At a glance, the Cactus Youth Baseball League may not seem like much. A neighborhood little league organization, just like the one in most towns, this hidden gem located in Maryvale, a neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona, could be easily overlooked. Being at El Oso Park didn’t feel any different than being at any little league game- the crack of the bat, parents cheering, excitement, and cheers from both dugouts. If you’re not from Maryvale and grew up around the game of baseball, it takes you back to your neighborhood baseball field. You went to watch your friends, there were games from 3 to 10, and if you lived close enough to it you could hear the sound of baseball from your living room. It’s not an uncommon occurrence, a little league program forms in a neighborhood, and the community gets their children involved and enjoys it. What separates Cactus Youth Baseball League is what it represents in Maryvale- a neighborhood held together by its strong community bond.

Reese Terrano started the CYBL in 2009 and for the last fourteen years has been the president of the league. The team started with four teams put together by Terrano. I spoke with Terrano on February 22nd, the opening day of the Cactus Youth Baseball League, and he explained the somewhat rocky road that the league had toward success. “We didn’t that many chances in bigger leagues,” explained Terrano. “We were in the mindset of developing our players, and for being that we didn’t get as [many] opportunities against bigger teams.”

“At one point you get tired of that, you know. So we went to another league.” The league the teams joined fell through, so Terrano took matters into his own hands. “I got myself a little informed with the city of Phoenix,” Terrano told me, “I learned how to get permits, enroll insurance, all that.” Terrano took his four teams and started the Cactus Youth Baseball League, which only grew from that point. The four teams competed in a six-week tournament, by the end of which the league had three teams waiting to join. According to Terrano, by the start of the next season, they had fifteen teams in the league. “Long story short, here we are.” The

What Terrano is most proud of is the development of players and the community. Terrano cherishes “All the friendships and relationships that you get to create here.” Terrano told me a story about running into a former player in the league who he said opened his eyes to the impact that Cactus Youth Baseball had on the community. The player greeted him at a wedding, and after not recognizing the grown man, Terrano realized that the player was a former player whose mother was a coach in the league. The player asked, “Terrano, do you realize everything  that you have done with the league?” Terrano asked him what he meant, to which the player responded, “All of this… you know, we’re here thanks to you.” The wedding they were at was between two players of the league. Terrano has every right to be proud of stories such as this, proof of the positive impact the league has had on the people of Maryvale. “Once you see little things like that, that show you what it means to everyone, you’re like, ‘Man, it’s worth it.”

Terrano takes pride in developing great baseball players. There are a few Cactus Youth Baseball alumni working their way up toward the majors, and Terrano loves watching the young ballplayers grow up and develop into elite-level talents. He also takes pride in teaching life lessons and values to the youth. He knows the impact a good coach can have on a young person’s life- coaches can both positively and negatively affect self-worth and worldview. The league knows this and trains coaches to push sportsmanship, teamwork, good character, discipline, and dedication. The molding of a community’s youth isn’t to be taken lightly- these are people’s lives that are being touched. Terrano has taken full advantage of the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many in his community and has set precedent for the positive impact to be felt for generations to come.

Maryvale, a neighborhood that has had its fair share of problems with crime and violence, benefits every day from the work being done by Cactus Youth Baseball, and the sense of community that it provides. Driving through Maryvale, you can see the sense of struggle, the income in the neighborhood is 58% below the national average, while the violent crime rate is 139% above. It may feel foreign to a privileged kid from the suburbs, but the ballpark makes you feel right at home, with the smell of food and the sound of the crack of the bat and cheers from the stands. When the ump yells play ball and the lights go up over the field, El Oso transforms. It’s no longer just a park. It’s an oasis, a place of joy and community, despite the turmoil beyond the park gates.