USA Baseball’s National Team Championships has seen its fair share of high-profile athletes and their families make an appearance at the National Training Camp over the years, and this year’s 2024 16U NC Champs are no different.

The San Diego Padres Scout Team entered into the tournament pool with a roster that included starting catcher Codey Gauff. Gauff comes from a long line of athletes in his family, including his older sister, professional tennis player Coco Gauff.

Corey Gauff, their father, has been there for the pair since they started their athletic careers, being credited as Coco’s first tennis coach while also helping Codey along the way with his baseball endeavors.

“It's been good to see them grow up and compete in the sports that they love while also keeping their academics first. I like that they still want to learn and get better everyday,” said Corey.

Corey is proud of the pairs’ athletic accomplishments, but recognizes that the siblings have had different upbringings in regards to their athletic careers. Coco had her mind set on tennis while Codey tested out different sports before deciding that he wanted to pursue baseball.

“Coco chose what she wanted to do very early on. Codey played football for a little bit and some basketball, kind of arriving at baseball a little bit later in life than Coco did with tennis, but they both worked really hard growing up,” said Corey. “They both have unique skill sets in their respective sports. It’s been great to watch them grow.”

With continuous practices, meetings, and games, the life of an athlete can be pretty busy, and for the parents it presents a few challenges. Especially when raising a household with multiple athletes.

“It's tough for us, the parents, sometimes because we’re not at every game for them. Coco is actually playing right now while Codey’s game is going on,” Corey said.

Although being the parent of multiple athletes can take its toll, Corey enjoys every bit of the process, seeing his children grow in life and in each of their sports. He hopes they continue to improve every day inside their sport and outside of it as well.

“The main thing they need to continue to do is focus on their craft while always making sure to keep working hard to get better. They need to understand what they need to improve, and to keep doing the things that they do well,” said Corey. “I want them to really have fun along the way, because they're going to be living their lives longer without sport than they are with it.”