Texas Rangers Youth Academy to send two teams to compete in MLB All-Star Week tournaments

Major League Baseball today announced the Texas Rangers Youth Academy will have two All-Star teams compete in the Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic at MLB All-Star Week in Los Angeles. The All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic tournaments will take place at the Compton Youth Academy beginning Friday, July 15, with Championship games played Monday, July 18.

The Rangers Youth Academy will face All-Star teams from MLB Youth Academies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the Commissioner’s Cup, hoping to beat the nine other teams competing in this year's tournament.

Texas Rangers softball will look to win back-to-back Jennie Finch Classic championships after claiming their first-ever tournament win last September when the Classic was held in Oklahoma City. The 2022 tournament will feature ten teams from MLB Youth Academies and Jennie Finch softball programming across the country.

The Youth Academy has finalized its All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic rosters after tryouts and extensive evaluation during the Rangers RBI summer league and Youth Academy programming. Participants will represent the Texas Rangers Youth Academy on the field and experience exclusive MLB All-Star events, including the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium.

Texas Rangers Youth Academy Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic Rosters:

Rangers 2022 All-Star Commissioner’s Cup Team

• Anderson, Elyjah – 2B
• Ayala, Jacob – P/SS
• Casas, Isaac – C
• Cruz, Luis – 1B/P
• Garcia, Romel – OF/3B
• Lyons, Ajani – 2B
• Machuca, Esteban – P
• Ortiz, Josh – OF
• Rosas, Vicente – C
• Smith, Nikolas – 3B/P
• Spence, Major – P
• Thompkins, Kaleb – P
• Verdin, Ernesto – P
• Walls, Casey – P
• Winters, Anthony – OF

Rangers 2022 All-Star Jennie Finch Classic Team

• Alardin, Caemron – OF
• Caitlyn Carrillo – P/OF
• Castaneda, Miranda – 3B/C
• Garcia, Jazmin – 2B/3B
• Gonzalez, Ana – SS
• Lopez, Erin – 1B
• Okedele, Trenity – OF/1B
• Rios, Angelica – C/3B
• Rodriguez, Brianna – OF/INF
• Summers, Alyssa – 3B/OF
• Thomas, Daila – P
• Veiza, Olivia – 1B
• Vernon, Chandler – OF/C
• Young, Morgan – C

Vikings top Crawdads in Rangers RBI Senior Baseball Championship

The Texas Rangers RBI senior baseball season ended Thursday, June 30, with the Rangers RBI Wood Bat Tournament Championship Game, presented by Nike.

The top two regular-season teams, the Viking and Crawdads, easily advanced through the early rounds of the tournament, making it to the championship game on Johnny Oates Field. An electric seventh inning performance for the Vikings offense pushed them to their 8-2 victory, giving them the title of Rangers RBI champs for the fourth consecutive year.

With two scoreless innings to start the game, the Crawdads were first to score in the third, jumping out to a 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning both teams posted one run, making it a 2-1 game.

Entering the second half of the game, the Vikings shut down the Crawdads, holding them scoreless while posting a run of their own in the 5th inning. The Vikings expanded their 3-2 lead in the final inning, securing their championship title with a five-run seventh.

Jose Robledo was a stand-out player for the Vikings, scoring three of the team’s eight runs.

Seahawks defeat Hickory in high-scoring Rangers RBI Junior Championship Game

On Friday, July 1, the Texas Rangers RBI season officially concluded with the Rangers RBI junior baseball Wood Bat Tournament Championship Game, presented by Nike. The high-scoring affair saw the Seahawks beat Hickory, 13-9, in seven innings.

The Seahawks' offense was unstoppable from the start, posting three runs in the first and six runs in the second inning, giving them an early 9-0 lead. Hickory answered in the third, scoring two runs of their own and tacked on another in the fourth, bringing them within six runs.

The Seahawks added to their lead once again in the fifth but allowed Hickory to respond, giving up three runs, making it an 11-6 game. The Seahawks posted two more runs in the sixth, and despite Hickory’s best efforts to come back in the seventh, they fell short, handing the Seahawks a 13-9 championship victory.

Carson Texada, Jason Gardner and Adrian Rojas were key contributors to the Seahawks' offense. Texada finished the day with three runs and three walks, Gardner was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, and Rojas finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Angelica Rios & Olivia Veiza reflect on Elite Development Invitational

Five Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes were selected to attend the invite-only 2022 softball Elite Development Invitational in Vero Beach from June 16-19. Among those invited to attend were Angelica Rios and Olivia Veiza, who returned to DFW as better ball players.

Established in 2017, the Elite Development Invitational is a Major League Baseball and USA Softball development event that aims to provide instruction, mentorship and access to collegiate softball opportunities for athletes across the country. Athletes have the opportunity to learn from an elite coaching staff, which includes USA Softball Olympians, professional softball players and college coaches.

For Veiza, her invitation to the EDI was the first of her softball career, and she took advantage of every opportunity available. Highlights from her trip included interacting with and learning from former Olympians as well as getting a better understanding of how to read the ball while fielding.

“EDI was an amazing experience not just for softball but in life,” said Vezia. “After coming back from an eye injury and not having my full vision, EDI helped me gain my confidence. I had been struggling to get back on the field, and my experience in Florida helped me so much. I will forever be grateful for this experience.”

Joining Vezia in Vero Beach was fellow Youth Academy athlete Rios, who also made her debut at the softball Elite Development Invitational last month.

“My favorite part of the series was getting to play alongside the best girls from all over the world,” shared Rios. “Everyone was so eager to learn and wanted to better themselves as a player making the environment amazing. Plus, when you have a group of girls who can all play and want to compete, the scrimmages are extremely fun.”

Rios found it inspiring to learn from coaches that had experience playing in college, reaching the Women’s College World Series and even the Olympics, and especially enjoyed learning how each of them first fell in love with the game.

Vezia and Rios will now look to utilize the lessons they learned at the Elite Development Invitational when they compete alongside one another at the Jennie Finch Classic in Los Angeles.