The good Cornellians can do: Diego Valderrama ’95

Diego Valderrama ’95 never played baseball as a kid and says he’s not an especially good player. Yet, since 2017, he’s coached his son’s team—the San Francisco Little League’s Challenger Baseball Division.

His son joined the league, which is for disabled youth, about ten years ago. After seeing how much his son and other players were enjoying themselves, Diego volunteered as an assistant coach and now serves as head coach for the team, whose members range in age from 8 to 18. Diego says his role is to get the kids excited about the sport.

“The kids are so happy to get a hit or score a run—and to do so in a supportive, loving environment,” he says. “I love it that parents can come to the baseball field and watch their kids smile and have fun playing baseball. The smiles from the parents and the kids tell the story.”

When he’s not coaching baseball, Diego works as an analyst for an asset management company that invests in sovereign debt.

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