Academy Notebook: PLAY BALL WEEKEND begins; Registration open for Pitch, Hit & Run; Hogg & Phillips invited to Breakthrough Series; Rangers Nike RBI baseball & softball standings update

Texas Rangers PLAY BALL WEEKEND underway

PLAY BALL WEEKEND started at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy this morning with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) Legends for Youth Clinic.

Baseballers ages 13-18 had the opportunity to cycle through eight stations focused on various disciplines of the game while learning from former Major Leaguers, including Rangers alumni Tim Crabtree, Bob Malloy, Warren Newson, Justin Ruggiano, Donnie Sadler, Dan Smith and Shawn Tolleson.

Following two hours of offense and defense drills, the program concluded with a Q&A session and autographs.

The Texas Rangers PLAY BALL WEEKEND celebration continues tonight with a Rangers Nike RBI senior baseball showdown between the sixth-place Wildcats and second-place Down East.

Down East is one run shy of leading the division in runs scored through their first six games of the season with 43, partly due to the contributions of 2022 Jr. Home Run Derby National Champion Braylon Hubbard and two-time national finalist Maddox Johnson.

The Wildcats are sitting in the middle of the pack in the divisional standings with a 2-1-2 record as they look to upset Down East with help from standout players Ty Moore and Daniel Miramontes.

The game is free to attend, and first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight, June 9, on Johnny Oates Field.

PLAY BALL WEEKEND will conclude with Sunday’s camp at Globe Life Field. Texas Rangers Youth Academy coaches and former Rangers José Guzmán and Cecil Espy will lead kids 7-13 years old in baseball and softball drills and fun head-to-head competitions.

Registration open for Rangers Pitch, Hit & Run competition

Registration for the first round of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy’s Pitch, Hit & Run youth skills competition is open now at rangers.com/academy.

The three-round challenge will take place at the Youth Academy on Wednesday, June 28, for baseball and softball players ages 7-14. Participants will compete in the 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U divisions, where they’ll be awarded points for their ability to throw strikes, swing for distance and sprint from base to base.

Winners in each age group will advance to the Texas Rangers regional Team Championship at Globe Life Field later this year, with those champions getting an opportunity to compete in the national finals during the MLB World Series.

In 2022, Julie Gonzalez became the first Texas Rangers Youth Academy athlete to advance to Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals, where she finished fourth in the 12U softball division.

David Hogg, Austin Phillips represent Rangers at MLB Develops Breakthrough Series

A pair of Texas’ top high school middle infielders, David Hogg II and Austin Phillips, left for Vero Beach, Fla., earlier this week to attend the 2023 MLB Develops Breakthrough Series.

From June 9-11, around 80 of the best ballplayers from across the country will gather at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex to receive high-level instruction from MLB and USA Baseball coaches and former players, attend off-field seminars, compete in live gameplay and showcase their skills during position-specific drills for scouts and college coaches.

Hogg, an LSU commit and 2023 MLB/USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline invitee, and Phillips, a University of Oklahoma commit, are both returners to the MLB Develops Breakthrough Series and will use this opportunity to fine-tune their skills on both sides of the ball.

Rangers Nike RBI baseball & softball standings and schedule

The Rangers Nike RBI League is one month through the summer 2023 season, and several front runners have emerged after a handful of games. Below are the top three teams in each division through the start of the season and the schedule of games for June 9-16.