SAVIGNNY, FRANCE — Two years ago, Ivan Acuña was stranded inside of a hotel room in Arizona uncertain of his future in baseball and seeing a one-in-a-lifetime dream fade away.
The Catawba Valley Community College baseball alumni was set to compete in the 2020 World Baseball Classic when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down not only the tournament, but daily life itself.
"2020 was definitely kind of odd," Acuña said. "At the end of the year, there was nothing going on. There was no baseball. There were hardly any sports or people going to work. There were only restaurants and supermarkets open."
Safely making his way back to France — where he now resides with his wife — Acuña didn't know if he'd ever have the opportunity again to represent Team France at the World Baseball Classic.
Acuña is eligible to compete for Team France by being a legal resident of the country. Players and coaches can also represent their country if they have a connection to the heritage of that country.
"They asked me at the end of the year if I'd like to try to play for the team. I said absolutely. I'm trying to play baseball as long as I can," Acuña said. "They did all of the paperwork needed for me and my wife to stay here in France and have that eligibility to play for Team France in the World Baseball Classic qualifier."
Even though it is not his birth country, Acuña takes pride in being able to represent any country on a national stage.
"It's definitely neat any time you get to put on a jersey, but especially when you get the opportunity to represent a whole country or whole land," he said. "It's a different feeling. Usually when you play out of college, you play for money as a professional, but once you put a jersey on with the name of a country it has a little heavier sentiment to it."
During his time on Team France, Acuña played under manger Bruce Bochy, who helped lead the San Francisc Giants to three World Series titles. Acuña learned so much from the journeyman skipper.
"It was unbelievable getting to play for him and getting to know the guy," Acuña said of Bochy. "Anyone who gets to know him knows that he is a people person. He is really down to earth. He wants to know you and talk to you on a personal level. I actually got his phone number, and we exchanged messages. I was definitely looking forward to playing meaningful games under his wing. The guy is just unbelievable"
In preparing for the World Baseball Classic qualifiers, Acuña didn't know which position he'd play. He brought first baseman, infielder and outfielder gloves and catcher's mitts, but it wasn't until he had a conversation with Bochy that he knew where he'd be playing officially.
"The first thing that Bruce told me is if I wanted to lead us, you have to be behind the dish," Acuña said. "I was like okay I'm cool with that. Whatever they needed. I was in the role behind the plate in the two games we got to play. It was a cool experience as well."
Acuña and Team France traveled to Regensburg, Germany on Sept. 16-21 to compete in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers.
Team France competed in two games during the qualifier, including against Great Britain and Czech Republic.
Acuña made the most of his first game and first at bat with Team France, launching a ball over the right center field wall on a 2-2 count from Great Britain pitcher McKenzie Mills.
"I look at the video, and I'm rounding second into third and I don't remember doing it," Acuña said of his home run. "I remember giving the bump to the third base coach Steve Smith and then I woke up. Before that I felt like I wasn't there. That was my first game with the French National Team because last time we couldn't play it. That was my first at bat and my first game putting on that jersey."
Although Team France was unable to qualify for the World Baseball Classic, he'll remember the experience for a lifetime.
"It was an unbelievable experience," Acuña said. "It was an amazing time for me and great memories for life."
Acuña believes his time at Catawba Valley Community College helped shape him into not only the baseball player, but the person he is today.
"The CVCC baseball team was always noticed for being good people," Acuña said. "We were always polite. We always opened doors for people. We always sit in the front of the class. We took care of everything we needed to take care of and then played baseball. Being in the program taught me to be a good man and a good person first before anything else."