Eli Nunez: “When Times Get Tough, You Don’t Give Up”
Eli Nunez – Arlington Martin High School - Class of 2020 - TCU Commit
When Elijah Nunez speaks about his parents, he calls them his mom and dad with no hesitation. By the way he speaks about them, you can hear the unconditional love and support they provided him throughout his childhood. They instilled in him their values and educated him on how to manage his priorities. They taught him how to fish and hunt and passed down their love of camping in the outdoors. They’ve kept a home full of snacks which, with how active Eli can be, is something he holds dear to his heart. Although he exchanged their preference of 90s R&B in favor of Chris Stapleton and Drake, he still shows that he inherited their rhythm when he teaches friends how to two-step. Most importantly, they’ve taught him to “put family first.”
Yet, what makes Eli different from other people is that his parents are biologically his aunt and uncle. When Eli was two years old, his birth parents were imprisoned and his parents, Quentin and Jennifer Williams, adopted him.
Eli knows he’s one of the lucky ones. He’s a kid blessed to have a roof over his head, food on his table, and a family that loves him. When he’s financially stable enough, he’s hoping to pass on those blessings to those that need the same. But for now, he looks to help wherever he can. He volunteers to aid the homeless every year and looks forward to contributing to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Eli’s childhood wasn’t easy, but his parents managed to give him a life he can be proud of. Jennifer is a mail carrier and Quentin is a ticket broker. Eli, self-admittedly, was a little rough around the edges as a child, but his parents, particularly his mom, kept him in check. “She was the disciplinarian,” Eli admits, “she was the one I didn’t want the school to call.” It wasn’t that Eli was a troublemaker. He just couldn’t stay still. He’s found ways to channel that energy to his benefit, but as an “energetic, hard-headed kid” he definitely made his mom’s life eventful. For Eli, his medium to utilize that energy is sports. That medium quickly became his devotion and his parents were willing to sacrifice their time to fuel that passion.
Yet if he wanted to dedicate time to that passion, school came first. They’ve preached that “there’s 24 hours in a day, 7 hours in a school day, so you have 17 hours for baseball, schoolwork, and anything else.” His parents have also passed on a pretty keen sense of business. He knows that if baseball isn’t the final stop of his career, he’ll be able to support his family. He’s already started planning ahead by enrolling in TCU’s Real Estate Program. For Eli, he’d like to ensure that his “family is set for generations to come,” but in the end, just “wants to be happy.” He knows “money can help, but it will never bring true happiness.”
Of course, with a schedule dedicated primarily to sports and school, he’s had to make some sacrifices. A schedule consisting of class, workout, class, workout, practice, dinner, schoolwork, doesn’t leave much time for a social life. “I’ve never had a relaxing summer,” Eli shares, “I’m always playing and thankfully my friends understood that from the beginning.” As his publicity and recruiting acclaim grew, his closest friends didn’t change that supportive nature and he knows they’ll be with him no matter what happens next.
Among his biggest supporters growing up was his hitting coach and former New York Yankees second baseman Homer Bush, Sr. It’s hard for Eli to even put into words how much he’s helped him evolve and mature. When speaking about that maturity he says, “at 8 or 9, I was a hothead. I was better than average, but I wasn’t a standout. Coach continued to work with me. He became family. I texted him the other day just to tell him how much I appreciated everything he’s done for me.”
Another is Jason Baca, Eli’s coach since he was three years old. As his mentor, Jason always told him that “whatever you start, you finish” and “if you quit now, you’ll quit later.” That advice has come in handy recently, after Eli tore his UCL making a throw from the outfield earlier this season. Still rehabbing after surgery, he knows he’ll “bounce back stronger than ever.”
Along with his relationships with his coaches, baseball has allowed him to connect with his teammates, most notably, his best friend Johnny. Eli remembers the first time they met. It was at the baseball combine for incoming freshman, a month before school started. Eli recalls, “we didn’t know each other and Coach told everyone to go to their positions. We both went to center field. I told him he’s got to move to left and he said the same back to me. I gave in and made the move to leave.” A week later, Coach moved Johnny to left and Eli to center. That’s when Johnny said “well there goes my baseball career.” They’ve been friends ever since.
Eli’s memorable moments with his teammates don’t only extend to positional debates. He recalls a moment two years ago at the Annual Jennifer Tyde Classic. The Martin High Baseball field was flooded and they had a game schedule that afternoon so they all began working on the field to dry it out. He still has images of slipping and sliding across the grass and dirt while laughing with his brothers on the field.
Eli recollects another more recent memory: Game 3 in the first round of the State Baseball Championship. We were down three runs in the bottom of the 7th inning and I hit a game-tying triple to clear the bases,” he says, “we ended up winning the game.” It was a moment where he realized how far he had come and his team was a crucial part of it.
“There’s a difference between listening and hearing.”
Eli, himself, has noticed how much he’s matured over the past four years. It’s that maturity that’s allowed him to handle the increased publicity that comes with his career path. He knows some will send negative energy his way, but he tries to block it out. He knows there’ll be people that one day love him and the next day hate him, but he takes it with a grain of salt. “There’s a difference between listening and hearing,” he’s learned. His main focus is “doing what’s best for him and his family,” and he’ll pray for those who don’t understand that.
His maturity has also transferred onto the field. Two years ago, after getting a bad third strike call, he would’ve “lost it” on an umpire. Now he knows there’s always going to be a call or two where you just don’t agree. He understands that people make mistakes and now possesses the mindset that “he’s human, just like I am. No one is perfect.” Now he may crack a smile or say something, but he’s much more respectful with his approach. That maturity has also helped him cope with his own mistakes. On the field, he now sets those mistakes aside. He knows there’s nothing he can do except shut it out before it causes a trickle-down effect. He applies that same theory off the field, but with the caveat that “you sometimes have the opportunity to make up for that mistake before deciding your next move.”
It wasn’t easy for Eli to choose his next move after high school. His parents told him to “follow his gut.” They understood how much attention he was getting from recruiters, some even contacting him through other family members. “It caught them off guard at first, but they adapted,” he says. They wanted him to find a place that felt right for him and he found that in TCU. When asked what drew Eli to TCU over other colleges and universities, he noted, “being a Christian institution was major because my faith is important to me. Baseball-wise, I’m really close with Cam Brown and Luke Boyers who also committed. But most importantly, it just felt right. I felt at home.” Now he’s looking forward to joining Brown and Boyers in front of thousands of fans in Lupton Stadium.
When asked what people can expect from him in the future, he said “someone who gives his all for what he’s passionate about, wholeheartedly.” If you don’t believe him, ask his girlfriend, Sara, who describes him as a “goofy and outgoing teddy bear who puts his heart into everything.” She was with him before the draft attention and recruiting started. For Eli, that’s significant because she’s stuck with him throughout his journey, a mentality he values above all, a mentality based on the foundation that “when times get tough, you don’t give up.”