The Texas Rangers today announced the schedule of high school baseball games that will be played at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, Presented by Toyota this season.
After practicing and playing their home games at the Academy in 2018, Pinkston High School will once again call the facility home in 2019. The Vikings will take Oates Field for the first time of the season on Tuesday, February 5, hosting H. Grady Spruce High School at 5:00 p.m.
The facility will also support scheduling for David W. Carter High School, Sunset High School, and other Dallas ISD games. High school baseball season will officially get underway Saturday, February 2, when Carter hosts Justin F. Kimball High School on Oates Field.
Stacey Segal, Assistant Director of Athletics for Dallas ISD, schedules baseball and softball games for the district and said the Academy has been especially vital for this season.
"The year has been particularly challenging due to the number of fields we have lost due to bond improvements. Dallas ISD is currently renovating two of our high school baseball fields with lights and facilities have been hard to come by. Additionally, our three field softball complex went under construction. After moving 111 games, the Rangers Youth Academy has been a wonderful partner," Segal said.
New Pinkston Head Coach Cortez Cole, who saw the Academy from the visitor's dugout as an assistant with North Dallas High School last season, is excited to be part of the Pinkston team defending home field there.
"I'm familiar with it, but it's just surreal for it to be our home field," Cole said. "It's the focal point of the city, so everybody wants to play here. And just for it to be our home field, we get to day after day see it, it's amazing."
The high school baseball season may be just starting for Vikings junior Julian Olivo, but he's hardly been away from the Academy in that time.
Olivo spent the summer playing in the Academy's RBI league and was a member of the All-Star squad that represented the Rangers Youth Academy at the RBI Southwest Regional Tournament in Austin in July.
"My spare time is spent out here. We're able to practice nearly every day," Olivo said. "Not a lot of other teams have opportunities to be able to play on fields like this. So it's an everyday thing, in and out, no matter what day it is, if it's raining, or whatever. We'll be able to practice and play."
Senior Gerardo Vicencio Jr. enjoyed playing on the turf of Oates Field last year. But this year, his thoughts on the start of the season are slightly more subdued.
"It's exciting, but also sad because it's ending. I've enjoyed it so much that now that it's about to end, it feels a little off. But it's still exciting, at the same time," Vicencio said. "Whenever I started off, I had people I looked up to. Now I'm in that position and people look up to me, so I'm excited to work with the young guys and try to help them out and make them get better."
The schedule of baseball games at the Academy is below. Scheduling is subject to change.

Softball Starts Tuesday
The slate of high school softball games at the Academy kicks off Tuesday, January 29, when David W. Carter High School will host O.D. Wyatt High School.
Pinkston High School softball, which will once again call the Academy home in 2019, takes the field at the Academy for the first time this season on Friday, February 1, hosting James Madison High School on Hamilton Field.
The Academy will also support some scheduling for David W. Carter High School and Pinkston Middle School, in addition to hosting the Dallas ISD Middle School Softball Tournament in May.
Below is the current schedule of softball games at the Academy. Scheduling is subject to change.

Camp Time
The Winter Academy Training Session kicked off Monday, January 14, with a record 70 baseball and softball 18U participants in attendance. Through the first two weeks of winter programming, 402 baseball and softball players have participated.
Training is available for baseball and softball players ages 7 through 18 through Thursday, February 28.
Camp for the 18U athletes runs on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
On Tuesday and Thursday nights, training will be available to the 12U athletes, also from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Registration is available at https://texasrangersya.leagueapps.com/camps.