds. Right. So, um, it was women that really hustled, uh, and, and did their work. The, the, the, the work that was necessary to be prepared for the opportunity once it came. 

[00:06:03] Mark Corbett: Well, and that's it too. I mean, you referenced Kelsey Whitmore earlier.

[00:06:07] Mark Corbett: And I mean, guess what, boys and girls again, this is somebody who's achieving, you know, she's, she's not a flash in the pan. And that's, that's what you have to see that there's great talent. I had the good fortune of seeing a lot of you all meeting the women's from the USA national team at the, uh, and mural beach earlier this year.

[00:06:26] Mark Corbett: And man, that was something you're there with what I guess MLB develops and all these young ladies, you know, who want to play the game. I mean, it's a, it's a big part of them and for goodness sakes, they're, they're there with their heroes. I mean, you, you guys are sitting there and here are the women who are doing something with the game and that inspire.

[00:06:48] Mark Corbett: And I looked in the eyes and the faces of those young women and it was like, yes. Yes, there's a future here. And when you're working with those young women or young girls. What, what are some of the words of inspiration that you can share with them? 

[00:07:04] Veronica Alvarez: I mean, there, there are a lot, right? So that event was special.

[00:07:06] Veronica Alvarez: And I, and just to go back, I'll come back to this one, but just to go back, right, it's, we talk about the first and highlighting the first and things like that, and also talk about history and highlighting history. It's not to discredit anybody in the first, right? I mean, Kelsey getting to where she's gotten.

[00:07:20] Veronica Alvarez: Kelsey is one of the hardest working individuals that you'll ever come, you know, by. So it, it took a lot of effort from her and it continues to take that effort. So it's not to discredit them, but the importance of highlighting history and highlighting, you know, the women's national team in those conversations.

[00:07:39] Veronica Alvarez: A lot of time when they don't is to show these young girls that you got to meet at this trailblazer series, that there is a future for them in this sport. If, if we make the. I keep mentioning the Kelsey story, right? If we make that like this, um, almost untouchable story, where do these little girls, what are they used to, to work to, right?

[00:08:01] Veronica Alvarez: There's no like path to that because it's untouchable. It's almost like an impossible story, which again, it is. So it's not to discredit Whitmore. But it is to show that the importance of highlighting like the, the existence of the women's national team, the women playing the game, the women coaching in the game, so that these young girls know there's a path for them.

[00:08:19] Veronica Alvarez: So that's one of my favorite parts of the Trailblazer series that you mentioned. At this event, there's About 100 girls are 12 to 13 years old that solely play girls. I mean, baseball, um, and they play usually on their boys teams, um, in their, you know, cities or travel ball teams and stuff. And so this event is 1 of the 1st times for some of them that they get to play with other girls, and they're just a baseball player.

[00:08:44] Veronica Alvarez: They're not the girl playing baseball. Um, so it's very important. And on top of that, there are, I don't know the exact number, maybe 14 to 16 coaches, all women, all women that have had a, um, huge impact on the game of baseball. Um, Tamra Holmes was a Colorado silver bullet player. We have Monet Davis as well known for her success on the Little League World Series.

[00:09:07] Veronica Alvarez: Um, we have myself that works with the A's. We had Alex Hugo that worked with the A's. Um, I mean, we're, I'm like, go down the line. Women that are, we had Kelsey Whitmore. Um, yeah. At this event, coaching and women that are on the national team. Just game changers, women that are changing the game at all moments for themselves, but for others as well.

[00:09:27] Veronica Alvarez: So the fact that we you asked what messaging can we give these young girls, um, in this event is it's. It's the message that we all live by. We're all growing the game, not necessarily for our own success, but for the future of it. And I think that's an important message for these young girls to see is like, we've come so far, uh, but there's so much more we could do with it.

[00:09:50] Veronica Alvarez: And so to constantly help each other, um, help each other, it's not an individual sport, right? Constantly help each other, but also set themselves up so that they're helping the future, uh, little girls like them as well. So there's this like, Uh, advocacy and, and that we create this like leadership that we create, they see themselves as leaders, they see themselves as game changers that they can continue to grow physically on their own for the game, but also the impact that they have on the rest of the game for the future of it.

[00:10:21] Veronica Alvarez: That was a long-winded way to say that we promote a lot of leadership with these young girls, a lot of accountability and understanding what they represent. 

