Caitlin Fowble is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism graduate student assigned to cover Deer Valley High School for AZPreps365.com.

Drawn in by the team community and his passion for the sport, Deer Valley senior Alex Sanchez made the tough decision to walk away from soccer and pursue baseball full-time. Putting his full focus into baseball after his sophomore year, Sanchez is hopeful for the opportunity to continue playing the sport he has grown to love at the next level.

The decision to leave the game he had been playing for more than a decade was not an easy one.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Alex said. “I thought it was just going to be like, ‘Oh I’m done with soccer,’ but that first month it was really difficult.”

Leaving the game of soccer behind also meant that Alex was leaving behind all the relationships he had formed with his former teammates. 

It came as a bit of a shock that Alex was walking away from a sport that came so naturally to him. 

“I’m going to be honest, he was a pretty phenomenal soccer player,” said his mother, Tina Sanchez. “That was easy for him.”

Baseball provided more of a challenge for Alex, but it was the competitive experience with travel ball that drew him to the sport. 

Alex’s junior year with baseball provided a lot of success. In his first season without having to balance soccer, Alex led not only his team, but the 4A West Valley region, with a .538 batting average. He was also selected to the First-Team All-Region at second base. 

“I know there’ll be a college out there,” Deer Valley baseball coach Greg Rice said. “He hasn’t signed officially yet, but I know there’ll be a college out there that will benefit from his athleticism because I really think that he’s a unique athlete.”

Sanchez grew up in a big soccer family with both of his siblings playing the sport, and his father Ramon coaching. Alex’s older brother Angel also played baseball, so naturally Alex followed in his brother’s footsteps. 

“When my brother was playing baseball, I had to be there,” said Alex. “So, I just grew the love for it.”

Despite soccer being his primary sport, Alex’s love for baseball started developing fairly quickly after he was introduced to the sport. 

“Little League would be when he was in sixth or seventh grade, but he was always playing soccer,” Ramon said. “But we knew eventually there was going to be that time when he was going to gravitate to baseball.” 

When Alex began his freshman year at Deer Valley, he decided to stick with both sports. As a freshman playing varsity soccer, Alex led his team with 11 goals and 26 points.

During his sophomore year, Alex had success as well. Twice during the season, he was named Player of the Game, once for his game winning goal against Goldwater. His second time earning the honor came after his three-goal, three-assist game against Peoria. 

Even when Alex had to put his primary focus into soccer for the first half of the school year, his baseball coaches and teammates never shied away from showing him support. 

“There were some soccer games where the baseball players would love to go over to see him,” said Greg Rice, Alex’s baseball coach at Deer Valley. 

“Next thing I look up, and I see the whole baseball team on the sideline watching and cheering me on,” Alex said. “It was a cool experience seeing that they actually wanted to come out and watch me play my other sport and wanted me to succeed.”

Having the support of his coaches and teammates definitely helped him navigate the hectic schedule that came with playing two sports.

Alex credits coach Rice for trusting him in his multi-sport process and relying on him to still practice his baseball skills even if his primary focus needed to be on soccer. 

“I tell kids all the time, if I don’t see them during fall and they’re doing other sports I’m not concerned,” Rice said. “With Alex I never really worried about that because I knew just that hand-eye coordination was going to really benefit him.” 

After playing both sports for his first two years of high school, Alex decided it was time to focus on one sport full-time. 

“It came with a lot of conversations with multiple people,” Alex said. “Not just my family, but coaches and teammates especially. It was a bigger process than I had originally thought.”

Coach Rice is confident that people will see more of his success during his final season as a Skyhawk.

“He’s kind of the engine that is going to drive us,” Rice said. “He can change the game, so I’m excited to see him continue and just feel comfortable.” 

“If I want to keep playing in the future, I have to work so much harder than everyone else and keep practicing,” Alex said. “While they can just do whatever they want, I’m putting in time beyond practice and workouts.”

When Alex is not playing baseball, he is working at his club team’s training facility, the Dirtbag Ranch. 

“I go to my club facility that we have in Scottsdale, and I’m able to workout and hit,” Alex said. “I work there too. It helps me stay active.”

“He eats, drinks, and you know, sleeps baseball. That’s it,” Tina said. “He’s going out for it, and that’s huge in my opinion.”

In 2022, Deer Valley made its first state playoff appearance since moving into 4A. As he moves into his senior year, Alex is looking to lead his team on and off the field. 

His hard work and dedication have contributed greatly to his development as a player, but also as a leader.

“I want to help my team out more beyond the stats,” Alex said. “I want to be like a role model and mentor to my teammates.”