BY NATALIE RETALEATO

Gabriel Montenegro is a native of Guatemala City, and recently helped the Guatemala national team win a bronze medal in the 2017 Central America Games in Managua, Nicaragua.

“It felt great to win a medal for Guatemala because it's my home country and it's an honor to represent it playing baseball,” said Montenegro.

Baseball isn’t the most prominent sport in Guatemala. But Montenegro’s dad, a former member of the Guatemalan national team, introduced the sport to both Gabriel and his brother. From there they both grew to love the game.

Last summer, Montenegro played in the Texas Collegiate League where he earned second team All-League honors.  He batted .276 during the regular season with 12 doubles, one triple, and a home run. He racked up 28 RBIs, along with 31 walks and six stolen bases.

Montenegro currently plays for Southern Miss, where he has appeared in 59 games, including 54 starts, and batted .295 with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 38 RBIs. He added a .393 on-base percentage and was able to steal four bases and commit just two errors in 95 fielding chances for a .979 fielding percentage.

This summer, Montenegro is an outfielder for the Waynesboro Generals. Over the last week, Montenegro batted .400 with six runs, 12 hits, and six RBIs.

“You need guys like Gabe on a team to be successful- his IQ is top notch,” said Waynesboro’s general manager Tyler Hoffman. “He has played a lot of baseball in his time and hopefully will get a chance to play professional baseball in his future.”

“I have enjoyed playing for Waynesboro this summer,” said Montenegro in regards to his experience in summer ball. “It's been a great experience getting to know the players, coaches, and people from Waynesboro.”

The Generals currently hold a 13-12 record with a four-game win streak, and are looking to keep improving their record against the Staunton Braves on July 5th.