University of Georgia Athletics
‘He Knows That He Can Get It Done’
October 15, 2022 | Baseball, General, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Imagine being 14 years old and discussing with your parents the idea of leaving home, moving from your small home country of Panama, to the vast behemoth that is the United States, in order to pursue your dreams. Those dreams have to be pretty powerful, your passions that strong, to leave the life you know behind.
"It took a couple of months for us to figure out what we wanted to do as a family, but I think we made the right decision," said Georgia junior catcher Fernando Gonzalez, from Panama City, Panama.
"What he has done with his circumstances, it's really incredible," said Scott Stricklin, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach. "He left his home at the age of (15), left his country, to go to a (new) place. It's his second language, and he comes over to the United States, and to be a success.
"I put myself in his shoes, as a (15)-year-old going to a country that I don't really speak the language. Even though he speaks English, there's still the culture shock, and he's just thrived. He's a kid that has a great demeanor about him and is just fun to be around."
As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we're taking a look at some Georgia student-athletes that grew up in Central or South America and are now excelling on and off the playing field as Bulldogs.
After deciding to come to school in the U.S., Gonzalez spent his sophomore year of high school in Florida before moving to Marietta, Ga., where he graduated from North Cobb Christian High School. Yes, it was baseball that inspired the move to the States, but it was a move rooted in education.
Unlike collegiate sports such as tennis and golf, which have featured international student-athletes on their rosters for decades, that's not the case with baseball. There's a reason for that, Stricklin said. A lot of young players, particularly in Central America, go the professional route, hoping to be the next Mariano Rivera or Rod Carew.
"He had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic and go to a baseball academy, and then try to get signed by a professional team," Stricklin said. "That's the normal route for kids in Central America — they go to the Dominican or Venezuela and they get an opportunity to play professional baseball.
"His background — being an English speaker, mom and dad both went to college, and they wanted their son to get a college education."
Gonzalez said he and his parents. Alexander and Yaravy, talked at length about which path he should take: education or baseball. The answer came down to which direction led to the most opportunities.
"It was pretty close. It was a big discussion that we had at my house for a while. I was 14 years old, so I didn't know much about life, but my parents, they told me this is what is going to happen if you go professional at 16 — you're not going to be in school anymore and if you get hurt, what are you going to do after that?
"The benefits of coming here to high school, you get to study, you get to play baseball, you get a different country, you get better at English, which is a secondary language for me, and you get a lot more opportunities."
Eventually, the decision was made, and at 15, Gonzalez left home for the United States. His English was a pretty good when he arrived, helped by consuming a lot of English-speaking baseball broadcasts and watching a lot of Netflix, but it wasn't until the spring of his junior year of high school, he said, that he "started getting comfortable" being in classes where only English was spoken.
"No matter what, if I understood or not, I always try to do my best and get good grades. At the end of the day, if you don't get good grades, you don't play," he said.
Gonzalez said he doesn't get to speak much Spanish around Foley Field, though Stricklin does his best.
"I practice my Spanish every day with him, but it's not very good," Stricklin said.
"He's good. He's trying," Gonzalez said.
On the one hand, Gonzalez would like more opportunities in daily life in Athens to speak his native language. On the other, he said, "it's a positive for me because I get to speak more English and get better every day. When I call my family or friends back home, that's when I get to speak Spanish."
As you can tell from his comments, Gonzalez's English is very good. And he's excelling elsewhere, too. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as a sophomore, and over the past two seasons he has started a combined 73 games behind the plate. Stricklin said Gonzalez has always had a lot of ability, but it's his "confidence level" that has developed the most during his time as a Bulldog.
"He's a very good player, he's got a high baseball I.Q., and he can really catch. But with the bat, his confidence level has really risen. You're seeing it really start to come out," Stricklin said.
"As a freshman he was fine, as a sophomore he had a good year, and I think he has a chance to have a breakout year (this spring). Instead of hoping he can get it done, he knows that he can get it done."
