Rangers Youth Academy Notebook: Fall RBI Schedule Announced
Athletes attended open workouts at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, Presented by Toyota, on Monday, preparing for the opening of the fall season of RBI competition.
The Academy’s fall RBI league consists of eight softball teams. Games begin October 5.
Academy Softball Fall RBI Schedule
DATE TIME LOCATION HOME AWAY
10/5 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Jaguars Alliance
10/5 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Cougars Wood Ducks
10/5 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Panthers Sounds
10/5 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Bison Gophers
10/12 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Alliance Cougars
10/12 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Bison Wood Ducks
10/12 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Panthers Jaguars
10/12 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Gophers Sounds
10/19 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Cougars Panthers
10/19 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Wood Ducks Gophers
10/19 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Alliance Sounds
10/19 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Jaguars Bison
10/26 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Gophers Jaguars
10/26 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Panthers Alliance
10/26 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Sounds Wood Ducks
10/26 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Bison Cougars
11/2 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Wood Ducks Panthers
11/2 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Jaguars Cougars
11/2 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Sounds Bison
11/2 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Gophers Alliance
11/9 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Panthers Bison
11/9 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Wood Ducks Alliance
11/9 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Jaguars Sounds
11/9 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Cougars Gophers
11/16 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Wood Ducks Jaguars
11/16 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Alliance Bison
11/16 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field Sounds Cougars
11/16 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field Gophers Panthers
11/19 7:00 PM Josh Hamilton Field Alliance Jaguars
11/19 7:00 PM Kershaw's Challenge Field Wood Ducks Cougars
11/21 7:00 PM Josh Hamilton Field Sounds Panthers
11/21 7:00 PM Kershaw's Challenge Field Gophers Bison
12/7 9:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field TBD TBD
12/7 9:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field TBD TBD
12/7 11:00 AM Josh Hamilton Field TBD TBD
12/7 11:00 AM Kershaw's Challenge Field TBD TBD
12/7 1:00 PM Kershaw's Challenge Field TBD TBD
12/7 1:00 PM Josh Hamilton Field TBD TBD
12/7 3:00 PM Josh Hamilton Field TBD TBD
City of Dallas Parks and Recreation will run and host the fall RBI baseball league, with support from the Academy in providing uniforms for the athletes.
Fall Programming Underway
Fall programming kicked off on Monday and runs through November 21.
Mondays and Wednesdays feature activities for 18U athletes from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays are designed for 12U athletes and also run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The weight room is also available to 18U athletes from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 5:00-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
There will be no programming October 14 through 18 or October 31. Registration is available at https://texasrangersya.leagueapps.com/camps.
12U On the Road
A 12U baseball team is set to represent the Academy in a wood bat tournament at the Rangers Youth Ballpark in Arlington on Saturday, September 21. An Academy 12U squad also competed in the Youth Ballpark’s wood bat tournament in February.
Tournament play is an opportunity for the young athletes to test out the skills they’ve learned participating in the Academy’s training programs in a competitive environment.
Blessings in a Backpack
The Blessings in a Backpack program kicked off on Thursday at the Academy, providing shelf-stable food for 100 young athletes.
More than 95 percent of Academy athletes receive free or reduced cost meals at their schools. With their families facing food shortages, meals may be in short supply on the weekends and when school is not in session. This fall, the athletes and their families can receive food to help them through the weekend following the 6:30-8:30 p.m. training session for 12U athletes at the Academy.
Outfielder Hunter Pence and pitcher Lance Lynn joined The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation to partner with Blessings in a Backpack. The program mobilizes resources to provide food on the weekends to elementary school students who might otherwise go hungry, thanks in part to a grant provided through Major League Baseball Charities and Big League Impact.
Player To Be Named Later…
Academy staff is gearing up to name the 2019 Texas Rangers Youth Academy Athlete of the year. The nominee in chosen based on consistently demonstrating excellence on and off the field and serving as a role model to other Academy athletes.
Participation in Academy programming, RBI play, and education events are all considered by Academy staff in making the decision.
The Youth of the Year will attend Game 4 of the 2019 World Series and represent the Rangers Youth Academy in pre-game ceremonies, in addition to participating in a PLAY BALL clinic in that city.
A winner will be announced in the coming weeks, and more information and video of the athlete will follow.
Taking the Show on the Road
Two Rangers Academy athletes have been named to the MLB Breakthrough Series team that will compete in the 2019 World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) Freshman World Championships in West Palm Beach, Fla. next month.
Austin Phillips (2024, Young Men’s Leadership Academy) and Collin Moore (2024 Rogers Middle School) will represent the Academy on the Breakthrough Series team, which is made up of athletes who distinguished themselves at MLB Breakthrough Series events this summer. Both participated in the re-branded Hank Aaron Invitational in July.
The WWBA Freshman World Championship Tournament is a Perfect Game event featuring over 70 teams competing at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla. from October 11-14. This will mark the seventh year of the tournament, which has seen more than 62 former participants drafted to MLB teams and 1,238 former participants ink college commitments.