Academy Notebook: Taylor Hearn pitching workshop; Top moments of 2022

Taylor Hearn pitching workshop

Texas Rangers pitcher Taylor Hearn is hosting a two-day pitching workshop for Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes this week.

On Monday, Dec. 19, Hearn hosted Part 1 of his instructional workshop for 20 of the best Rangers Youth Academy high school pitchers. Part 2 of the clinic will conclude later today, Dec. 21, at the West Dallas Academy.

Hearn started the clinic with classroom instruction Monday to review a series of videos and analyze proper pitching mechanics with the athletes. Part 2 of training will continue tonight, with on-field and weight room work that will round out the lessons learned in the first phase of instruction, like improving velocity, spin, balance and footing.

Top moments of 2022

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy had another year full of victories on and off the field. With so many highlights to note, below are ten of Texas Rangers Youth Academy’s top moments of 2022.

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN (RBI) ALL-STAR:

At the 2022 RBI Southwest Regional Tournament, two Texas Rangers Youth Academy All-Star teams advanced to the championship games. This year marked the first time in Rangers RBI history that the senior baseball team advanced, and the second consecutive year Rangers RBI softball reached the championship.

SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE:

In 2022, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy had a record-setting 31 athletes sign National Letters of Intent to continue their education and play college baseball and softball. Including this year’s class, 79 Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes have signed or committed to playing college ball since the Academy first opened in December 2017.

HUBBARD DINGERS:

Braylon Hubbard became the first Texas Rangers Youth Academy athlete to win the Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals at the 2022 MLB All-Star game in Los Angeles.

Hubbard was named national champion of the 12U baseball division after hitting 13 dingers in Round 1, followed by another 16 in the final round of competition.

MVP, MVP, MVP:

Ana Gonzalez was awarded Most Valuable Player at the MLB Develops Breakthrough Series in Oklahoma City. Among those who unanimously voted to name Gonzalez MVP were softball legends and Breakthrough Series coaches Jennie Finch, Lauren Chamberlain and Amber Flores, who were incredibly impressed by her on-field performance.

As part of her MVP recognition, Gonzalez attended Game 2 of the MLB World Series in Houston, where she was recognized during pre-game ceremonies.

IT’S COLLEGE BASEBALL TIME IN TEXAS:

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosted the first college baseball games played at the West Dallas complex in 2022. The first-of-its-kind match-up saw the Texas Wesleyan Rams face the Sterling College Warriors in a three-game series. Texas Wesleyan took the first game of the series before dropping the last two, finishing 1-2 on the weekend.

TRAILBLAZERS:

Three Texas Rangers Youth Academy baseball players became the first Rangers Academy athletes to attend the invitation-only Girls Baseball Trailblazers series.

Aaliyah Marquez, Daisy Armendariz and Giselle Zamarron traveled to Vero Beach for the one-of-a-kind girls’ baseball tournament and clinic hosted in conjunction with Jackie Robinson Day, where they joined the likes of 100 young women in changing the game of baseball.

SHOW ME THE MONEY:

Four Rangers RBI participants won $50,000 in scholarships this summer for their work on and off the field.

Channing Vernon and Julianna Serrano were each selected to receive $5,000 Rangers RBI Scholarships to put toward their college educations. Additionally, Ian Williams and Kaila Torres were awarded $20,000 in college scholarships through Major League Baseball’s National RBI for RBI Scholarship.

PITCH, HIT, RUN & WIN:

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosted the Pitch, Hit & Run Regional Team Championship in September, where Academy athletes Kayla Clemmons, Luciano Lopez, Julie Gonzalez and Eden Hollingsworth each won their age divisions, taking home the title of 2022 Pitch, Hit & Run Team Champions.

Additionally, Gonzalez became the first Rangers Academy athlete to advance to the Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals held in Houston during the MLB World Series. Gonzalez finished third in the nation for the 12U softball division.

AND THE EMMY GOES TO:

In August, The Texas Rangers and Texas Rangers Youth Academy won a 2022 Lone Star Sports EMMY Award for Best Sports Human Interest Feature for the video “Sometimes a Kid Just Needs a Chance.”

The video feature tells the story of the West Dallas kids who rely on the Academy’s free year-round programming and family-like atmosphere that connects every athlete and coach that takes the field.

BASEBALL IS FOR EVERYONE:

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy traveled to Kansas City in August for the second annual Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Invitational, presented by Comerica Bank. Rangers softball joined the baseball team on the trip for the first time this year.

Athletes received an in-depth tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum from museum president Bob Kendrick, played exhibition games against the Royals Urban Youth Academy and watched the Royals-Padres Saturday night match-up at Kauffman Stadium.