Minor League Baseball Names Soñadores de Hillsboro Winner of Copa de la Diversión in 2022

Hillsboro, OR (December 5, 2022) – The award, presented by Nationwide, was announced during the Baseball Winter Meetings Opening Night Reception in San Diego. As a proud partner of Copa de la Diversión, Nationwide surprised the Hops with a $5,000 donation to further amplify initiatives in our community.

The Soñadores launched in 2019 as part of MiLB’s Latinx outreach program, Copa de la Diversión. Soñadores (which translates to “Dreamers”) saw a 20.7% increase in attendance over non-Soñadores games throughout the season. Ivan Hernandez, Hops Community Development Director, has led the Soñadores program since it’s inception. “Estoy muy orgulloso, I am very proud of what we have been able to create with the freedom of creativity I have with the Hops. It has been nothing but dulces sueños, sweet dreams.”

The seven designated Copa games in 2022 featured alternate uniforms, authentic food items and involvement from local Latinx organizations. In 2023, the Soñadores plan on unveiling a new community-centric alebrije (spirit animal) mascot and bobblehead, with a name-the-mascot contest taking place in Hillsboro schools.

The Hops also collaborated with the Latino Business Advisory Council of the Washington County Chamber to host the Latino Cultural Festival in June, bringing more than 9,000 people to the ballpark and included more than one hundred Latino business, featured several Latino artists, a quinceañera fashion show, and futsal tournament on the field. In July, Hillsboro played host to the first-ever Mariachi Festival, drawing more than 3,000 attendees to Ron Tonkin Field in suburban Portland, Oregon.

Additionally, the Soñadores were heavily involved in the local Latino community by:

• Providing more than $14,300 in college scholarships for first-generation Latino college students;

• Developing new relationships and partnerships with several local Latino community organizations;

• Forming partnerships with presenting sponsor, Unitus Community Credit Union and Bustos Media, a local Spanish media outlet

“There are so many great teams that pour their hearts into this program, and winning this award is a testament to our staff and how much pride they have and the effort they put into the Soñadores activation within our community,” said Hillsboro President K.L. Wombacher. “Our staff is very genuine and believes in this program and they care about the community which has led to our success. We also appreciate the generous donation from Nationwide and will put it to good use in our 2023 efforts.”

“All 85 Copa participating teams did a wonderful job connecting with their local Latino fan bases, but the way Hillsboro amplified its commitment, involvement, and engagement within their local community differentiated itself from other great and authentic activations throughout MiLB’s national footprint,” said Kurt Hunzeker, Major League Baseball’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Soñadores and the entire Hillsboro community should be congratulated on a job well done.”