CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The Savannah Bananas baseball team announced a few months ago that they were introducing a third team to their Banana Ball World Tour, The Firefighters. Then earlier this week, they named Corpus Christi firefighter Valerie Perez as The Firefighters head coach.
"Being selected to be the Manager of The Firefighters has been an incredible honor in so many ways. History has been made in the creation of this team, so to be selected to lead this team into its inaugural season is special. Before we revealed our uniforms and locker room to the guys, I gave a speech explaining what them donning this jersey represents. They have the opportunity to represent the men and women in the fire service who put their lives on the line day in and day out to protect us. We have all worn numerous uniforms through our baseball careers, but this one is weighted heaviest and is bigger than baseball. We will honor those in the fire service by how we play, and will create those special moments with fans any opportunity we get."
Perez is a Calallen native and a graduate of Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. Last year, she was selected to the USA Women's National baseball team.
"Being a member of the USA Women’s National Baseball Team and a career firefighter, this really is the best of both worlds," Perez said. "I also am continuing my training here in Savannah as we prepare for the WBSC World Cup Finals in July in Canada. Ending this summer 19-0 as a manager and with a gold medal for Team USA is the ultimate goal."
The Firefighters play their first series of games against the Bananas May 30 - June 1 in Savannah, GA.
The Firefighters will make their Major League Stadium debut at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on July 13.
