Iván 'Pudge' Rodríguez Catchers Clinic at Youth Academy; Academy athletes win Gold at NTIS Champions Cup; Five athletes to participate in Softball Breakthrough Series; Braylon Hubbard ceremonial first pitch

Iván 'Pudge' Rodríguez Catchers Clinic at Texas Rangers Youth Academy

On Monday, Aug. 15, Texas Rangers alumni and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez held a free one-hour clinic for Texas Rangers Youth Academy baseball and softball catchers.

The 13-time Gold Glove winner instructed athletes on how to improve their game behind the plate and even gave Rangers Youth Academy coaches some pointers for coaching future catchers.

Rodríguez worked one-on-one with each participant in various aspects, including framing pitches, quickness behind the plate, throwing out runners and off-field lessons that helped him during his 21-year playing career.

Academy Athletes win Gold at National Team Identification Series Champions Cup

USA Baseball kicked off its National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup tournament last weekend at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

Two Rangers Youth Academy athletes, Trace Spann and Jackson Morris, were invited to compete on the South Stripes team in the 16U division after being identified as top performers in two rounds of NTIS tryouts earlier this year.

Around 200 top ball players from across the U.S. were invited to participate in the 16U tournament. Two South Region teams, the South Stars and South Stripes, consisted of 22 of the best athletes from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, including second baseman Spann and catcher Morris.

After advancing through the NTIS Champions Cup to the championship game, the South Stripes defeated the Northeast Stars, 8-2 to claim the first-ever gold medal for the South Region at the 16U level.

Following the conclusion of the NTIS Champions Cup, the top 12 athletes from each age group will earn an invitation to next summer’s National Team Development Program to receive elite instruction from members of the professional and collegiate baseball community and get the chance to be identified for a future USA Baseball National Team.

Watch USA Baseball highlights from the 16U NTIS Gold Medal Game featuring Spann and Morris here.

Five academy athletes to participate in Softball Breakthrough Series

Next Thursday, Aug. 25, five Texas Rangers Youth Academy softball players will travel to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City to participate in the MLB Develops Softball Breakthrough Series.

Ana Gonzalez, Olivia Veiza, Jazmin Garcia, Miranda Castaneda and Gio Frias are among the 60 athletes selected to participate in the invitation-only event.

Hosted by MLB Develops and USA Softball, the four-day Softball Breakthrough Series is designed to promote softball as a viable collegiate option for youth from underrepresented and underserved communities. Participating athletes will work with U.S. Olympians, former National Team members and coaches on and off the field.

This year’s five Rangers Academy athletes selected to participate in the Softball Breakthrough Series will return to DFW on Aug. 28, having developed their game through elite-level training, seminars and scrimmages.

Braylon Hubbard ceremonial first pitch

Texas Rangers Youth Academy athlete and 2022 Jr. Home Run Derby National Champion Braylon Hubbard tossed the ceremonial first pitch before the Rangers-A’s game on Monday, Aug. 15.