Academy Notebook: MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour; Dallas ISD baseball at the Youth Academy; Caleb Richardson reflects on Black History Month Jamboree

MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour

This Saturday, Feb. 11, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy will be the host site for the MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour from 1-5 p.m.

This unique event is designed specifically for young girls ages 12-18 to showcase their skills on the baseball diamond. The combine-style event will give participants the opportunity to work with an elite coaching staff who will evaluate on-field performance and provide feedback.

Texas Rangers Academy athletes registered for the event include baseball players Daisy Armendariz, Aaliyah Marquez and Naya Page.

Among those working with athletes Saturday will be Alex Hugo, a USA Baseball Women’s National Team member and 2022 Home Run Derby X participant, and Elizabeth Benn, director of Major League operations for the New York Mets.

The MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour is making its third stop in Dallas after hosting events in Seattle on Jan. 28 and Philadelphia on Feb. 4. The tour will conclude at its fourth and final stop in Atlanta on March 19.

Top performers from each event will be extended invitations to participate in the MLB Develops Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational and the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series later this year.

Dallas ISD baseball at Texas Rangers Youth Academy

During the 2023 Dallas ISD high school baseball season, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy will again be the home field for select Thomas Jefferson High School varsity baseball games.

Games will begin Friday, Feb. 10, with Thomas Jefferson facing off against Mesquite Hill High School in their season opener at 4:30 p.m. on Oates Field.

The Thomas Jefferson Patriots will play their first four home games at the Youth Academy while they await the completion of their new baseball field, which suffered severe damage after a 2019 tornado.

In years past, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy has also been the home field for Sunset and Pinkston High School baseball and softball teams while they underwent field renovations.

Thomas Jefferson will return to the Youth Academy on Feb. 17 to face Pinkston High School, followed by games March 31 against Hillcrest High School and April 14 against Woodrow Wilson High School. All games will be played at 4:30 p.m., and admission is free.

Caleb Richardson reflects on Black History Month Jamboree

Texas Rangers Youth Academy athlete Caleb Richardson was one of many participants in the 2023 Black History Month Jamboree held at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy last weekend Feb. 4.

The annual event saw 80 kids ages 7-12 participate in a baseball camp hosted by Nike Ambassadors, where athletes worked on their baseball and softball skills and participated in several games.

Following the camp, four Dallas ISD varsity baseball teams competed against one another in pre-season games, officially kicking off the baseball season.

Richardson, a regular participant at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, played in the Black History Month Jamboree this year with his David W. Carter High School baseball team.

“My experience participating in the Black History Month Jamboree was amazing,” he said. “I got an opportunity to get closer to my teammates, playing in our first game of the season and build more of a brotherhood.”

The Cowboys, under the leadership of first-year head coach Kendron Robertson, faced off against the W.H. Adamson Leopards in the front half of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Black History Month Jamboree also marked the 2023 roster’s first time playing alongside one another, but Richardson’s outlook for the season ahead is bright.

“I saw great things from our pitchers,” said Richardson, who saw action at shortstop and catcher. “They were consistently throwing strikes, which will help during the season. Also, the team didn’t give up even though we were behind in runs. We stayed focused and ready.

"Baseball is a game that can turn around at any moment, so we should always keep battling until the end."

Beyond showcasing the exceptional talent of DFW’s young athletes, the Black History Month Jamboree highlighted the next wave of history makers, agents of change and leaders on and off the field, while promoting the growth of Black participation in baseball.

Richardson, who has been playing ball most of his life, is just one of the athletes that will continue to change the game as he advances through his playing career. He has taken inspiration from another influential athlete on the diamond in Texas, Taylor Hearn.

“A player that has influenced me would be Taylor Hearn,” he said. “Since meeting him personally a few years ago, Taylor has always encouraged me and consistently drills into my head that I can do anything I put my mind to. He is available on social media for any questions I have, and although I know hard work is required in baseball, he makes it look easy.”

In addition to regularly hosting camps for Academy athletes like Richardson, Hearn tossed the ceremonial first pitch at the inaugural Black History Month Jamboree in 2021.

Richardson and the Carter Cowboys will next compete against fellow Black History Month Jamboree participants, the South Oak Cliff Bears, in a non-conference game Monday, Feb. 20.