[00:10:31] Mark Corbett: Well, let's talk about leadership for a moment, because I mean, you referenced a couple of things and I've wanted to make sure we talked about that one.

[00:10:38] Mark Corbett: You've been recognized me like even the coach of the year with the Rod Dodo award board, I mean, you're what you're doing with player development. And I'm going to ask a bit more. About that with Oakland and then globally, what you're doing, you're, you're doing things with, uh, in the Dominican Republic and, and tell me a little bit about some of the globe trotting, if you don't mind in that, because I love what I, what I see on that.

[00:11:00] Mark Corbett: It's exciting. 

[00:11:01] Veronica Alvarez: All right, well, yeah, so with the Oakland A's, I'm in charge of player development for our Latin American program in the Dominican Republic. So for those that don't know, every organization has a team in the Dominican Republic as a quote unquote affiliate. All our international signees go through that academy.

[00:11:19] Veronica Alvarez: Um, and we're able to sign some players at 16 years old, so they're young, um, and it's, it's their introduction to professional baseball. So my job is to make sure they're developing the same or at a efficient rate at maybe a elevated rate on field. Um, and that they're learning the same things that we're teaching across our other affiliates in the A's organization.

[00:11:45] Veronica Alvarez: So that when they go and they make the jump, when they promote, um, to Arizona, right, to our Arizona Complex League, um, it's not a huge transition from one step, you know, one place to the other. Every level in baseball is, is a step, right? It's an elevated pace of game, uh, same game, but it just, you Changes right because we're also narrowing down the playing field as far as level of elite right of mentally and physically elite players.

[00:12:12] Veronica Alvarez: So, um, if I can facilitate a transition that's smoother for them on and off field, that's, that's what I want. So, um, we have, We have been successful these last two years at least in turning some things around and uh, the level of development that we're seeing out of these young players, which is very promising.

[00:12:35] Veronica Alvarez: Um, and, and they're happy to be there and they're happy to learn and they're happy to fail sometimes, right? Not, which is a controversial statement, but failure exists in this game at all points. Um, and it's a huge part of developing and growing. So when there's fear of failure, There is no development. So if, if we can give them the freedom of failure, that's, uh, I think a really important part of developing a player, uh, so that they can kind of push the limit on, on what they're accustomed to doing and seeing, Oh, I could do that.

[00:13:05] Veronica Alvarez: Or I could do that a little bit more, or maybe I need to draw back a little bit. Uh, but without that freedom of failure, then we don't see development at a high rate. So, yeah, so we've been able to do those things down there. So I go to the Dominican pretty often. Um, I, we, we just cut the roster down, but we started this season now with about 50 players.

[00:13:23] Veronica Alvarez: Uh, some moved on to Arizona, some were released, and then we have a pretty strong, uh, roster right now. So I'm excited to start the season. Today is actually day one of our Dominican summer league season. So, 

[00:13:36] Mark Corbett: well, I can't wait to see more of that because to me. You know, I want to have you on another time because I would just love to talk about the, the cultural change, you know, coming from sometimes a poor, another community.

[00:13:49] Mark Corbett: I mean, quickly, I just mentioned thinking of like reading about Pedro Martinez, you know, or, or even, uh, um, geez, big, you know, big poppy, you know, and they're different stories, but he had to come from one place that was very different and I know looking at myself being a Tampa Bay race fan, the Cuban players that we have, you know, and John DDS, my gosh, I love this guy, you know, and Randy Orozco arena.

[00:14:15] Mark Corbett: It didn't just happen and I don't want to go down the road on their stories, but they didn't just walk across the water to get here. No, no. And you talk about, you have to have passion. You have to be willing to put yourself at stake. And I know some of them certainly did. I know Diaz had difficulty getting across the water to get and be able to play this So taking it, leaping from that back to, to women, because When I look at women in baseball, I look at saying, oh, we, we have one all star team, that's what it looks like to me.

[00:14:48] Mark Corbett: We have one, I know there's not an Olympics we have, but saying the mindset, we have one Olympic team. And to me, the growth and love of baseball is playing others as well. And like you're saying the joy of winning, but also the learning experience of failure. And the opportunity needs to be there and forgive me getting on my high horse.

[00:15:11] Mark Corbett: And Tamara Holmes knows how to do this sometimes. But when I looked at that and I say, well, Olympics right now coming up this year in Paris. Hey, guess what's coming up. They're adding a new sport break dancing. Yep. Come on people. I'm very happy for them. Don't get me wrong. And it's great for the break dancers.

