Easley Native Becomes Honorary Member of Team Puerto Rico

When the boys of summer return with blazing bats at the J.B. "Red" Owens Complex, that's where you will find 13-year-old Holden Martin.

For one week each summer, the world comes to Easley for the Big League World Series.

Three years ago, Holden said his dad told him on the first day of the tournament he had to pick a team that would win the entire series. He picked Puerto Rico.

"They play baseball year round," Holden said. "They are really good. I made friends with them and so I stuck with them."

Each year, he meets new players from the team and is able to keep up with them via Facebook. He even messages throughout the year with the team's manager, Coach Jaime Munoz, to see how the team is doing in the tournament and to make sure they are going to make it back to Easley.

But this year, Holden got to do something he's never done before. He got to practice with the team.

Munoz talked to Ralph Heredia, whose family hosts Puerto Rico, about asking Holden to join them on the field.

"Holden is there faithfully every game, wearing his Puerto Rico shirt and supporting this team," Heredia said. "So I told the coach I thought it was a great idea and called Ken, Holden's dad, to set it up."

For about two hours on Thursday, Holden took to the field with his dream team.

"It's longer practices, with more fielding and more hitting," Holden said. "But it was a very humbling experience."

Heredia said that Coach Munoz said that Holden has a "good glove" and that he is a "strong hitter." Heredia said he can attest to his batting skills.

"I got hit by a ball while I was trying to take pictures of him," Heredia laughed.

Holden said shortstop Jonathan Morales and second baseman Kevin Santa helped him a lot with his hitting and his fielding.

"That's what I'll remember most this summer," Holden said.

Puerto Rico leads the international bracket with a four-game streak. They will play Venezuela at 4 p.m. Tuesday in a semifinal.