Texas A&M sophomore Mya Perez, one of the top sluggers in the Southeastern Conference, visited with Jesus Ortiz for the latest episode of the Latino Excellence Podcast.
Perez discussed her career, her pride in her Latino culture, her tight bond with her family, her early homesickness at Texas A&M and much more.
The left-handed slugger carries the fifth best batting average (.433) and slugging percentage (.827) in the SEC. She’s also fifth in the SEC with a team-leading 59 RBIs, 49 of them in conference play.
Mya also leads Texas A&M with 13 home runs. The first baseman from Corona, Calif., rarely has family in the stands. So she cherished the opportunity to play in front of her grandfather for the first time during the three-game series against Arkansas.
“It means a lot to me,” Mya says of her grandfather’s visit. “He’s always helped me since I was younger to grow into the athlete I am. I’m very happy that he’s here watching me.”
Mya would look into Section 108 at Davis Diamond to make eye contact with her father and grandfather each time she got to first base. Her dad loved how Aggie fans reacted to her walk-up song, “Volver, Volver.”
The gritos and buzz through the crowd gave Raymond Jr. a sense that his daughter has connected with her fellow Aggies and A&M fans. Mya Perez is a third-generation Mexican American from California’s Riverside County. Her paternal great grandmother Petra came over from Jalostitlan, Jalisco, Mexico.
In the latest episode of the Latino Excellence podcast, Mya Perez discussed her career, her pride in her Latino culture, her early homesickness at Texas A&M, her family in Corona, Calif., and much more.
You can find the latest episode of the Latino Excellence Podcast at Apple, Spotify and YouTube.