Valerie Perez, a former Corpus Christi firefighter and manager of The Firefighters baseball team, returned to her hometown for a special Banana Ball weekend that blended the roar of the firehouse with the crack of the bat.
A Homecoming Fueled by Fire
After a decade of service, she stepped away from the engine room to lead the team full‑time, a transition that coincided with the club’s 60‑game schedule and a series of games at Whataburger Field, the very stadium where she once chased softballs as a college player.
The weekend unfolded with three tightly contested games, each decided in the ninth inning or later, and the final match slipped away from the opposition in the last frame, delivering a thrilling finish that left fans on the edge of their seats.
Beyond the diamond, Perez organized a pop‑up camp for local children, a program that sold out within hours after she reached out to nearby little leagues, and she partnered with H‑E‑B to deliver $1,000 worth of groceries to Station 7, the firehouse where her career began.
During a visit to the firehouse, she was presented with a new barbecue pit donated by H‑E‑B, allowing her to take home the old pit built by her brother, a tangible link between her past and present.
Honoring Those Who Held the Line
The ceremonies paid tribute to several members of the department, including former captain Brandon Lott, engineer Mark Solis, and Assistant Chief Jim DeVisser, while a fallen‑firefighter tournament invited Perez to share the field with firefighter II EMT‑P Mike Garcia.
When the announcer called her name for the final time, the crowd erupted, one of the loudest reactions of the night, underscoring the deep connection she still holds with the community.
The weekend concluded with a bittersweet victory, a spectacular diving catch by third baseman Logan Lacey that earned Banana Ball’s play of the year, and a few at‑bats for Perez herself, where she sent a screamer in her first turn and sparked a sprint in her second.
Reflecting on the experience, Perez said the weekend was a perfect opportunity to thank everyone who had supported her journey from the firehouse to the ballpark, and to celebrate the shared stories that bind her past and present.