[00:15:34] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And another was another lip. Yeah, really. And another one I saw it's been a while is steeplechase and I'm not talking about the horse. Not talking about the horses. We're talking about the people who are running the track and probably the hurdles and then have to leap over water. Uh, I don't get it, kid.

[00:15:53] Mark Corbett: I'm looking at this and I don't see women's baseball. Um, curiously, and I'm going to investigate a little bit more. Maybe, you know, more about it than most people do when it comes down to looking at the Olympics. My understanding is that each country or each site has the ability to add a sport. Now in 2028, it's going to be in LA.

[00:16:15] Mark Corbett: I don't know if it's too close to town to make a change there. And in 2032, it's going to be in Brisbane. And do you see a potential for an Olympic team? 

[00:16:29] Veronica Alvarez: For sure. I mean, I think our, our current team is an Olympic team. Um, as far as talent on the team, the way they come together, uh, their goals, their passion for the game, their drive to be the best player possible.

[00:16:44] Veronica Alvarez: Um, Our current team is incredible. Um, so I, I have that goal for the women, uh, for the future. That's on my vision board, be an Olympic sport. Um, I think our. I think going back to those, you know, you said break dancing and steeple chasing, like, I'm happy for those people, right. That they get to go to these events.

[00:17:05] Veronica Alvarez: And so it's not us versus them. I think the hard part is the fact that, um, People are, and this is our kind of current problem of growth. And I really think that once we can get past this, it would really kind of just like our women's baseball and women in baseball, just kind of like, you know, take off, but, uh, people are brainwashed to think that, you know, Softball and baseball are the same sport that boys play baseball, girls play softball.

[00:17:30] Veronica Alvarez: And so that's what's happening in the Olympics, right? They paired baseball and softball as the equivalent male and female sport. And that's why both of those events are happening in the Olympics. And so it's not a, to say that we take the place of softball because there's men's professional. Fast pitch softball.

[00:17:47] Veronica Alvarez: These men are incredible, right? So it's like, why can't we both exist? Why can't there without changing anything? You wouldn't, you literally wouldn't need a new field. You wouldn't need any other resources because you already have men's baseball. We play on the same size field. Just let us play there. And for the men's softball side, it's the same thing.

[00:18:06] Veronica Alvarez: So it's not even like you're adding a facility or need a facility. It's the same place. You actually need it when you do say. Men's baseball and women's softball are the same. So, uh, but again, it's not to replace softball. I think we can coexist, um, in the future and we coexist right now, but we can coexist at where we're both successful in the future.

[00:18:28] Veronica Alvarez: Um, and it's not going to take one's not going to take away from the other. So I think creating that difference in people's minds of knowing that. Those are two completely different sports. So they appear similar at times. Um, they're not, right? The pitcher throws underhand, one throws overhand. It's a different ball.

[00:18:44] Veronica Alvarez: It's a different bat. It's a different field. There are different rules. Right? So, um, it's to somebody who knows both sports is very obvious, but to somebody who doesn't, it just is like, it's easier to just box them in as one. Um, and again, I think that will help our growth stateside and across the world, probably, but mostly stateside because softball is so different.

[00:19:06] Veronica Alvarez: Successful here right now. And, um, and I love it. Right. I played softball was great to me. And I loved everyone I met through and all the experiences I had. Uh, but creating that separation in people's minds, only going to continue opening opportunity, only continue to grow the sport in a positive way.

[00:19:23] Veronica Alvarez: So, um, again, I think we get both coexists. 

[00:19:27] Mark Corbett: I like that because you don't make, pardon me. I like that because you don't make it a softball versus baseball. You know, there's two sports and they both have, you know, they both have good, strong, athletic women achieving something and they don't need to be, they need to be independent of one another, but they don't need to be exclusive of one another.

[00:19:48] Mark Corbett: And I mean, just go a little bit about your own path because I've seen, I think the impediment has been for baseball. Is that, guess what, you reach a certain age as a young girl or woman and the path of baseball is just taken away. Uh, the only other alternative is with a scholarship, but with another sport.

[00:20:07] Mark Corbett: I mean, can you give us a little bit of that, that path for you? 

[00:20:11] Veronica Alvarez: Yeah. Um, I mean, I could talk to it too. And in its current state, you know, when I was growing up, I fell in love with the game of baseball. I played baseball in little league and, you know, core leagues and stuff in Miami. Um, and it was good. I was one of the better players on the teams.

