Emmabelle Briones of St. Dominic and Anna Montes of Dominican Academy battle for the ball during the CHSAA state Class A girls soccer championship at Aviator Field on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023.

Shortly after signing with the Washington Nationals as a 16-year-old for $1.5 million, Soto was sent to the team’s Dominican Academy, where learning English no longer felt like a chore but ...