Academy Notebook: Marcus Semien Summer food distributions; Memorial Day Weekend tournaments recap; More High School district awards
Marcus Semien summer food distributions begin at Texas Rangers Youth Academy
Today the Texas Rangers Youth Academy held the first food distribution for its athletes and their families as part of a new summer donation program courtesy of Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien.
With this new program, baseball and softball summer programming participants will be extended an opportunity to receive boxes of food with fresh produce and non-perishable goods packaged by Food for the Soul.
Semien and his family have attended a handful of Youth Academy events and identified a need to promote nutritious eating habits for athletes training at the Academy throughout the summer months.
Distributions will take place every Friday through Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. – noon in the Youth Academy parking lot adjacent to Oates Field.
Families with children registered for baseball and softball training may pick up items at the conclusion of programming, as outlined in their registration materials. Between 150-200 meals will be distributed to Youth Academy families on any given week, with any remaining food donated to the greater DFW community.
Memorial Day Weekend tournaments recap
Three Texas Rangers Youth Academy teams competed in tournaments last week during Memorial Day Weekend. The Rangers 18U and 15U baseball teams participated in the Five Tool DFW Kick Off, while the 18U softball team competed in the USSSA DFW Memorial Championship.
The Rangers 18U baseball team finished pool play with a 2-2 record, falling short of reaching the elimination round. The 15U team also failed to advance to the elimination round after finishing with a 0-4 record in their competitive pool.
Both rosters featured strong individual performances throughout the weekend from 18U players Christian Maeder-Baldwin, Luis Cruz and Isaac Casas and 15U players Patrick Ellison Jr. and Braylon Hubbard.
On the softball side, the Rangers 18U team finished 3-5 in the DFW Memorial Championship, boasting a trio of impressive wins against some of North Texas’ top travel teams. Key individual performers included Trenity Okedele, Miranda Castaneda, Giovanca Frias and Hailey Zuniga.
High School accolades continue rolling in for Academy athletes
The awards continue to pour in for top-performing Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes who showed out during their 2023 high school seasons.
Now joining the nine academy athletes highlighted in the May 19 Academy Notebook are seven additional talented players recognized for successful seasons on and off the field.
Duncanville High School – District 11-6A
- Vicente Rosas – All-District Second Team
Woodrow Wilson High School – District 11-5A
- John Sanchez – Defensive Player of the Year
- Juan Aranda – Underclassman of the Year
- Fernando Navarrete – All-District Second Team
Naaman Forest High School – District 9-6A
- Mia Quintero – All-District Second Team
Timberview High School – District 8-5A
- Ali Williams – All-District Second Team
Dallas Christian High School – TAPPS Division II District 2
- Trenity Okedele – All-District First Team, District Co-Defensive Player of the Year, All-State Academic Team
Rangers Nike RBI baseball & softball schedule