[00:20:26] Veronica Alvarez: I would make the all star team, um, and things like that. And so, um, when I was about, when I was like eight or nine, fast pitch softball started taking off in Miami and I refused it. I didn't, did not want to play that. I wanted to play baseball. Right. And, um, So, but the softball world started trying to draw me in because I would have been playing baseball, you know, for my age at a higher level.

[00:20:50] Veronica Alvarez: I was a better player at the league at the same park. So they were trying to draw me into the softball world. Eventually, in 5th grade, I switched to a different school that had a softball team, uh, junior high. So one of my friend's parents convinced me to switch because she said, Oh, you don't want to be playing baseball at the park and softball at school like it's gonna be a switch and you don't want to have to deal with that like kind of back and forth.

[00:21:11] Veronica Alvarez: And so eventually I gave in and I played softball. Uh, but a lot of the stories for the girls that I coach or the women that I've played with and coach is that they are kind of pushed out of baseball. Yeah. Uh, they're not allowed to get, um, to play at the next level, they have to fight it. They have to seek out the opportunities.

[00:21:29] Veronica Alvarez: One of our legends on the women's national team, and now one of my assistant coach on staff, she, her story was that she wrote letters to different high schools in her area, just asking for a fair opportunity. And whoever was going to give it to her, that's where she was going to go try out. And so that's how she, you know, was able to play high school baseball.

[00:21:47] Veronica Alvarez: She sought out the opportunity or somebody that was at least going to give her a fair look. So. A lot of these women, uh, fight to play this game, um, and it has gotten better in the sense that these MLB camps, um, have really kind of bridged up a gap that didn't exist before. Uh, like you mentioned at, instead of even high school, like, 13 years old, if they were pushed out of baseball, they wouldn't, if they, they wouldn't come back.

[00:22:15] Veronica Alvarez: We would get them at the women's national team triad at 16 years old. And most 16 year olds don't make that they're competing against mid 20 year olds, 30 year olds that have competed in collegiate sports that understand their bodies differently. Um, and so they wouldn't make the team at 16 and then we would never see them again.

[00:22:31] Veronica Alvarez: And it was such a shame. Because there was good talent there. It just, they weren't ready yet. And so that's my, a big part of my approach with our young players is, is knowing that, um, and finding ways to encourage them to continue to play. Um, me from a mental aspect, cause I don't provide physical opportunity that I don't have a travel team.

[00:22:51] Veronica Alvarez: I don't have, um, A team that I take to tournaments or anything like that. So I try to provide it in a mental aspect of like showing them that they're developing at these events that they go to any training camp that USA Baseball puts on all the MLB develops events, um, and showing them that there is a place for them in the future if they continue on this path.

[00:23:12] Veronica Alvarez: Um, and so. We've seen a lot of progress there. We've seen girls playing through high, more girls playing through high school. We now have more girls playing in college. Um, so I think it's just going back to that, you know, having opportunities for them to continue to develop in the game of baseball is really important for our growth as a sport and for their growth, um, and achieving their goals.

[00:23:33] Veronica Alvarez: Cause a lot of them do want to play collegiate baseball. Um, but softball is an option. And that's always in the conversation. Nobody wants to hear it. Um, and I tell people not to tell the players that is every, every person, mostly men that come across, um, a girl that plays baseball, like in little, little leaguer, a travel team or a high school.

[00:23:55] Veronica Alvarez: They always tell what. They'll message me and be like, what do you think I should tell her? I think she should switch to softball. I'm like, do not tell her to switch to softball. I assure you that this girl every day of her life has been told that softball is an option. She knows softball is an option.

[00:24:09] Veronica Alvarez: She knows it. She's very fully aware of it. So support her in her baseball dream. Just like boys. She might fail. She might succeed. Right. But if she wants to play baseball, support her in that. She knows 100%. Assured of it, that soft was an option at our, at our development events, right? Where the conversation seems more like mentor to player, like, Hey, I've been in your shoes, right?

[00:24:36] Veronica Alvarez: Or I see where you're at. I'm in the same fight in a different, in a different, you know, on a different railroad, but we're fighting the same fight kind of thing. Um, we might have the common conversation of, Hey, maybe you should switch to softball for this opportunity. Right. We may present it as. As the, as an option again, but at a different conversation.

