Pop culture icon Andy Warhol once said that everyone in the future would be famous for 15 minutes.
The future arrived flush in the face for Chula Vista’s Maya Matthies at this summer’s posh Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Seattle after she won the 16U Junior home run derby contest.
The 14-year-old who once donned a Chula Vista American Little League all-star jersey finished ahead of the field with 27 total home runs in the event, which preceded this year’s MLB All-Star Game on July 10 at T-Mobile Park. She hit 14 home runs in the preliminary round and clinched the stylish glass trophy with 13 more homers in the finals.
“It was an amazing experience,” Matthies recalled of the whole MLB All-Star Game trip. “We were treated like VIPs at the hotel, were picked up in this hot pink charter bus that said Home Run Derby. We got to meet and talk with Lauren Chamberlain. We went to the celebrity softball game, home run derby, futures game, HSBC game and the Play Ball Park Experience. They also took us to explore the Space Needle, Pike Place Market where I caught a flying fish, a harbor cruise.
“My mom and I even went on our own to check out the University of Washington campus, and walked around and got to see the football and softball fields. Usually when we travel for softball, it’s a ‘business trip’ for a tournament or national championship but this time my dad just kept telling me to have fun, and I was able to do the home run derby the second day, then go explore with all of my new friends. It was the best!
“Coming home has been great. My family is so proud of me and my teachers at my elementary and middle school wanted me to visit them and they had flowers for me and said they were so proud of me, too, for representing Chula Vista. I also got a shout-out from my little league and softball league as well as my travel team.”
Matthies just graduated from Hilltop Middle School and will be entering Mater Dei Catholic High School as a freshman this fall.
One of her life goals is to play Division I college softball. The national exposure should help.
Matthies has played softball since she was 5 years old and baseball since she was 7.
Both sports obviously complement each other.
“Softball is my favorite,” she said. “I like playing with my friends, cheering for them when they get a strikeout, make an awesome play or hit the ball hard. For baseball I like to pitch and play with my brother on the team.”
Matthies said one of the items in her bucket list is to deliver the ceremonial first pitch in a Padres home game to show off how hard she can throw the ball.
Matthies got her start in softball by playing two years at the 8U all-star level for Bonita ValIey Girls Softball Association and one year at the 10U level before moving on to travel ball.
She played on the 2021 CVA all-star team that made it to the semifinals in the California District 42 championship tournament.
During that season she also played travel softball with the Athletics Mercado Bustamante out of Eastvale.
“It worked out because the baseball games were during the week and the softball on the weekend,” she said.
Matthies has dealt with what might seem to some as an unpleasant challenge of being one of the few females playing in a male-dominated baseball world. She hasn’t let it crumble her game one bit.
“I have to show the other kids I can play ball,” she said. “I was on a team once and they were like ‘Oh you’re a girl,” but I got a lot of ground outs and hit the ball. By the end of the game, they were cheering for me and they wanted me to play on their team all the time. I usually play with my younger brother and so I have him to warm up with, talk to and I trust him to put the tag down, catch the ball, or if I pitch, I know he has my back and will make the play.”
She said once she got the jitters out after actually being on the T-Mobile Park field that she knew she would win.
“I was excited and nervous,” she explained.” We were on the actual field where the Mariners play; it would be like standing on the field at Petco Park where Manny, Juan Soto and Tatis all stand and hit from.”
The fence was placed at 150 feet for the softball players.
“I have hit home runs past farther fences, so I felt confident I could do it,” she said. “The only thing was the machine was very unpredictable. But I am used to having to hit from all areas of the box. I don’t usually get a pitch down the middle. We had 25 swings. We could take (with the) three-minute time limit, so we could take a breather if we needed it.”
Matthies was tied with a player from Puerto Rico heading into her last six swings, but still felt confident. “I hit a couple grounders, so I took a step back, took a breath and hit the next one over,” she said of her winning shot.
Matthies said she would do it all again if she has the chance.
“I am going to try and qualify and see if I make it to Texas next year,” she said. “I really hope someone from Chula Vista gets to go and shows them we are some ballers here. I would encourage everyone to go and try out. You never know what’s going to happen; it could be the best thing you ever did and you wouldn’t know if you didn’t try!”
