Gamecock commits take baseball, mission trip to Dominican Republic

With summer coming to a close, most high schoolers are sleeping in, buying supplies and spending a last remaining hours by the pool before school starts.

But not Jake Wright and John Gilreath.

The two Gamecock baseball commitments spent a week in the Dominican Republic at the beginning of August as part of a baseball and mission trip with South Carolina’s Piedmont Pride.

“It was life-changing. Up until I was invited to go on the trip, I never thought what it was like down there,” Gilreath said. “When I always think of the Dominican Republic, I think of baseball and how great baseball players come out of the Dominican Republic. It wasn’t until I got down there that I realized it was completely different.”

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The duo went down with the rest of the team made up of mostly college players, led by head coach Joe Hudak. This was Wright’s fourth trip down to the Dominican with the Pride and Gilreath’s first.

In the morning, the team would play against Dominican-based teams, including a game against a baseball academy owned by Jose Cano, father of Seattle Mariner infielder Robinson Cano.

After lunch, the team would do mission work at local orphanages or schools. Wright was able to meet up with people he’s met in his three prior trips, including his translator

“It’s humbling to see the living conditions these kids are living in and it makes you thankful for what you have,” Wright said.

Wright, who is in the Gamecocks’ 2016 class, actually invited Gilreath, class of 2018, on the trip roughly a week before the team was set to depart. Without a passport, Gilreath had to scramble to pick one up before the trip.

Luckily, he had a baseball tournament in Atlanta, the site of a passport agency, and was able to get one a few days before takeoff. After that, it was a week with Wright and the rest of the Pride.

And the pair of Gamecock commits, who both said they’ve become close since last summer when Gilreath committed to South Carolina, were able to work together before working together soon in Columbia.

“Getting down there and seeing (Wright) interact with the kids was great, and knowing in a few years I’ll be down there and getting to be his teammate is great,” Gilreath said. “He has a great attitude in everything he does and it was just great getting to go down and see what he does.”

Wright, who underwent shoulder surgery in April, wasn’t able to pitch in the Dominican but spent some time as the first base coach. He said that was fun because coaching is something he’d want to do after he’s done with baseball.

Gilreath was able to pitch for the Pride, and said he pitched well with his arm feeling great. He also had one at bad for the first time he said in forever, this time against a former minor league pitcher who didn’t hold back.

“The guy they had throwing spent a few years in the states in pro ball,” Gilreath said. I didn’t expect a guy pumping 92 or 95. I didn’t see the ball until it was five feet in front of me. I fouled one off and I was the proudest person on that field.”

This is one of the final events for both commits with Wright moving onto campus this weekend and Gilreath getting ready to start his junior year at Northwestern High School. Gilreath will have one more event this weekend at the Palmetto Games.

But with the summer almost over, what’s not is the trip’s affect on them and their wont to head back down next year.

“I have a heart for ministry and for helping other people. I truly do,” Wright said. “I keep on going back because I see the effects of the trip. I see how it changes people. I go down every year expecting to change lives, and in reality they change my life even more.”

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