[00:24:59] Veronica Alvarez: 'cause now it's like a, I see where you're at physically. I see your level. I've seen both sides. Um, what are your goals? If your goals are the, like, I'm, I'm in line with their goals. Mm-Hmm. . But if softball's like kind of there and they wanna go to a D one and they wanna do certain things, it's like, maybe that's the route you want to take.

[00:25:16] Veronica Alvarez: Right. But the conversation is different than like a random coach suggesting, uh, softball at every point of their path. I have a player on the women's national team that, um, she had an opportunity to play college baseball and was injured and then COVID happened. And so I had presented her with, Hey, or like, Hey, have you thought about going?

[00:25:37] Veronica Alvarez: And she was in the rat race. She was working, trying to pay her way through school. And this is one of the most athletic women that I've seen as far as. Level of athleticism. Okay. And so I approached her, I was like, Hey, have you considered softball? I mean, I know that you're diehard baseball and I would love for you to play baseball.

[00:25:54] Veronica Alvarez: But if you're like struggling right now, struggling to stay afloat, you know, like in, in just in the, you could go to school for free. You know, and so she's like, Oh, she kind of, you know, entertain the idea and then came back to me and says, you know what, I'm not ready. And that was fine. And then a year later, she's like, I'm ready now.

[00:26:12] Veronica Alvarez: So we got her in a university and she goes to school for free. Right. And she's competing. And I, I always thought she deserved to be a division one athlete, whatever that sport was. Right. So anyway, those conversations do come up often and the paths are different for everyone, but the more opportunities we can create with them, we can kind of postpone the moment that they, they feel like they're pushed out of it.

[00:26:32] Veronica Alvarez: Right. 

[00:26:34] Mark Corbett: Well, I mean, I like the idea that a lot. Hey, well, you know what? You break me up some because I'll go on forever, but seriously, I know the thing of it is options, you know, and what's going to be best for that person, but you're not putting saying, okay, you reach this age. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed baseball, but it's not time for you to play softball.

[00:26:58] Mark Corbett: And that's really your only option. Um, I, I mean, I used, I loved watching some of the collegiate softball in the past years, you know, watching Oklahoma do all that they did is like, Oh my gosh. But again, you know, ideally in my mind, I would be seeing a women's baseball as well. And you know, at an NCAA level.

[00:27:18] Mark Corbett: That's not here yet. I don't know when it's going to be. I look back historically to geez, what early 1900s. And you had women's collegiate teams. It was, it was rest. Press musing. I can't remember one of the universities. It was a women's university and it's one where they wore skirts all the way down to their ankles and they had to run and, you know, catch one of the ladies took a fall and then somebody said, Nope, that's it.

[00:27:43] Mark Corbett: I'm sorry. This game is not for women. We, we cannot allow that. We're taking the whole team thing away. And that just, it's disturbing. And I think that mass is still, 

[00:27:53] Veronica Alvarez: still, it's crazy how it still exists. So it almost exists more for the women in the male spaces. Like they're like so concerned the ball's going to hit us or something.

[00:28:03] Veronica Alvarez: And I'm like, first off. I've never, I've been coaching a long time. I haven't gotten hit by a ball. Okay. So, but second, if a ball hits me, I can assure you, I'm not going to react. I'm just going to be like, well, that hurt, but I'm not going to do anything about it. And I'm not going to cry about it. I'm not going to sue anybody.

[00:28:19] Veronica Alvarez: I'm not going to just like, like crumble, right? Like, again, going back to that women that get to these places aren't like, Aren't gonna just like, I don't know. I, I think they think we're so like, like a little flower petal that is . Women are the most resilient people in the world. They have babies. I mean like, come on.

[00:28:41] Mark Corbett: There you go. 

[00:28:42] Veronica Alvarez: So, so it's, it's crazy. And like, I mean, the other day in the Dominican, we had a female umpire for the fir first time. And I've seen in the Dominican. And the boys, they have me as, as a voice and a leader and a presence and stuff. So they're really good. They've we're really good. Right. As far as like women and stuff like that, but to them, it's still new.

[00:29:02] Veronica Alvarez: And the implication was like, Oh my God, what if the ball hits her? And I was like, that lady is probably the toughest lady person out here right now. Like she's not going to react. If the ball hits her, it's not a big deal, you know? So yeah, there's this like idea of. Delicate. Yeah. They were so delicate.

