Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger is gearing up, along with the rest of his squad, to face the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball’s 2018 World Series. Having dispatched the Milwaukee Brewers in a seven-game National League Championship Series, the Dodgers are ready to make their second consecutive appearance on baseball’s biggest stage.
There’s long been speculation as to whom Bellinger is dating. That question appeared to be answered when Melyssa Perez, a college student at the University of Texas, posted photos with Bellinger following a Dodgers game. However, according to TMZ, the two went on a couple of dates last year and weren’t serious. Judging by their respective social media accounts, it doesn’t look like the two are a couple.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. She’s Originally From Texas
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVx-1_fHpHd/?hl=en&taken-by=melyssaperezzz
Perez’s Facebook page says she’s originally from Friendswood, Texas, and that she attended Friendswood High School.
Friendswood is located in the Houston metropolitan area and had a population of about 35,000 people back in 2010. The city was listed in CNN Money’s “100 of America’s Best Places to Live” list in 2007.
A few notable people from Friendsville include Broadway actress Katie Rose Clarke and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.
2. She Was Spotted at a Few Dodgers Games Last Year
According to TMZ Sports, Bellinger and Perez have been spotted at multiple Dodgers games throughout the season, and he’s even brought her onto the field and into the dugout before and after games.
The TMZ report said Bellinger and Perez “were even seen getting kissy and cuddly after the Dodgers beat the White Sox earlier this week.”
Perez seems to be a baseball fan and attended an Angels and Nationals game in the past.
There had been speculation that Bellinger was dating ex-Bachelor contestant Becca Tilly after an Instagram post together.
However, that rumor appears to have no merit.
3. She Is a Pre-Law Student at the University of Texas
Perez’s social media accounts say she’s a pre-law student at the University of Texas in Austin.
According to the US News and World Report, the law school at the university is ranked No. 14 in the U.S. and costs about $34,000 per year to attend — $50,500 for out-of-state students.
“We do it with the greatest classroom teachers in America, who train our students to think deeply about legal questions and solve sophisticated problems,” the school writes in the “About” section on its website. “And we do it with the finest and most extensive set of clinical programs anyplace, where our students help real clients with real problems under the supervision of world-class clinical instructors.”
Perez’s Facebook page says she currently works at Law Office of Don C. Burns, a place she’s been employed at since June 2016.
4. She Lives in Laguna, California, While Not at School
Perez lives in Laguna Niguel, California for part of the year, according to her Instagram account.
Laguna Niguel is a suburb in Orange County about an hour’s drive from Los Angeles. It’s located in the San Joaquin Hills in the southeast corner of Orange County, close to the Pacific Ocean.
One of the city’s most popular beaches is Laguna Beach, an area that was featured in an MTV reality show called Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.
5. She Volunteers for an Organization That Provides Legal Services to Immigrants
Prior to entering a relationship with Bellinger, Perez appeared to be dating a man named “Colton,” posts to her Twitter and Facebook show.
Perez’s Facebook also says she’s a current volunteer for American Gateways, an organization that provides legal services to low-income immigrants throughout Central Texas.
The organization’s mission is: “To champion the dignity and human rights of refugees and immigrant survivors of persecution, torture, conflict, and human trafficking through exceptional immigration legal services at no or low cost, education, and advocacy.”
Before volunteering for the organization, Perez held an internship for Team Industrial Services, Inc., located in Alvin, Texas. The company describes itself as “the most reliable industrial services company in North America.”