When asked to select an educator that has had the greatest impact on me, I thought about all of the teachers and coaches that I have known since middle school.  I have been lucky to have many good teachers and countless good coaches, as I play several sports, but in thinking back, I know that there is one person who has helped me the most in the sport that I love the most.  His name is Coach Tony Longueira.

In my 11U baseball year, I played for the  Delaware Sabres Travel Team.  Baseball has been my passion since I was 5 years old.  I had been part of the Piedmont League since t-ball.  This was my first time playing for an organization other than Piedmont.  We practiced in a warehouse down the street from DMA. Actually, passing by DMA everyday, was one of the things that sparked my interest in this great school. Coach Longueira had a ton of baseball experience and had played for the Wilmington Blue Rocks.  Baseball was and is in his blood.  You could tell by the way he mentored us.  He was an all around coach too; his instruction had no boundaries.

For me , however, his hitting instruction was what made the greatest difference in my ability to the play the game.  I will never forget Coach Longueira getting down on the ground on his stomach while I was in the batting cage to hold my back legs still while I was swinging.  I had the tendency to move my back leg when I would swing, and it reduced the amount of power in my swing. It was important that I get as much power in my swing as possible; since I am usually one of the smaller players on the team.  He also would throw countless pitches with me during batting practice until he was happy with my swing.  He was always available to meet any of us at the Sabres Center for practice.  He would send out a text to the team saying that he would be up there at a certain time if anyone wanted to come up to batting practice. In addition to batting practice, he also did a lot of work with me on the field.  It ranged from various drills for turning double plays to getting down and snagging a backhand in the hole. 

That year was the best year of my young career in terms of hitting.  Not only did I do well for the Sabres Travel Team, but when I started playing league ball at Piedmont again that spring, my coaches could not believe how much I had improved.  My spring league baseball team went undefeated, in part to my contribution.  I gained so much confidence that year not only did I play well, I also did better in school. I owe that improvement to the time that Coach Longueira spent teaching and mentoring me; I went from missing three straight baseballs on a tee, which is stationary, to hitting my first home run that season for Piedmont. 

I worked hard that year and learned that you need to put in a lot of time to see results.  I also learned that coaches are very willing to work with you; if you are willing to put in the time.  I was very lucky to have worked with Coach Longueira that year.  He gave me the confidence I needed to continue on with baseball and to never quit. There’s nobody who deserves the educator of the year award more than he does. Thanks, coach.