LEON, Nicaragua – When Nicaragua hits the field at Miami’s loanDepot Park on March 6 to face the Dominican Republic in their opener at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the bulk of the roster will be comprised of players born and raised in Nicaragua.
And while New York Mets outfielder Mark Vientos may be the most prominent American-born player on Nicaragua’s roster, he’ll be sharing the outfield with Chase Dawson, a native of Chesterton, Indiana who played NCAA Division I baseball at Valparaiso before embarking on a professional career with the Schaumburg Flyers of the independent Frontier League in 2021.
He’s since played in Mexico with the Bravos de Leon of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and in Nicaragua with the Leones de Leon, winning a championship this past winter and batting .318 in 192 at-bats. His experience in Nicaragua led to him obtaining citizenship and joining Nicaragua’s national team for the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifier as well as the 2026 WBC.
World Baseball Network caught up with Dawson at Leon’s Estadio Rigoberto Lopez Perez ahead of Nicaragua’s exhibition game against Cuba on Feb. 22, a game that Cuba won 3-1 despite Dawson going 2-for-5 and driving in Nicaragua’s lone run with a single in the top of the ninth. The questions and answers below have been edited for length and clarity.
World Baseball Network: So, Chase, how does a kid from the Chicago area end up playing for Team Nicaragua in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
Chase Dawson: It wasn’t easy. A couple years ago, I came out for the Winter League out here, and I loved it, and I got really close with Sandor Guido, who was the manager at the time for my team in Leon and the national team, and And I heard in some interview that they may try to nationalize me for the Qualifier. And I said, ‘Please, please, please.’ It wasn’t even a question for me. And we got that handled. And I ended up being down here for a good amount of time, so I got my residency, and now I’m here.
WBN: Tell us about the journey, because you started out playing at Valparaiso, which is a Division I school. But it’s not a baseball power, and then you went to independent ball, and then somehow found your way to Leon.
CD: It feels like I played all around the world. I’ve got a couple places more to check off my list. But it’s just a different route. A lot of my buddies played a lot. They’re still playing. And they kind of had that route in the minor leagues for five, six years. My dad and I were talking last night. I kind of like the route I have right now. It’s just being able to see the world and do what I love.
WBN: Being here in Nicaragua, what’s the living situation like for you as a player? And what kind of things have you kind of take it away from the culture here?
CD: The living situation is great. We got a house with a couple of my teammates from Chicago. So they came out, we all live together, and we’re the best friends, and it’s really fun. And the culture, I don’t even know how to explain how much I took away from the culture. It’s probably my favorite thing I’m getting out of being here. Just kind of the love of family, the love of God, and you learn so much. And the culture here, the people are so nice, and I get to learn a lot here.
WBN: What’s it been like playing in this brand new ballpark this past year with the APBN’s Leones de Leon?
CD: This stadium’s awesome. They did a great job. The clubhouse, the field, the surface. I love playing outfield out here because everything’s just so smooth. I like seeing guys come here, and they get to go other places because of it, myself included. Guys grow from this league and it’s awesome.
WBN: There’s kind of a buzz around this team, both in Nicaragua and in the United States, because you’ve got some real major league coaches here. What’s it been like to be able to learn from guys like Dusty Baker, Randall Simon, and Gary Pettis, who have really not just played at the highest level, but coached at the highest level?
CD: I got real excited once I heard the names that we were getting here. I still think I know baseball… I thought I knew baseball, man, but they’re teaching me some things that I get to use, and I wish I had them earlier in my career, but I’m still taking advantage of it. They can write books on the stuff they know about this game. And not only that, I think more importantly, they’re really good at kind of keeping our clubhouse together, the little activities, the practices. They’re interpreting a lot of hard work.
WBN: As kids growing up in the United States, Cuban baseball was always kind of a mystery, right? And now you’re getting to play against a Cuban team. What’s the feeling like as an American going into this series?
CD: t’s awesome. That’s the only word I got for it. It’s it’s a privilege, you know, to play against anyone. I get that question of who we’re playing, who we’re playing. But just to put on the blue, that’s what’s most important for me going into this.
WBN: Following the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Nicaragua had to re-qualify for 2026. Obviously, you don’t want to have to go through that for the next World Baseball Classic, whenever it may be. What is the real goal for the team going into Miami?
CD: I feel like we have a couple goals. It’s to show the world that baseball here is the real deal. We’ve been growing. especially over the past couple years, the last month. We’re going to show the world kind of what this country is made of.
Photo: Nicaragua outfielder Chase Dawson spoke to World Baseball Network before Nicaragua’s game against Cuba at Leon’s Estadio Rigoberto Lopez Perez on Feb. 22. (Photo: Carlos Alfaro/Seleccion Nicaragua)
