Mission girl dominating boys on baseball diamond
MISSION — When Emily Michki walks into her classroom at Wernecke Elementary School in Mission sporting a baseball jersey, the boys know she is not an ordinary girl.
Michki is the only girl playing baseball for the city league San Juan Mets and the elite traveling team, the South Texas Outlawz of the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).
But being the only girl is not what sets her apart from the boys. At 12-year-old, she just might be one of the best youth pitchers in the country.
“I feel proud when people say ‘oh wow, she’s really good,’” Michki said. “It’s funny how (an opposing) coach tells me to pay attention (during a game) and when they see me strike their player out, they come up to me after the game to congratulate me.”
Michki is the only girl from Texas invited to join a U-13 all-girls Dream Team what will compete against 28 other all-male baseball teams at the Michigan Elite Majors NIT Tournament starting June 10.
“It’s a great opportunity for her to excel in baseball at the national level,” her father Keith said. “She hasn’t played on an all-girls team, so we’ll see how she stacks up with other girls.”
She began playing baseball and tee ball at age three. She progressed into little league when kids began to pitch at each other, which is where most girls switch over to softball, but not Emily. She loved the speed of the game.
“She’s doing something that most girls won’t do because (baseball) is a fast and hard sport dominated by boys,” Keith said. “(The girls) are intimidated and Emily is not, I’m proud to see her show she has the same skills (as boys).”
Emily was already known across the Valley and began to receive nationwide accolades after pitching a no-hitter in a 1-0 Outlawz win against the San Juan Wolfpack on April 5. She struck out 14 batters, did not allow an earned run and walked only one in five innings pitched.
But Emily’s big break came when professional baseball player Tiffany Brooks came to try out for the RGV Whitewings.
“We met (Brooks) several months ago and told her Emily pitched a no-hitter,” Keith said. “Tiffany then used some of her contacts to spread the word that an RGV girl might be a good fit for the (Dream) team.”
Like Emily, a lot of the girls from the Dream Team are the only females on their local baseball teams.
One of those girls is 13-year-old knuckleball sensation Chelsea Baker, who just happened to have her baseball jersey in the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside iconic figures such as Babe Ruth.
Baker is someone Emily confides in for advice when she travels to the University of Michigan baseball stadium in Ann Arbor.
“(Baker) told me to expect a bigger deal. I’m used to a smaller field, but the field (in Michigan) is much bigger, but that’s the only thing,” Emily said.
But it was Outlawz coaches Lee Hernandez and Joe Chapa who really molded Emily’s skills on the mound after picking her up from recreational baseball.
“She began pitching a little bit in 2009, we followed her potential and took it from there,” Hernandez said. “When she makes mistakes, she’s so determined to come back and correct them.”
When the tournament concludes, Emily will return to play Summer League for the Outlawz, who competed in the 2009 USSSA World Series in Lake Charles, La.