[00:29:21] Veronica Alvarez: You're so 

[00:29:21] Mark Corbett: delicate. You're such a nice little flower. Okay. But here I am. I'm talking to a catcher. He's got a ball thrown to him all the time. I mean, you, that's the row you had. And if you can see that, if you, if the person sits down and looks, okay. Uh, what's Veronica been doing lately? Oh, firefighter. Did I forget to mention that?

[00:29:39] Mark Corbett: Running into freaking buildings that are on fire and she, you gotta be an athlete. I mean, you're looking at women athletes and for them to not only aspire to these roles for them to get there with all the impediments that they've had. That's a super athlete. I guess that's part of what I'm thinking about too.

[00:29:58] Mark Corbett: With uh, I'm gonna jump to Thunder Bay coming up with the USA women's national team My gosh, you know, I didn't realize at first that you're looking at some young women as early as what 16 years of age But being on that team they have to stand out. They have to have a passion They have to have a physicality to do that and daggone veronica You know, I can't imagine With if you only have one team for all these women to come to meet with the elite This goes back to what I was trying to say earlier.

[00:30:29] Mark Corbett: You look at mlb. You've got 30 teams and god knows you got You Four or five levels of minor league teams and farm system. But for women, guess what? The epitome or I should say the pinnacle, uh, is coming and getting on the USA women's baseball team. Wow. So, I mean, every, everything you've done and what they can aspire to, uh, by the way, when, when is, when is the Thunder Bay coming up?

[00:30:54] Veronica Alvarez: It comes out, the team gets together July 16th. Um, we'll, we'll do a tryout. We have 40 invites. So in Minnesota, um, and the first couple of days are a tryout to go from 40 to 20. And then we'll stay there with the top 20 and train for, I think maybe one or two days before we head up to Canada, we'll train some days and then we'll, or our event starts while I shouldn't know the exact date to tell you that 

[00:31:23] Mark Corbett: it's 

[00:31:23] Veronica Alvarez: like, it's like, uh, for me, for me, it's like it, the moment we get there, that's when it starts.

[00:31:29] Veronica Alvarez: So July 16th in my mind, but. Our games actually start July 28th and then go through that, um, first weekend and weekend in August. Um, but yeah, we're, we're a mix of ages. Um, the MLB camps have really helped kind of create a bank of young players to kind of help them develop and, and give them the same messaging.

[00:31:51] Veronica Alvarez: So, um, I'm now the MLB baseball ambassador for girls baseball. And so it's, it just is a title to kind of what I was doing before of, of. I lead the events on field. Um, and so these players have a continuous message, a consistent message across the board from when they're 13 years old to when they're at the EDI event, which is the top 60 high school age girls, and then the top 30 high school age girls at the breakthrough series, and so that message obviously gets, it gets a little bit more complex, let's say, but it's foundation and, and that what we teach and what we.

[00:32:32] Veronica Alvarez: Teach and preach as we do as coaches is consistent across the board. So now when they enter the women's national team, sure, they might be 16, 17, 18 years old, uh, but they've been performing under those same parameters for the last couple of years at those events. Um, and so then it's a easier, smoother transition into the women's national team.

[00:32:52] Veronica Alvarez: So just like the boy side, right. I kind of used a lot of what I learned on the women's side and the girl's side. What in how I approach the academy in the D. R. and vice versa. I learned a lot from that academy for the women's event. But these young players that you might see on our roster might see at our tryout are high level for their age, and they really fit in.

[00:33:13] Veronica Alvarez: You probably couldn't tell. The 17 year old away from, from the 30 year old at times, which is what we want. We want our decision on July 21st. I think our cuts to be the hardest decision for us ever, right? We don't want it to be a simple, obvious choice at every position. We want everyone to feel challenged.

[00:33:33] Veronica Alvarez: We want. Our decision to be hard. Um, and so that's where we're getting to right now. Um, I think in years past, uh, the level hadn't risen as like a, like joint, you know, uh, as a collective. And so there are a lot of, of repeat national team members. And I think that'll always be the case because those women, again, like I said before, understand their bodies have played at a high level in another place.

[00:33:59] Veronica Alvarez: They understand what it takes to Try out on the women's national team, play on the national team, and compete at an international level. Um, but we were seeing, um, we were seeing less qualified options, I would say, um, years past, and now we've gotten to a point where everyone's competing for a spot, um, and it's really fun to see.

[00:34:20] Veronica Alvarez: It's stressful and it's really hard to have those hard conversations at the end. Um, and break some bad news. Uh, but, but, um, for this board and for the team at the end of the day, that's what we want, we want to win as a team and as a nation. So, uh, that's what matters. That's what we want. 

