Hillsboro Hops named Copa champion for 2022

SAN DIEGO -- Minor League Baseball (“MiLB”) announced the Soñadores de Hillsboro were selected as the 2022 winner of MiLB’s season-long event series, Copa de la Diversión™.

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 Hillsboro with a $5,000 donation to further amplify initiatives in its community. As the Official Insurance Partner of Minor League Baseball and Copa de la Diversión since 2020, Nationwide has reinforced its commitment through this new annual donation to the winner.

The cornerstone of MiLB’s Latino fan engagement initiative, Copa de la Diversión (“Copa”) established an innovative new platform authentically connecting MiLB teams with their diverse communities, embracing the culture and values that resonate most with U.S. Latinos nationwide. A total of 85 MiLB teams participated in Copa in 2022 – the largest number of participating teams in the program’s five seasons.

The Soñadores (which translates to “Dreamers”) saw a 20.7% increase in attendance over non-Soñadores games throughout the season. Hillsboro 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 became heavily involved in its 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 Bustos Media, a local Spanish media outlet, and Unitus Community Credit Union.

"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.”

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 schools throughout the Hillsboro area.

“Congratulations to the Soñadores de Hillsboro for demonstrating best-in-class engagement at the ballpark and within the Latino community,” said Jim McCoy, associate vice president of Sports Marketing for Nationwide. “Nationwide is pleased to honor their efforts with a $5,000 donation to further their impact in Hillsboro’s Hispanic community. We look forward to supporting Copa’s continued growth around the league next season.”

“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.”

Copa’s other finalists for the 2022 season included the Mariachis de Nuevo México (Albuquerque Isotopes), Manzanas Luchadoras de Fuerte Wayne (Fort Wayne TinCaps), Round Rock Chupacabras (Round Rock Express), San Jose Churros (San Jose Giants), and Zorros de Somerset (Somerset Patriots).