Gales, Chavis picked for Native baseball showcase in Atlanta

Jul. 5—ATLANTA — Malachi Gales and Jacob Chavis are used to playing on the high school diamonds of Robeson County.

The field where they'll play July 17 looks just a little different.

Both players were selected for the Native American All-Star Baseball Showcase, a first-time event which will be played at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.

"I'm just proud to be a part of this, and a part of this culture, and what we're going to be able to do for the tribe we're in," Chavis said. "It's going to be a big learning experience going down there. I'm just happy to be a part of it."

Gales, a rising senior at Fairmont, and Chavis, a rising junior at Purnell Swett, are two of the 50 Native American players selected for the event, put on by the Braves and the 7G Foundation.

"I'm going to get down there and play against and play with some more Native Americans," Gales said. "Native Americans aren't really big in baseball like that, they're not really big in the sport and stuff, so it's a good opportunity to get more Native Americans involved in baseball."

The game will provide Native American youth from around the country who aspire to play college and/or professional baseball the opportunity to showcase their skills. Scouts representing the Braves as well as college programs from Tennessee, Georgia State, Savannah State, South Georgia State, Mercer and Emory are expected to be in attendance.

"This first Native American All-Star Baseball Showcase will help create access and exposure for Native American student athletes as they work to build their baseball careers in college and Major League Baseball," Derek Schiller, the Braves president and CEO, said in a press release. "We are looking forward to welcoming these tremendous athletes and providing not only the Major League setting, but also the tools and support they need to succeed."

Gales and Chavis will represent not only Robeson County, but the Lumbee Tribe, at the event.

"It means a lot to me because not a lot of people respect our culture and everything," Chavis said. "Just being able to go there and represent where I'm from and what I've become is going to be a very big opportunity for me."

"It's really meaningful, because we're not nationally recognized and stuff like that, so it's real big," Gales said.

The chance to not only showcase their skills, but to do so at the home of the 2021 World Series champions, makes the opportunity all the more exciting for Gales and Chavis.

"That's going to be a really fun experience; that's a pretty big opportunity," Gales said. "You see it on TV and stuff and it's always 'hey, I want to play there one day' — and I finally get to do it."

The 50 players, which were selected through an application process, will participate in a pro-style workout on Saturday, July 16, which will focus on defensive work, fielding, throwing and catcher pop times; a few players will be selected during the day's batting practice to participate in a home run derby later that afternoon.

The showcase game on Sunday, July 17 will be played between two 25-man teams; former major league players Marquis Grissom, Johnny Estrada, Marvin Freeman and Lou Collier will coach the teams in the game.

Gales hit .431 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and 32 runs scored for Fairmont this spring and Chavis hit .282 with 11 RBIs and 18 runs for Purnell Swett; both have had strong summers playing for the Pembroke Post 50 junior American Legion team. They each feel prepared for the level of competition they'll see in Atlanta.

"I'm ready; I've been working for this opportunity for a long time and I'm ready to showcase my talents," Chavis said.

"I feel like I've put the work and time in," Gales said. "So I feel like I'll go down there and have a pretty good chance of doing good."

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.