Hector
Crespo, a sophomore on the Appalachian State baseball team, is helping make the
world a better place, one glove and one bat at a time.
Crespo
and his family started “Hector’s Hit And Run” in 2009, providing baseball
equipment for deserving kids in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, kids he
doesn’t know and might never meet, but kids he wants to help.
“It’s
going great,” he told Perfect Game USA.
Hector’s
mother, Karen, is from Puerto Rico, and he got the idea for the charity on a
trip to Puerto Rico with his mother to visit relatives. He saw kids playing
baseball with bare hands or sharing a glove, just to be able to play.
“These
kids love baseball,” he said. “They love the game of baseball.”
Hector,
from Miami, feels fortunate to play college ball. He has all the equipment he
needs, but realizes other people are not as fortunate.
“It’s
real humbling,” he said. “Just realizing how those kids don’t have much, and
being able to do something about it. It feels good to give back.”
Hector
finished his final exams at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., this week and is
back in Miami for the holidays. He’ll host a softball tournament this weekend
in Miami to help raise money and equipment, which means more bats and balls
will be arriving soon in a kid’s hands.
Hector
and his mother sort the equipment, new or used, and his mother makes sure it
ends up in the right place in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They don’t
see the smiles on the kids’ faces, but they know their efforts are greatly
appreciated.
“We
get feedback all the time,” he said. Letters arrive that say, “Thank-you, we
really appreciate it.”
Hector’s
father, Hector Sr., is from Cuba and works as a banker in Miami. His mother
works in the mortgage industry, and Hector is majoring in accounting at
Appalachian State.
Hector,
19, hit .335 as a freshman for Appalachian State last season and was named a
freshman All-American. “Awesome,” he said of his rookie campaign.
“Hector’s
Hit And Run” is pretty awesome, too.
Anyone
wishing to donate equipment can go to Hector’s web site at www.HeckysHitAndRun.weebly.com.