A young woman who wants to run free clinics for girls and people of Polynesian descent, a baseball player who designs clothes, a softball player who wants to become an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, and more are among the latest to join the Seattle Mariners Hometown Nine.

The Hometown Nine is a five-year fellowship program that prepares student-athletes from marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities to achieve athletic and academic success. The program is part of the Mariners and Mariners Care continued commitment to ensuring youth have access to the benefits of organized sports by addressing the barriers frequently faced by youth from underserved communities that could prohibit them from participating.  According to a 2019 study* youth from underserved communities are nearly two times less likely to play organized sports for several reasons, including access to fields, funding, lack of transportation, and limited availability of programs and trained coaches.

This year, the Mariners accepted nine incoming eighth graders to the program. The new cohort was surprised with the news following the Mariners game against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, August 25. Players came out to help surprise the new cohort including Andrés Muñoz and Bryan Woo. Mariners Hall of Fame member and Special Assistant for Player Development, Alvin Davis, is also a part of the committee that helps select the cohort. Since inception, the program has attracted generous support from Nike, Key Bank and from former Mariner Randy Winn's Madea Charitable Fund.

As the students progress in their academic and sports careers, events, mentorship, and training provided by the Mariners will be tailored to their academic development, including college prep assistance. Hometown Nine members will remain in the program through high school, and each year the Mariners will add nine more in-coming eighth graders from King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to the cohort until a full cohort of 45 Fellows from 8th grade – 12th grade are in the program. A new class of rising 8th graders will then be added each year as another class of Fellows graduates.

The Hometown Nine Class of 2028:

• Miles Andy, 13, Auburn, Steel Lake Little League

• Anthony “Xavier”-Louis Austin, 13, Seattle, Baseball Beyond Borders

• Kennedy Fane, 13, Lynwood, Absolute Blast

• Ella Howard, 13, Seattle, Seattle Fastpitch Club Lightning 12u

• Kalani Laasko, 13, Seattle, Baseball Beyond Borders

• Gael Mendoza, 13, Kent, Prospect U

• Nehemiah Pennington, 13, Seattle, Sting 13U

• Ezekiel “Eze” Tep, 13, Seattle, Baseball Beyond Borders

• Jenesis Tuivaiave, 13, Puyallup, Avengers 14U

Miles Andy plays for the Steel Lake Little League in Auburn. He is the oldest of six siblings and his parents say, “He is an extremely hardworking child, and has done such a great job setting a good example for his five younger siblings.” Miles wants to play college baseball and travel in the future. He likes to compete and tries to make friends whenever he can.

Anthony “Xavier”-Louis Austin plays for Baseball Beyond Borders and volunteers with Gifts of Hope, a nonprofit who aims to empower and assist people in underprivileged communities. He has been passionate about baseball since he was three years old. One of the exciting things about joining the Hometown Nine for Xavier and his family is that he will not only expand his skills and baseball IQ but will grow more life skills.

Kennedy Fane attends Alderwood Middle School, where she plays for the school softball team and is a stage manager in the drama club. She also plays softball for Absolute Blast Fastpitch and hopes to play at the collegiate level for UCLA or LSU. Kennedy’s parents share, “When someone is down, Kennedy will be the first person to make sure they are okay and help lift them up. You will rarely see Kennedy without a huge smile on her face.” In the future, she wants to be an ASL interpreter to help people communicate despite barriers.

Ella Howard plays for the Seattle Fastpitch Club Lightning and her parents say, “The field is her sanctuary.” She was one of the last two girls playing baseball in Rainier District Little League before making the switch to softball two years ago. Now, she loves the sport and has been an All-Star for Seattle Central Little League. In addition to softball, she plays volleyball and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Kalani Laasko plays for the Baseball Beyond Borders Kings and has a goal of playing collegiate baseball after graduating high school. He maintains that he is a student before an athlete and has received his school’s Outstanding Scholar-Athlete award for maintaining a high academic standard while participating in the school’s athletic program.

Gael Mendoza is a multi-sport athlete who plays baseball for Prospect U. Besides baseball, Gael is also on his school’s cross-country team, the yearbook committee, and is involved in a school mentorship program. His family emphasizes hard work, discipline, and self-determination.

Nehemiah Pennington grew up playing baseball in the back yard of his family’s home with his older siblings. He enjoys playing sports in all different seasons, including ultimate frisbee, skateboarding, basketball, and more. According to his parents, Nehemiah “loved coming to Mariner youth baseball camps in the summer while he was at the Boys and Girls club.”

Ezekiel “Eze” Tep designs clothes, draws, and paints in addition to being interested in math and science. He hopes to play professional baseball after attending a historically black college or university. His parents and peers admire Ezekiel’s resiliency and ability to adapt. Eze says something unique to him is he “can help others when they are struggling, and I am a good listener.”

Jenesis Tuivaiave is the oldest of five siblings and is proud of her Polynesian heritage. Jenesis is passionate about softball and says it feels like home. She is hoping to one day run free clinics in the Pacific Northwest for girls and other Polynesian people. “I see so many girls with a hunger to play, but not enough natural talent or skill development that meet the standard of travel team coaches, which is unfair to the girls who are willing and ready to put in the work.” Off the field, she hopes to become an optometrist.

For more information about the Mariners Care Foundation, Hometown Nine and other Mariners community programs, visit Mariners.com/Community.