[00:34:38] Mark Corbett: Well, you've been living that.

[00:34:39] Mark Corbett: I know I was looking at, um, as Jennifer rings book, there's a chapter on you. And correct me if I'm wrong, but maybe I saw it somewhere else with you that you're talking about impediments and maybe how people would either treat a young person, a young woman, but you were like, I thrive on that. Give me a challenge.

[00:35:00] Mark Corbett: Give me a reason to, you know, come back and do that. And that's far. And I've said this before, sometimes, sometimes I think I see more tenacity in a woman's sport because they, maybe there's a need, there's a quote, need to prove themselves, unquote, uh, that pushes them maybe even further than whatever a male counterpart might be.

[00:35:20] Mark Corbett: But my gosh, you have my respect. I mean, my everything from MLB ambassador to being out there with those young ladies at the different events and the training with MLB develops, uh, what you're doing with Oakland. My gosh, you meant you wear many hats and, uh, but I, I respect you for that. And I respect all that the women are doing.

[00:35:41] Mark Corbett: I can't wait to see Thunder Bay. 

[00:35:43] Veronica Alvarez: Yeah, it's gonna, it's gonna be awesome. We've been building this team since 2019 is when I became the manager of the team in 2018 was the last time we played a World Cup and, and we were not happy with our end result and our world ranking dropped, um, with the same team from 2018.

[00:36:02] Veronica Alvarez: In 2019. We played a Pan-American qualifier and, um, those same teams that we. Lost to her or we're neck and neck with we absolutely, um, destroyed to aggressive award, but that's not to I'm not trying to hate on the other teams. I was to show our growth, um, from 1 year to the next. And since 2019, um, These women have only gotten better.

[00:36:26] Veronica Alvarez: And like I was saying before, those younger group, the younger group of players, um, are, you know, female prospects in a sense, um, have only up their level as well, because when the women up their level, guess what? The young ones also have to do the same. So to watch their growth, when they come together, when to watch.

[00:36:44] Veronica Alvarez: It's really fun to see a 16 year old at one week at the MLB Breakthrough Series. And then the next week she comes out to the Women's National Team tryout. And maybe the first day she's Figuring it out. And then the change in in work ethic and the change in drive changes from one day to the next. So it's really cool to see that together.

[00:37:06] Veronica Alvarez: But we've been building this team since 2019, um, including on I've been learning. I've been growing. I've been in these incredible spaces with professional baseball around some incredible people. Um, so not only have I been improving my level of coaching knowledge and everything like that, they've been pushing the same on field, and I've been able to, you know, have some really incredible coaches come out to our training camps and so they've gotten, uh, advice and guidance from, from really incredible coaches, um, through these last years.

[00:37:40] Veronica Alvarez: Five years. Uh, so we're very excited to showcase all that we've, we've done since that time and show that we deserve a gold medal, that we will, we are competing for one, we don't want anything less. Um, but we're also elevating the standard of the game because we do want to be an Olympic sport. And we want everyone to rise with us.

[00:37:58] Veronica Alvarez: We don't want to bring anybody down. Uh, but we want to set the tone as far as what should be expected across the board from every country. So that when we do get the opportunity to play in the Olympics, we're going to It's entertaining and it's something that continues to be a sport in the Olympics forevermore.

[00:38:14] Mark Corbett: Oh, I love that. Absolutely. I mean, to me, that's, I mean, I wouldn't say it's an ultimate goal, but it's certainly a high level goal that should happen with women's baseball. So thank you for that. And thank you for all the women that are doing it. So let me ask you now, here we are, it's, June the 3rd, and you're going to be pulling all this together in short order.

[00:38:35] Mark Corbett: Uh, my gosh, what, what do you do preparation wise before you start in July? 

[00:38:43] Veronica Alvarez: Well, first off, it was, it was, you know, setting the invites for the tryout. Um, so we got those out, um, and it's hard. We have a lot of dedicated women that have been towards development camps. A lot of young players, like I said, that I don't want to, um, Like, you know, dismiss or feel like they're not good enough.

[00:39:03] Veronica Alvarez: It's just that out of the options, maybe they're not ready yet. Right. So there's this whole kind of mindful approach to, to invites and things like that, and, and obviously with the goal being winning, so we need the best 40 out there, um, not only for future success of the team, but for current success in order to challenge our players, our starters and the top 20.

