Affton High School freshman Aiden Hernandez took his baseball skills on the road this summer, all the way to the Dominican Republic. There, he participated in a five-game tournament held by the Latin American Baseball Club (LABC) from Aug. 9-15.

Aiden’s team walked away from the LABC tournament with a 2-3 record, though they only played four games — the second win was by forfeit.

This wasn’t the first time Aiden had tried out for the tournament — last year, he did not make it on the team. The tryout involved fielding and hitting exercises; once he made it past that first stage, he had to complete an interview about what he would contribute to the group.

“It felt good,” Aiden said. “It felt like I’d achieved it, since the year before I didn’t make it.”

Aiden played teams from the Dominican Republic and St. Croix, an island in the Virgin Islands. According to the high schooler, the teams played a bit differently than he and his fellow U.S. players were used to.

“In the States, there’s so many different versions of baseball, and in the Dominican Republic, they almost play different,” Aiden said. “They play way more aggressively.”

His mother, Amy Hernandez, added, “We were told that these kids he played against get bused to this facility, and they do baseball Monday through Friday. Then they get bused home on the weekends. They eat, sleep and breathe baseball, so it was really wild.”

Aiden has played the sport since his T-ball years starting at six years old, according to Amy. When he was around 10 years old, the team needed a catcher, and Aiden stepped up to the challenge. He’s played that position ever since.

“I feel like I can communicate with my teammates and coaches during plays, especially with (batting) line-ups,” Aiden said. “Especially as a catcher, I know how they swing and hit, so I can communicate all that stuff.”

Amy added, “I thought he did really great, considering they had such a short time to get to know each other and know their strengths and weaknesses as players. With Aiden playing as catcher … I feel like he adapted really quickly.”

Aiden also got the chance to interact with players from the Dominican Republic, sharing food and talking. He brought baseball necklaces to give to some of the Dominican players. Amy says this was a highlight of the trip for her: watching her son engage with other athletes from a different background.