ATLANTA — Edwin Fillspipe wasn’t nervous playing in front of MLB personnel in a 41,000-seat stadium. He was just out there playing the sport he loves — baseball. 

Fillspipe was one of 45 players of Native American descent selected to the second annual Native American All-Star Baseball Showcase on June 24-25 at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The two-day event had representation of over 30 tribal affiliations across regions in the United States and Canada. College and Major League scouts were in attendance.

“It was kind of nerve racking, but baseball is a sport I love,” said Fillspipe, an Oelrichs High School senior-to-be. “So there’s no reason to be nervous playing something I love.” 

Fillspipe, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was one of three South Dakotans at the showcase. Lakota Tech’s Davonte Ross (Oglala Sioux Tribe) and Rapid City Stevens’ Isaac Dike (Aleut/Native Village of Perryville) also represented South Dakota. Ross and Fillspipe are cousins.

The players were invited after sending in highlight clips and filling out a questionnaire with their baseball stats. The event highlighted Native American high school baseball players who aspire to play the game at the next level. 

“It felt honorable going to something like that, it’s all eyes on you and you just have to show out and show people what you’ve got,” Fillspipe said. 

Oelrichs' Edwin Fillspipe stands at Truist Park's home plate with an Oglala Sioux Tribe flag draped over him at the Native American All-Star Baseball Showcase on June 24-25.

In addition to spending more time with his cousin, Fillspipe developed relationships with other Native American players with a common bond through baseball. 

“They were just there to play ball basically and being around them was fun,” Fillspipe said. “Because they’re from different parts of America and they have different accents. It’s really cool because sometimes you know which tribe they are from.” 

The 30 tribal affiliations include players from 13 states, including South Dakota, North Carolina, Colorado, North Dakota, Mississippi, California, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan, Idaho and New York. 

“I would describe it as very memorable,” Fillspipe said. “Because there’s different Natives from different tribes all around the U.S. It was really cool and really fun to watch them play.” 

The event was an opportunity for players to gain exposure while learning new skills in front of Atlanta Braves and college scouts. On the field, players participated in a pro-style workout Saturday that emphasized defensive work, fielding and throwing. On Sunday, players played in a nine-inning showcase game.  

“Personally I feel like I did pretty good,” Fillspipe said about the game. “Because I got walked my first at-bat and I stole second and third and I scored on a base hit.” 

Fillspipe is playing American Legion baseball this summer with Security First Regulators in Nebraska. He plays third base, first base and right field for the Regulators. 

Fillspipe, who hopes to play college baseball, plans to attend more baseball showcases in the future. He also encourages other players with Native American descent to play in the showcase if given the opportunity. 

“If anybody gets the honor to go to this showcase next year, don’t be scared to meet new people,” Fillspipe said. “Because those guys I met, in my opinion, they were the best people to be around because they’re also Native American. Native Americans tend to have a really good sense of humor and just being around them is really fun.”