USAA's LIL mvp's

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022 - Four kids eagerly wait for the festivities of the day to begin. USAA and the Padres set up five drills for the kids to partake in, pitching, fielding, base running, batting, and bunting.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: USAA held a training camp at Petco Park for 50 children of military families (aged 8-14). Since 2010, USAA has served as the official military appreciation partner with the San Diego Padres. This is the first event where children got to participate in drills on the field.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: The kids are split up into eight different teams to compete against each other in each drill. At the end of the day, the winning team is awarded a signed game ball.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Padres number 25 Tim Hill gives some pointers during the pitching drill. Three active Padres players attended the event to encourage and teach kids during the drills.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: A young girl sprints on the dirt in right field during the base running drill while coaches cheer her on. David Dearie is a USAA Military Affairs Representative and said, "our hope is for [the kids] to have a long lasting memory of the opportunity that was created between USAA and the Padres".

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Evan George came to the event with his father Jacobe George. His father was thrilled for the opportunity given to his son, "I know these kids are going to look back 10 years from now and be like 'wow, I was on Padres field'". Evan is also a Fernando Tatis fan, that's why his hair is that color.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Edward Galloway was one of the coaches who facilitated a drill, his was bunting. Galloway is a staff member with the Los Angeles Rams and works in youth outreach, "whenever these events take place they're just amazing to see the kids really get together and do what they do and have fun", he stated.

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Steven Wilson smiles after taking a group photo with some of the kids. Earlier in the day, Dearie expressed the significance of events like these in San Diego, "people don't realize that there are over 250,000 military families just in San Diego...to be able to honor military families...it helps build that relationship between the Padres and the military community".

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Kids and parents wave to each other as the event comes to a close. Lifetime event participators like Galloway are excited for USAA's future plans, "it turned out to be a great event and I hope they're going to put on a lot more".

San Diego, California - September 8, 2022: Reiss Knehr signs a ball for a young girl. Since USAA is the military appreciation partner with the Padres more lifetime events like this will come. As Dearie put it, “we’ve always got the juices flowing”.