La Voz

Maikel Hurtado

It has been a true expedition for Maikel Hurtado , coming from Cuba he could not come directly to the US. Instead he came here by way of to Sweden where his mother was living.

In Cuba where15 is a legal adult and where people can only leave the country if they have family living elsewhere, Hurtado lived with his grandparents, practically next door to Washington Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez.

As soon as he became a legal adult, his Mother was his ticket out of Cuba. Once he got to Sweden he started playing baseball strictly for fun until he met a man that agreed to coach him.

He gained the confidence in his abilities enough to begin to search for schools in America and something about De Anza College caught his eye – the high transfer rate. At 21 years old, he started a new life from scratch, enrolled in school, rented an apartment and survived on student loans.

The tryouts most of all resonate strongly in his mind. “I’ve never seen so many people on a baseball field.” Alone in a foreign country and not knowing if he would even make the team, he fought hard and started as an outfielder.

That clearly was not the right position for him. He transitioned into relief pitcher where he excelled, winning allconference his freshman year.

He currently leads the league in saves and looks forward to playing baseball after leaving De Anza. He draws interest from both division 1 and division 2 colleges. New York Tech (Div.1), Siena College (Div.1), Palm Beach Atlantic in Florida (Div.2) to name a few.

“He’s gonna have a chance to sign a professional contract.” says Head Coach Scott Hertler. “He’s outstanding. His tenacity is his biggest strength and on the mound, he’s unbelievable. All the players love him and we’re gonna miss him when he leaves.”

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