Texas Rangers Youth Academy to host MLB Jr. Home Run Derby Regional

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy will host the MLB Jr. Home Run Derby Dallas Regional on Sunday, June 26. Winners from first-round local competitions across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana will compete against one another to crown the ultimate slugging champions in each age division.

The top participants in each category, 12U and 14U baseball and 14U and 16U softball, will have the opportunity to advance to the Jr. Home Run Derby Finals at Dodger Stadium during MLB All-Star Week.

Athletes representing the Texas Rangers Youth Academy include Maddox Johnson, Luciano Lopez, Ana Gonzalez and Alyssa Summers.

The baseball regional finals will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the softball regional finals at 12:30 p.m.

Maddox Johnson, the 2021 Dallas Regional champion and MLB Jr. Home Run Derby Finals runner-up, will look to return to the national stage, this time in the 14U age division.

Taylor Hearn Sports Matter Youth ProCamp recap

This recap is written by Texas Rangers Charley Pride Fellow, and Rice University student, Julian Braxton.

On Thursday, Texas Rangers pitcher Taylor Hearn hosted the Sports Matter Youth ProCamp in association with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Held at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, the clinic included over 100 kids from the DFW area. The children ranged in age from 6 to 14, and they were separated into 12 teams based on age and baseball experience. Though the blistering Texas heat awaited them outside, the youth players brimmed with energy and enthusiasm at the prospect of playing with a local baseball hero like Hearn.

For Hearn, the value of spending time in the community with young athletes stretches far beyond the baseball field.

“It means so much,” he said. “I think it’s just a testament to the platform that God gives us, and it’s our job to use it. Being a DFW guy, I want to use it and be able to help these kids out during the season and offseason.”

Participating in the day’s clinic also touched Hearn personally, and he recalled memories of his days as a youth player. “I see myself in every single one of them,” he emphasized, “wanting to learn to get better at baseball and just trying to be good at it.”

Throughout the morning’s events, Hearn spent time with every team, and he thoroughly enjoyed participating in drills with the young campers. He tossed fly balls to kids in both the infield and outfield while stressing the importance of communicating on defense. A few players were so starstruck that they found it difficult to catch some of the balls soaring their way. Hearn could only laugh at such a sight, and he gave further direction in hitting and pitching drills. As one of the pitching drills concluded, he gathered the players around him to give them some advice and encouragement.

“You have to take every drill 100% seriously like you’re in a game,” he said. “This stuff will pay off in the end.” In the outfield, while working on some throwing drills, Hearn boosted the confidence of the campers at the station. “I plan to see all of you throw people out from the outfield in the major leagues one day,” he encouraged.

At the end of the camp, as Hearn gazed at the sea of smiles sitting before him, he applauded the children for their effort throughout the day. “You guys lit a fire under me and reminded me how fun baseball is,” he explained with a grin.

While this was the first camp he had ever held, Hearn made it abundantly clear that it would not be the last.

David Hogg II Reflects on Breakthrough Series Experience

David Hogg II was one of two Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes invited to the 2022 MLB Develops Baseball Breakthrough Series. Hogg, a 2024 Louisiana State University baseball commit, traveled to Vero Beach in early June to participate in the five-day program.

The Breakthrough Series brings together top athletes from the MLB and USA Baseball diversity pipeline for a unique program that focuses on developing players on and off the field. Athletes receive high-level instruction, attend seminars, gain mentorship from coaches and former MLB players, compete in gameplay and showcase their skills in scout evaluations.

“I learned so much from the coaches and other players,” said Hogg. “For me, it was an amazing opportunity to learn from people who have been where I am trying to go. They can show you the way, and they look like me.”

Hogg is no stranger to MLB Develops events after attending the Hank Aaron Invitational twice, playing for two Breakthrough Series teams and receiving an invite to the Dream Series. Attending high-level camps have helped keep his game sharp as he continues to improve season after season.

In the weeks since his return, Hogg has already started implementing techniques learned at the Breakthrough Series, saying he’s tweaked “the overall urgency and aggressiveness in base running and hunting my pitch. I run a 6.49 [60-yard dash], so I want to incorporate that speed into my game more.”

Hogg will continue to showcase the skills he picked up at his most recent Breakthrough Series experience as he sets his sights on the RBI Regional Playoffs in July.

Rangers RBI baseball & softball Playoff schedule