Ethan Chapman’s dream to make it to the Big League level hasn’t happened yet. This past Winter, Ethan signed to play 2017 in the Mexican League (AAA level) with the Vaqueros Union Laguna club where he just began his season last week.
Off the field, he’s a husband and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. His faith is at the center of who he is as a person.
Today is the second of a season-long diary that Ethan is going to share with us as he continues his battle through minor league baseball and his quest to make it to the Big Leagues.
You can read Ethan’s first diary submission here.
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Sunday April 16, 2017 — I am writing this on Easter Sunday. This is the first Easter since my mother passed away last November. She loved Easter. She always made a big deal out of it, just another reason to spoil us and show us her God given ability to sacrifice and give! Even last year my mom and mother in-law put together a surprise Easter egg hunt for us “kids.” The youngest being 22 years old of course. I was honored to be raised by her and the way she treated people, truly impacted me and I will be forever grateful to her.
Ethan at his wedding with mother Gayle Chapman – 12/20/13
This week we are playing away which means leaving my wife behind in an unfamiliar city. Thankfully a pitcher lives next door with his wife and son which means she won’t be completely alone. My wife, Kylie has spent 5 seasons saying goodbye to me. While I have traveled the country in pursuit of my dream, she has stayed in our hometown, working as an full-time registered Nurse in the emergency department to support the minor league baseball lifestyle. Needless to say, she deserved a little time off. So she traveled all the way from Southern California, a layover in Houston, then into Torreón which is in the middle of Mexico, all while trying to manage out 1 year old French bulldog in the airplane cabin.
We knew we both had some big adjustments coming, since we had never spent a season together or played in a foreign country. There are many things people don’t realize that help us as baseball players. At the top of the list is how important our spouses are to making sure we’re prepared for games each night. Kylie takes the pressure off me so I can focus on baseball. I think her favorite job as a baseball wife is keeping our family informed on everything, she is my very own publicist (unpaid ?). It’s truly a blessing to have her with me this year. I don’t know where I would be without her.
One of the cities we played in this week is Campeche, Mexico and it is absolutely beautiful. While we were there I learned about the history, tried some amazing fresh fried fish and won all 6 games we played on the road. Campeche is a little more humid than in Torreon, similar to Florida. I’ll post some picture below so you can see how amazing it is.
The places baseball has taken me and my family are truly a blessing. Who would of thought playing a kids game I would be able to play in 3 different countries, 20 different states, countless small cities and obtain my Mexican citizenship!
Baseball is more than just a game. It brings people together! It’s something to fall in love with, get excited about, show emotion, to play and watch with passion! I’ve gone through streaks of hating the game but it’s never really been about the game itself, it’s more about my mindset or outside influences. The game in itself is pure and perfect!
Hope everyone had a great Easter and an amazing week! Please message me with any other topics or questions you would like answered in next weeks journal! God bless!
Through 16 games for Vaqueros Union Laguna, Ethan is currently batting .308 with 16 hits, 5 stolen bases, and 5 RBI.
You can reach Ethan on twitter @EthanMChapman.