Staff Writer
Imagine being 14 years old and discussing with your parents the idea of leaving home, moving from your small home country of Panama, to the vast behemoth that is the United States, in order to pursue your dreams. Those dreams have to be pretty powerful, your passions that strong, to leave the life you know behind.
"It took a couple of months for us to figure out what we wanted to do as a family, but I think we made the right decision," said Georgia junior catcher Fernando Gonzalez, from Panama City, Panama.
"What he has done with his circumstances, it's really incredible," said Scott Stricklin, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach. "He left his home at the age of (15), left his country, to go to a (new) place. It's his second language, and he comes over to the United States, and to be a success.
"I put myself in his shoes, as a (15)-year-old going to a country that I don't really speak the language. Even though he speaks English, there's still the culture shock, and he's just thrived. He's a kid that has a great demeanor about him and is just fun to be around."
As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we're taking a look at some Georgia student-athletes that grew up in Central or South America and are now excelling on and off the playing field as Bulldogs.
After deciding to come to school in the U.S., Gonzalez spent his sophomore year of high school in Florida before moving to Marietta, Ga., where he graduated from North Cobb Christian High School. Yes, it was baseball that inspired the move to the States, but it was a move rooted in education.
Unlike collegiate sports such as tennis and golf, which have featured international student-athletes on their rosters for decades, that's not the case with baseball. There's a reason for that, Stricklin said. A lot of young players, particularly in Central America, go the professional route, hoping to be the next Mariano Rivera or Rod Carew.
"He had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic and go to a baseball academy, and then try to get signed by a professional team," Stricklin said. "That's the normal route for kids in Central America — they go to the Dominican or Venezuela and they get an opportunity to play professional baseball.
"His background — being an English speaker, mom and dad both went to college, and they wanted their son to get a college education."
Gonzalez said he and his parents. Alexander and Yaravy, talked at length about which path he should take: education or baseball. The answer came down to which direction led to the most opportunities.
"It was pretty close. It was a big discussion that we had at my house for a while. I was 14 years old, so I didn't know much about life, but my parents, they told me this is what is going to happen if you go professional at 16 — you're not going to be in school anymore and if you get hurt, what are you going to do after that?
"The benefits of coming here to high school, you get to study, you get to play baseball, you get a different country, you get better at English, which is a secondary language for me, and you get a lot more opportunities."
Eventually, the decision was made, and at 15, Gonzalez left home for the United States. His English was a pretty good when he arrived, helped by consuming a lot of English-speaking baseball broadcasts and watching a lot of Netflix, but it wasn't until the spring of his junior year of high school, he said, that he "started getting comfortable" being in classes where only English was spoken.
"No matter what, if I understood or not, I always try to do my best and get good grades. At the end of the day, if you don't get good grades, you don't play," he said.
Gonzalez said he doesn't get to speak much Spanish around Foley Field, though Stricklin does his best.
"I practice my Spanish every day with him, but it's not very good," Stricklin said.
"He's good. He's trying," Gonzalez said.
On the one hand, Gonzalez would like more opportunities in daily life in Athens to speak his native language. On the other, he said, "it's a positive for me because I get to speak more English and get better every day. When I call my family or friends back home, that's when I get to speak Spanish."
As you can tell from his comments, Gonzalez's English is very good. And he's excelling elsewhere, too. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll as a sophomore, and over the past two seasons he has started a combined 73 games behind the plate. Stricklin said Gonzalez has always had a lot of ability, but it's his "confidence level" that has developed the most during his time as a Bulldog.
"He's a very good player, he's got a high baseball I.Q., and he can really catch. But with the bat, his confidence level has really risen. You're seeing it really start to come out," Stricklin said.
"As a freshman he was fine, as a sophomore he had a good year, and I think he has a chance to have a breakout year (this spring). Instead of hoping he can get it done, he knows that he can get it done."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
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