MEET DANNY AND SARA ESPINOSA
It’s all about HOME RUNS, HIGH FIVES & FAMILY for the Espinosas!
Danny and Sara Espinosa are living their dream here in Orange Park Acres. Danny coaches baseball full-time and runs the OC CRUSH travel baseball organization. Sara works in sales and acquisitions for a private jet company. Sara grew up in Orange attending La Veta, Santiago and El Modena. Being an only child, Sara was raised by her mother and grandparents. She graduated in 2002 and went to Santiago Canyon College while she worked in Sales and Marketing, in trade shows and fleet software. She then began working in a private jet charter company out of John Wayne Airport. She bought her first home in Tustin in 2012 where she lived for 6 months until she met Danny. Sara claims, “I was smitten by Danny so much, that I moved with him to DC while he played for the Washington Nationals, to support him while he was living out his dream. The rest was history and 12 years later, I went back to work in private jet sales, where I still get to work from home and live the jet-set lifestyle.”
Together, they are now raising their two sons, Ty and Levi. Danny and Sara had always been interested in living in Orange Park Acres. During the pandemic they decided to make the move official with the purchase of a fixer-upper and transformed the property into a beautiful equestrian estate. The Espinosas are very happy to have settled here and love making new friends within the community. They enjoy having lots of room for their kids to play and the ability to go horseback riding on the horse trails right out of their own backyard.
Danny’s life long passion is baseball. Growing up in Santa Ana, Danny recalls admiring baseball players and cowboys from a young age. He played as part of the original OC CRUSH coached by his father. His childhood dream was to make it to the major leagues and own a cattle ranch someday! “The people who inspired me were my parents, because they were people I always looked up to. Omar Vizquel was my favorite baseball player. I loved how he played the game. I really enjoyed watching defense and he was the guy that did
it the best,” said Danny. He credits baseball for teaching him numerous valuable lessons in life. He explained, “In baseball there is constant struggle, nothing comes easy, and every ball player goes through the highs and lows along their journey. What really helped me to thrive in baseball was the constant “want” to be better and to be the best on the field. I always knew I had to put in a great deal of work, commitment and dedication in order to get better. I always pushed myself to get better every day. My parents instilled that work ethic in me. I never wanted to let my family or myself down.” Through hard work and humbling himself to be teachable, Danny played ball in high school at Mater Dei and then played on a scholarship at Long Beach State. His dream was achieved when he was drafted in 2008 by the Washington Nationals and also played for the Los Angeles ANGELS. He spent time with the Los Angeles ANGELS before joining the Mexican Baseball league where he represented the Mexican National team in the 2020 Olympics. His favoriteposition was shortstop. Now retired, Danny credits his baseball success to his parents and his wife who have supported and again inspired him along the way. Danny’s baseball journey has come full circle with the resurgence of the OC CRUSH team of his childhood, and like his father, he is coaching his own sons. Danny is passionate about helping young players develop, prosper and succeed. He’s also very excited to grow this talented program.
On a personal note, I met theEspinosa family three years ago when they moved here to Orange Park Acres. Little did we know then, our paths would soon cross again when our son Bryce was selected to play on one of the most successful 10 year old travel baseball teams, the OC CRUSH! This is an opportunity Bryce cherishes deeply. And little did they know, the health condition of this talented young boy.
When my son Bryce was a baby he had regular febrile seizures. As a new mom, it was the scariest thing I had ever experienced. As he grew up the seizures went away. Then a couple years ago, although he was an incredible athlete, charismatic, gifted, funny and always the life of our life group, Bryce started having seizures and was diagnosed with Epilepsy. In and out of CHOC hospital too many times left this mommy (scared) yet grateful that he was for the most part a healthy young boy.
With a great team behind him, Bryce is thriving. My husband Bryan coaches with his baseball team alongside Danny, Brent, Dan and Ryan. All of these coaches have been pillars of strength and inspiration in Bryce’s athletic journey. I thank these coaches and Danny Espinosa for not only teaching Bryce the skills of the game but also instilling the values of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. Their mentorship has shaped him into a better athlete and a better person. He has become one of the most humble team members on this amazing team of young athletes, and I am one forever grateful Mom to Danny and Sara! I’m also beyond thankful for the loving families and individuals whom we are surrounded by.For more about Epilepsy see www.Epilepsy.com: (https://www.epilepsy.com/volunteer/spreading-awareness/national-epilepsy-awareness-month)
The OC Crush is a year round travel baseball organization with various age groups and an impressive line up of coaches. The Crush has a singular goal of creating highly skilled and respectable young men through the game of baseball. www.OCCrushBaseball.com
(http://www.occrushbaseball.com/)