Academy Notebook: Positive Coaching Alliance Scholarship winners; Thanksgiving turkey distribution at the Academy; Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series

Three Academy athletes win Positive Coaching Alliance Scholarships

Three Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes were awarded Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarships for their hard work as senior student-athletes. Rangers RBI softball players Kaila Torres (Sunset High School), Natalia Escalante (Bishop Lynch High School) and Andrea Estrada (W. W. Samuell High School) each won a minimum of $1,000 to put toward their college education.

The Positive Coaching Alliance Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship named 26 winning student-athletes that hailed from the central territory with 107 total winners, awarding more than $125,000 in scholarship funds to the class of 2022.

“Having three softball players from our community selected to receive a scholarship that so many athletes from multiple sports applied for is truly a testament to their hard work and character,” said Juan Leonel Gárciga, director of youth baseball & academy programs. “We hope that their achievement further motivates our younger athletes to pursue these types of programs and scholarship opportunities.”

When applying for the scholarship, Torres, Escalante and Estrada shared how they positively impacted sport on three levels: making themselves, their teammates, and their community better. After high school athletes faced mid-season shutdowns in 2020, their experience during the pandemic created new challenges to overcome.

“Andrea Estrada has been a member of the Rangers Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities softball program for multiple summers, serving as a leader on a relatively young team this past summer,” said Gárciga.

“Kaila has been with the academy since Day 1, participating in all of our programs, both on and off the field. Most recently, she was on the pitching staff of the Jennie Finch Classic Championship team that competed in Oklahoma City.

“And Natalia, who suffered an injury earlier this year, didn’t allow that to keep her from focusing on her goals to continue her education and playing career. She continued to impress in the classroom and, after a strong summer season, was selected for the Jennie Finch Classic 17U team that finished in first place.”

After high school athletes faced mid-season shutdowns in 2020, their experience during the pandemic created new challenges to overcome. The Positive Coaching Alliance scholarship selection committee saw how these girls positively impacted themselves, their teammates and the community while showing their dedication to softball.

Over the years, the Rangers Youth Academy has hosted many Positive Coaching Alliance workshops that have impacted countless athletes, Torres, Escalante and Estrada being a few who took those lessons and truly made a difference.

Thanksgiving Turkey Distribution at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy

On Friday, Nov. 19, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy and nonprofit Buckner International will host the annual Thanksgiving turkey distribution for West Dallas families, with help from Kroger. From 5-6 p.m., the Texas Rangers Youth Academy parking lot, adjacent to Johnny Oates Field, will be transformed into a Thanksgiving drive-thru.

Full-sized turkeys, pie and several Thanksgiving sides like yams, rolls, cranberry sauce and more, will be given to hundreds of preregistered families from the Rangers Youth Academy and Buckner International.

Several Texas Rangers players will be on-site to help volunteers distribute food. Rangers players expected to participate include shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and pitchers Taylor Hearn, John King and Demarcus Evans.

Player participation is subject to change. All families are preregistered, event not open to the public.

Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series

This weekend, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy and Choctaw Stadium will welcome the third annual Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series. The Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series is a groundbreaking amateur development camp for girl baseball players hosted by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball.

The four-day event, which began Thursday, Nov. 11, will see 32 female student-athletes from around the U.S. learn from female MLB & MiLB Coaches, members of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team and former Major Leaguers. Members of the coaching staff include former MLB reliever/closer LaTroy Hawkins, former MLB All-Star outfielder Cliff Floyd, former Texas Rangers Youth Academy coach and current Minor League player development coach for the Boston Red Sox Bianca Smith, Major League assistant strength & conditioning coach of the Miami Marlins Amanda Sartoris and many more.

The girls begin each day at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy participating in position drills, followed by classroom tutoring sessions and discussions about college baseball recruitment and women in coaching. In the afternoon, the girls participate in exhibition games with a major-league feel at Choctaw Stadium.

By the end of this weekend, these 32 ball players will have received elite-level instruction improving their game and redefining what it means to be a girl on the baseball diamond.