Comeback and positivity from one of Mat

Mat-Su's Emilio Barreras makes the throw to first.

PALMER -- After a freshman year bereft of home runs, shortstop Emilio Barreras turned a powerful page with the wood bats of Alaska baseball.

The Arizona-native had not sliced a dinger since high school, but a Thursday, Jun. 8 home battle for his Mat-Su Miners against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots added a new milestone. Not only did Emilio slap his first home run at the college level, but he also crushed the M’s first long ball of 2023.

From the beginning, Barreras said he felt like there was something unique about the Miners. He said, “I think [the team] has gelled in an amazing way… We’re definitely gonna be thinking about this special summer. It’s just amazing, man, just amazing.”

Miners head coach Ty LeBrun said that Emilio’s friendliness and grit shine. He said, “His game speaks for itself. He works hard, he’s always willing to adapt and learn, he’s one of the more fun human beings I’ve ever been around to say the least.”

Emilio has had a baseball career and personal life characterized by diligence; he switched commitments from Cal State Fullerton to Grand Canyon University, he comes from parents who work hard at multiple jobs, he calls his motivational ethic one of his most important features, and he made a remarkable renewal of spirit in the light of heavy adversity.

“If you look at it in the long term, you don’t really notice the bad games,” began Barreras. “I think what I’ve learned a lot this past season was to trust your gut, man, trust your gut, have fun most importantly, and things can be a lot worse.”

Emilio emphasized, “I’m very thankful.”

In high school, the infielder scampered into a play that changed his life. He said, “The catcher threw the ball to second, I tried to make the tag, but I kind of dove into the runner, which I don’t know why I did that -- I know it was a poor choice. It happened, but it was just a reaction that I had.”

“His cleat hit me right in my face,” continued Emilio. “It ripped the inside of my mouth, a tooth was actually pushed in, I broke my cheekbone, my eyepiece -- which I didn’t even know at the time when I got to the first hospital, so it happened, and I was just laying there. I was just gushing out blood, which is not a pretty sight, but my first reaction was just so bizarre because I said, ‘Bring me a towel, I’m fine,’ and they took me out, of course -- I wasn’t too happy with that -- they took me to the hospital.”

Barreras encapsulated the experience by saying, “It was the worst pain of my life.”

“I get to the hospital, and they tell me that they can’t do the surgery there, so they transported me to another hospital,” explained Emilio.

“They told me I would have to go into immediate surgery or else I would go blind in my left eye.”

Through those trials, the shortstop’s positivity still broke through.

Emilio articulated, “I’m good, now. I can still smile, so I’m glad about that.”

“At the time I was only a freshman, but I have dreams, I have goals that kept me alive. I think for me it was the positivity of my parents, friends, teammates, and coaches. Everyone was so supportive. They told me that everything’s gonna be fine, everything’s gonna be good.”

“Originally I was supposed to be done for the season, but thankfully, I did everything that I was supposed to do. The doctor was like, ‘You’re fine, everything’s good, it healed really quick,’ and I didn’t expect that. I got the chance to go back and finish my season, and the rest was history.”

The rising sophomore credited his return and his career to his biggest inspirations: his parents and sister. Barreras said, “Definitely my parents, my sister. We’re not rich, we’re not loaded with money, we live by the day, so I think it’s the motivation for me to take care of them one day.”

The infielder dove into the future he wants for his loved ones hoping to, “… one day just retire my dad early from not working out in the sun, not working three jobs, my mom to just stay home the way she took care of me, for my sister to just live in a good house with a good car, for my nephew to grow up and hopefully follow my footsteps, and just try to inspire people who have been in my situations before, especially my town.”

Emilio discussed how these important folks in his home of Casa Grande, Arizona have shaped his mentality. He continued, “Stay motivated, stay hungry, and just smile through it all.”

“I’ve thankfully gotten the opportunity of people helping me growing up.”

He said his role models told him to believe in himself. Barreras explained, “They told me that I’m not gonna make all the mistakes in the world, so you’ve just gotta learn from everyone else’s to improve yours. That’s something that I live by and something that I’m very thankful for.”

Mat-Su’s head coach is expecting his first child right after the season ends. LeBrun explained how much Barreras has taught him as a person. The coach said, “I think God sent me Emilio this summer to have me prepare myself for my newborn coming in, and I think Milly has challenged me to a tee in that regard. One of my favorite human beings I’ve ever been around.”

Emilio suffered another spell of injuries this season in Palmer, enduring some lower back pain that kept him off the field for a week. In his return to the lineup, he smashed a single in his first at-bat resulting in heavy cheers from his Miners dugout.

Barreras said that this team has felt like a family since day one. He said, “First day I met everyone at the airport, everyone was so nice, everyone was so welcoming. I felt like I fit in so well… I’ve never met a group of guys where -- some of the guys didn’t get the playing time they wanted, but they still put in the work, and that’s something I really respect.”

“He’s always smiling,” added LeBrun. “I think he takes life with a pretty laid back approach. I know when he’s frustrated, he still finds ways to find that glass-half-full kind of mindset, he brings guys up around him, and he’s just a goofy, unique individual.”

Emilio was named as the league’s best shortstop, earning First Team All-A.B.L. honors entering the final stretch of the regular season. As the Alaska season winds down into the playoffs with the Miners leading the standings, the Arizona-native has begun looking towards the future back home.

Emilio said his main goal is to, “Just find a way to improve my life and everyone else’s.”

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.