LAUREL — Pierce Caton is in rare company.
The Laurel Dodgers middle infielder recently returned from a whirlwind weekend, one of only 50 baseball players selected for the Atlanta Braves' Native American All-Star Showcase.
Watch Caton recall his thrilling experience in Atlanta:
“I was the only one from Montana, and I just wanted to show my type of people what we can do,” Caton told MTN Sports upon returning.
Representing the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Caton’s family has lived in Red Lodge for four years after moving from Germany, where he said his father was stationed in the military.
This season, Caton led his high school team — Columbus/Red Lodge/Park City — in runs batted in and slugging percentage, and is currently excelling during another American Legion baseball campaign.
In his second trip to the showcase, Caton held his own.
“I had some great swings, but I got hit twice. I think I scored the first run of the game, and I made a nice tag at second base,” he recalled.
What was it like to step into the batter’s box and jog out onto a Major League Baseball diamond?
“It’s hard. You try to lock in on that moment during your at-bat, but with all the surroundings, you’re just looking at everything. It’s amazing,” he said.
Caton shared photos from the experience, which included catching a Braves game on the first day, participating in mental health coaching on Day 2, and practicing and mingling with former MLB players on Day 3 before starting at shortstop and batting second in Sunday's showcase.
“We played about eight innings on the Braves’ field. It seems bigger, but it’s the same dimensions (as Laurel's),” he said.
Caton, who will be a senior this fall at Red Lodge High School, values the fact that playing at Truist Park in Atlanta is a joy most Native Americans don't experience.
“The lady from the Braves said that for Native Americans, like 0.02% make it to professional baseball,” Caton noted.
It’s a percentage he would love to one day achieve.