[00:39:24] Veronica Alvarez: So the top 40 needs to be as strong as possible. So that in practice and tryouts. We're competing against each other and elevating our game as a whole, not just, you know, I see it as that I see it as a development event for individual for team, but also it's still a tryout. So, um, that's really important.

[00:39:44] Veronica Alvarez: We've selected that coaching staff has been selected. Our staff has been consistent for. For the last since 2019, the core of the staff has been consistent. Um, and then we, we add in Malika Underwood last year, which was a longtime player on the women's national team. Um, and so our staff is again consistency and consistency with the women's national team is really important.

[00:40:09] Veronica Alvarez: Because the fact that we do have those repeat players, um, and it's different from a typical USA baseball national team on the boy's side because they change out players every year. Um, so this sense of consistency isn't so much necessary. And when I say consistency, it doesn't mean we're not growing and learning, right?

[00:40:27] Veronica Alvarez: Cause our, our mindset, our body are consistently the same, uh, but we're constantly upping our game as well. So there's that balance of, of. We're not just teaching the same thing that we taught in 2018. Necessarily. We've changed our approach and things like that. And the way we explain things. So, but, yeah, I think that's really been beneficial to the women.

[00:40:49] Veronica Alvarez: So, kind of just setting that up, um, and then it really starts when we get there and practice planning will come at some point. I work with, uh, Our team, uh, director from USA baseball on, you know, layout of the days that were there, and then I'll dive in deeper and do a practice plan for every day. Um, and then, and then from there we get going, but the moment we boots on the ground or, you know, get going.

[00:41:15] Veronica Alvarez: All right. 

[00:41:17] Mark Corbett: Well, Veronica, I can't thank you enough for being on the show today and sharing with us a lot of what's going on with women's baseball and certainly with the, uh, start to say Olympic team, say women's national team. 

[00:41:28] Veronica Alvarez: The more we say, the more chance it is, uh, that it gets out into the universe and it happens.

[00:41:33] Veronica Alvarez: But another part of the prep, which I have to mention, because this is to the credit of the women, um, because we get, um, a few little time together, right? We're, we're getting together July 16th and we're playing July 27th. Um, they have to come in ready, not ready to make the team ready to compete in at the end of July.

[00:41:54] Veronica Alvarez: Um, and so the. The work that has to be done by them comes on their own. Right. Some of the ones that maybe we have a couple, we have a 17 year old now, we have a couple of girls and women in college. Um, but other than that, like those might have access to gyms and strength programs and, uh, they've been practicing day to day.

[00:42:15] Veronica Alvarez: Right. But the ones outside of that world, um, have to seek out the information, seek out coaches to help them day to day. Um, and then also have to push themselves physically in the gym and things like that to be ready in July. So these women are incredible. Uh, I speak to it on the girl's side. You're and at these events, any little girl you see in baseball, you're going to find a resilient girl who has worked through some adversity.

[00:42:38] Veronica Alvarez: And that's the same for the women, women that are pushing the envelope, um, have some incredible drive and passion for just being, uh, the best that they can be in pretty much anything, right? It's displayed on field for us, but they're incredible outside the field as well. 

[00:42:54] Mark Corbett: Well, there's a lot to look forward to.

[00:42:56] Mark Corbett: I like what you're saying, too, is being ready to step up to the plate when the boots are on the ground and, and where the opportunities may be for some of these young women and where there's still some challenges. As far as those opportunities, but I'm going to continue to be an advocate for women's baseball because wow, wouldn't you?

[00:43:14] Mark Corbett: No, no, but, but seriously, there's, there's so much in the game and to me, seeing things like the trailblazer series and the other ones that are going on. And to me, that's a good way of seeing the future starting to build. It's the building blocks. You and the others are making sure that not only the people you're with, but the opportunities for those youngsters that are coming up in the game as well.

[00:43:33] Mark Corbett: So thank you for that. Thank you. All right. That's Veronica Alvarez. The coach of the United States, all American, all American. I'm all over the place with this U S national women's baseball team. It's going to be going up to Thunder Bay. We're talking about the team that's been with the one to Pan Am and back in 2015 and has proven himself time and again since then.

[00:43:56] Mark Corbett: So world wake up, we're looking forward to it, Veronica. And again, thanks again for being on BaseballBiz On Deck. 

 Veronica Alvarez: Thank you for having me. And I'm looking forward to it too.

Discover more on the Women's Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay at https://bit.ly/3KqJ4Q3