Academy Notebook: Aden Howard signs with Dallas Baptist University; Texas Rangers Youth Academy to participate in Taylor Hearn Turkey Trot Classic

Aden Howard signs with Dallas Baptist University

Aden Howard, a Hebron High School senior and Texas Rangers Youth Academy athlete, signed his National Letter of Intent last Wednesday, Nov. 9, to play college baseball at Dallas Baptist University.

Howard is excited to play at the collegiate level next year and credits his time at the Youth Academy for preparing him for the next level of play and helping develop his communication and leadership skills on and off the field.

Throughout the college recruiting process, Howard remained patient to ensure DBU Baseball was the right fit on the field, and allowed him to pursue a major in finance.

“I did not start talking to schools until my sophomore year, and even then, it’s still hard to try and navigate how to communicate with coaches and find what fits best,” said Howard. “I decided to play at DBU because of the Christian values, the vast knowledge the coaching staff has and the ability for me to comprehend what they are teaching in a constructive way.”

Joining the roster for one of the top baseball programs in the country, Howard believes he can make a difference as a DBU Patriot with his adaptability and athleticism.

“I am looking forward to developing as a player and growing as a person,” he said. “College will be a big challenge because I will be competing against older guys with more experience than me. Also, the competition will always be tough — there are no days off.”

Continuing his baseball career in the DFW Metroplex also allows the Howard family more opportunities to attend games, which was an important factor to consider in the decision-making process.

Before beginning his collegiate career, Howard will play his senior baseball season at Hebron High School and continue to attend Rangers Youth Academy programming and events to further develop his game.

Texas Rangers Youth Academy to participate in Taylor Hearn Turkey Trot Classic

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy announced the roster of 15 athletes selected to compete in Taylor Hearn’s Turkey Trot Classic youth baseball tournament. The Texas Rangers pitcher will host his first annual youth tournament at the Five Star Complex in The Colony, Texas, on Nov. 19 and 20.

The Turkey Trot Classic was organized after Hearn’s Woodbat Classic, originally scheduled for Oct. 28 and 29, was canceled due to inclement weather. Many of the same teams are expected to compete in this weekend’s tournament, including the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, who again had tournament entry fees underwritten by Hearn.

The two-day tournament will bring together teams across the DFW Metroplex to compete in the 10U, 11U and 13U ages divisions. The Texas Rangers Youth Academy will compete in a pool of eight teams in the 13U division, with hopes to reach the championship game Sunday.

To help prepare the athletes for their upcoming games, Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien dropped by practice yesterday to meet the players and give the team some pre-tournament pointers.

The Texas Rangers 13U team will open tournament play Saturday at 3 p.m., followed by their second game of the day at 6:30 p.m.

Taylor Hearn Turkey Trot Classic Texas Rangers Youth Academy 13U roster:

Mason Berry

Caden Buchanon

Urban Cason

Elijah Gillespie

Braylon Hubbard

Cameron Hardaway

Luciano Lopez

Aaliyah Marquez

Levi McBride

Jahari Page

Simon Portillo

Mark Rojas

Michael Stevenson

Adrian Thomas