COD Baseball: What makes the desert an attraction to international players

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) The College of the Desert baseball team has had quite an interesting squad with a handful of international players, and what makes them stand out from the rest is their love of the game.

"They grow up, you know, playing on any terrain you give them and not complaining and just being happy to have a baseball in their hands," head coach Sam DiMatteo said.

A player from Mexico, a player from Colombia, and several players from Canada, there's no doubt that all of these players have talent, but out of all of the colleges they could have gone to, why COD?

"Honestly, the coaching staff and the weather is a big factor," sophomore left fielder from Canada Jackson Martin said. "You know, being in Canada, you can't play baseball until May."

"I think it's a great atmosphere here," sophomore second baseman from Mexico, Victor Esquivel Perez, said. "A lot of players, like, really liked to grind here, and a lot of my teammates work hard and that's why I decided to be here."

All of these players share one goal: to keep chasing their dream of making it to the next level, and for many of them, COD feels like the right place to do just that.

"I think a lot of our coaches had a lot of experience with Major League in the next level," sophomore second baseman from Mexico Esquivel Perez said. "I just think here's the best spot because of all of their experience, and everyone likes it here because of all of the exposure that we get."

While getting the exposure they want, these players also make the sacrifice of being away from their families. However, being a part of this team has helped them build lasting relationships that go far beyond baseball.

"This is a family," freshman infielder from Colombia, Juan Alvarez, said.

"It's kind of bringing home to another place," sophomore left fielder from Canada, Martin said.

"I think having all of the Canadians here, and especially Juan, I'm really close to Juan, so it just makes it easier for everybody, I think," sophomore second baseman from Mexico, Esquivel Perez, said.