Las Cruces High father and son share love of baseball

Gil Padilla has scored immensely for LCHS in the 25 season spent at the school coaching the boys.

However it can be argued that he has developed young student athletes just as important people too.

For the last four years he has also been able to oversee and train his son Ryan at the Bulldawgs team. They stand side by side once more, this weekend, for the last time in the 47th Annual Bob Ogas New Mexico All-Star Baseball Classic at the Field of Dreams, as the Green Team players.

Ryan’s father has been a great motivator to him, he has learned so much from his father both about baseball and in life,” Ryan, who also played second base for the Bulldawgs in the three years that he was in varsity baseball. “I have simply been able to be around him on the field and playing; one day, we were at the junior level, and I hit a homer to end the game which was a special achievement and could only be made special by sharing it with him. ”

What can be even more impressive, Gil continues teaching and coaching at LCHS where he has 393 victories in 25 years. The son of a longtime baseball coach he grew up minutes away in El Paso attending Coronado HS and after playing at New Mexico State from 1987-90 also played second base.

‘’Well this is the relationship Gil had with Ryan” ‘’I’ve coached him since he was in T ball,” Gil revealed. “It was truly a great experience to share my knowledge teaching him all through high school, he has transformed into a leader, a good person The fact that he was assigned number two, he may have the slowest feet but had the fastest hands in the team, I always aim to get through to our kids in every way possible, I don’t even think of wins, for me it’s all about relationships. ”

Ryan will be studying at NMSU and dreams of being the second Padilla to play youth baseball in college.

Asked about exploring the possibility to join New Mexico State, as his father had done earlier, Ryan responded enthusiastically: Here’s what the teammates had to say: “I just wanted to say that I thank God for being in this All-Star Classic and playing for the same team as my dad, I’ve been involved in the Las Cruces High program for as long as I can remember and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, this is our passion and we always give it our all.

The 4-day event of the All-Star Classic concludes at 1 p. m. Saturday conclusion.