BROTHERLY LOVE: Rising Dallas/Fort Worth multi-sport athlete Grace Michelle Vaca following in footsteps of brother on amateur baseball circuit
Andre Johnson 
CONTINUING A LEGACY
DALLAS — Like brother, like sister.
Grace Michelle Vaca has spent the better portion of her young life shadowing her big brother on the baseball diamond.
For what it’s worth, her keen passion for the sport would greatly intensify in recent years.
So much, in fact, that Grace Michelle has become a fixture for the Legacy Baseball 13-and-under squad, a rising amateur organization that was established in 2018 by her father, Christopher Vaca.
Also, Grace Michelle plays on the 13-and-under Space Force team in the Armed Forces Brawl in honor of her brother.
MORE ON LEGACY BASEBALL: https://www.facebook.com/txlegacybaseball/
“We realized it pretty early,” Stephanie Arrisola, during an interview this week with Making Headline News said, recalling when her daughter had found her fervent niche in baseball. “She grew up at the baseball field watching her brother play. When she could barely walk, she’d wait for the end of games and practices and run the bases. Even at a young age, she showed a natural feeling for the game — the instincts, the competitiveness, and the genuine joy she had anytime she stepped on the field.”
Much to her delight, Grace Michelle hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down on the diamond anytime soon.
A rising multi-sport athlete who has become a catalyst on the amateur softball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, and track and field circuits, Grace Michelle doesn’t shy away from the notion that baseball is the sport in which she’s destined to have the biggest impact — much sooner rather than later.
Never mind that she’s just a tender 13 years of age.
As far as this 4-foot-6, 75-pound Eddie Finley Junior High School student athlete is concerned, she’s already clinging to lofty aspirations of putting her immeasurable baseball mechanics on display at the collegiate level in the coming years.
“I want recruiters to know that I’m a hardworking athlete and student, that I’ll put in the work, and that my size isn’t my story,” Grace Michelle told MHN.
By all accounts, Grace Michelle plays mostly as a utility player for Legacy Baseball, which allows her to play multiple positions, all the while providing her team with crucial flexibility on the field.
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According to her parents, their daughter’s unceasing development is something they’ve come to relish mightily, particularly since she grasped a fond interest in the sport.
“We were proud, but more than anything, we were grateful she had found something she truly loved and was willing to work hard for,” Christopher Vaca said of Grace Michelle. “Seeing her confidence grow made us realize she really had something special.”
Added Arrisola:
“I think about how hard she works, how she handles pressure, and how she’s never asks to be treated differently just because she’s a girl or because she is small. She plays with the boys, and she earns their respect with effort, not excuses. Watching her compete with that kind of mindset makes me incredibly proud.”
Interestingly enough, Grace Michelle senses her biggest strengths as a multi-sport athlete are centered largely on her competitiveness, coupled with how coachable she has become.
“These two things can take you very far as an athlete,” Grace Michelle said. “My biggest weakness as an athlete is how hard I am on myself. To me, it’s not just a game. Another weakness I’m working on is speaking up more. I usually let my effort do the talking, but I’m learning to be more vocal on the field.”
MAKING HER PRESENCE FELT
During the baseball offseason, Grace Michelle’s routine workouts, she said, include engaging in speed and agility drills, improving on hitting, and playing a considerable amount of competitive and pickup basketball games.
“This season was really good,” Grace Michelle said. “I definitely improved throughout the season with offense and defense. I feel more comfortable and confident on the field, in the box, and on the bases. Plus, the game is always fun. I workout daily, whether it’s hitting a bucket of balls or going for a run. Sports aren’t just games. They’re a lifestyle.”
A lifestyle that, for the most part, she appropriately inherited from her beloved sibling years ago.
Like brother, like sister.
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to makingheadlinenews@gmail.com or to memphisgraduate@yahoo.com. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.
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