Imperial Valley’s best compete at Petco Park

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KYMA) - Three of the Imperial Valley’s top high school baseball players had the opportunity to showcase their talents on one of the sport’s biggest local stages Sunday, representing their schools in the Padres High School All-Star Game at Petco Park in San Diego.

The event brought together many of the top players from across the CIF San Diego Section, including Southwest High School’s Jose “Pee-Wee” Salcido, Palo Verde Valley High School’s Wesley Dill and Brawley Union High School’s Ozyel Villanueva.

For Salcido and Villanueva, the all-star game marked their third time taking the field as players at Petco Park. Dill, meanwhile, experienced the home of the Padres for the first time.

Despite their differing levels of familiarity with the venue, all three players described the experience as a memorable milestone in their baseball careers.

“There's so many attributes about the field and being able to get there and the amount of work it took to actually get there, and get to play... I'm very grateful for the opportunity," Dill said.

Salcido echoed those sentiments, recognizing the rarity of the opportunity.

“It was great. I mean, not many have the chance to play there, and it's one of the best ballparks in America, so it's definitely a blessing,” he said.

Villanueva also expressed his appreciation for being selected to participate in the event once again.

“A lot of people aren't able to do this, and for them to give me the opportunity to go there again, is clearly a blessing,” Villanueva said.

The all-star appearance adds another accomplishment to an already significant offseason for the three standouts. Salcido recently committed to continue both his academic and baseball career at San Diego State University, while Villanueva committed to the College of the Desert. Dill is currently touring Division I colleges around the country as he evaluates his options ahead of his senior season.