Richelyn Villanueva will compete in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Pitch, Hit and Run National Finals on Monday, July 11, at Chase Field in Phoenix before the MLB Home Run Derby. She is 14 years old, and the daughter of Richard and Toni Villanueva of Winslow.
To win the honor of competing in the national finals, Richelyn won local competition in Winslow and advanced to the regional level of competition at Flagstaff, where she was again the best of her age group. She competed for an Arizona State Championship at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale and again won the event in her age group.
Major League Baseball announced on June 27 that Villanueva was one of the top three winners out of 30 other first place winners from other states and areas. Three boys and three girls will compete for National Championships in their age groups for a total of 12 boys and 12 girls competing at the Chase Field All Star event.
Richelyn will be competing in the 13 and 14-year-old girls’ event representing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Her competition will be Bayly Poor of Union, Ore., representing the Seattle Mariners, and Makenna Grewe of San Diego, Calif., representing the San Diego Padres.
Other Arizona competitors include Lita Vorseth of Mesa. representing the Diamondbacks in the 7 and 8-year-old girls’ competition, and Ryan Novis of Tempe, representing the Diamondbacks in the 13 and 14-year-old boys’ competition.
Richelyn is the granddaughter of Lucille and the late Ted Wilcox of Winslow. Ted was a noted athlete at Winslow High School and later coached at that institution. She is also the sister of the late Amanda Wilcox, a talented softball player in high school and a member of the 2003 Winslow Little League Senior All Star Team that won the Arizona State Championship.
Richelyn Villanueva of Winslow will be a national finalist in the Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run competition on Monday, July 11, at Chase Field in Phoenix.
