South Bay students get lifetime chance in designing bats for Manny Machado

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)--Students at Berry Elementary in South Bay started the school year with a big swing — seeing their artwork on Padres superstar Manny Machado’s bat during Sunday’s game against the Dodgers.

“That’s my idol for baseball,” said sixth grader Isaiah Garcia.

“Yeah, he’s one of my favorite players,” Denisse Reyes, a fellow sixth grader, said.

MLB players got to show off their personalities with custom gear during Players Weekend from Aug. 15-17. The students of Berry Elementary watched in awe as Machado went to the dish sporting their designs on his bat.

“It felt incredible, like I just got this amazing feeling that we were gonna win,” Garcia said.

The students agreed there was only one way to describe the experience: “Pretty cool,” Sebastian Johnson, a fourth grader at the school, said.

Several other students agreed that "cool" was the correct terminology for the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Jose Garcia, the parent of Isaiah, said he’s incredibly proud of his son and appreciates the positive role models provided by the Padres.

“Especially somebody like Manny Machado, knowing the name that he carries…his love for education, the community, the schools, I think it’s great for kids to look up to,” Jose said.

Berry Elementary School Principal Joe Prosapio said the year was already off to a great start, but this experience makes it even more special.

“It’s such a big deal to them, you know?" Prosapio said. "And it just brings positivity to a community that could use it."

He explained that many students face challenges outside school, while also being highly influenced by border issues.

“Things have been happening in our world lately that have created a lot of anxiety and created a lot of unknowingness in these communities down in South Bay,” Prosapio said.

Though many of the young students are facing silent struggles the school can’t control, Prosapio said he wants to provide things that make the community better, safer and stronger for the students.

“In this community, they tend to doubt that something good is going on sometimes, Prosapio said. "There was a level of reservedness, like, is this real? Could this possibly happen to me?”

For young Isaiah, it’s a memory he’ll never forget.

“Yeah, every time he goes up, I’m probably going to be like, hey, he used my bat,” Isaiah said.

The designed bats will be auctioned off to benefit the charity Love & Time.