Rangers RBI Scholarship winners; Youth Academy leaves for Negro Leagues Museum Invitational; Fall programming?

Rangers RBI Scholarship winners

At the conclusion of each Rangers RBI summer season, two Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes are awarded a Rangers RBI Scholarship, presented by Coca-Cola for their outstanding performance on and off the field.

This year, Channing Vernon and Julianna Serrano were selected to receive $5,000 Rangers RBI Scholarships for their college educations.

Vernon, a Cedar Hill High School graduate and current freshman baseball player at Dillard University, and Serrano, a North Dallas High School graduate now attending the University of Texas at Arlington, have participated in the Rangers RBI league for several years.

Serrano was a dominant pitcher on the mound during her time at the Academy, and even helped her team claim a championship win at the 2019 Mercy Street softball tournament. After five years of attending the Youth Academy, she is transitioning to college, where she hopes to pursue a degree in nursing.

If he isn’t already playing in the big leagues, Vernon plans to study to become an orthopedic physician for a Major League Baseball team. Vernon was honored to receive the scholarship after a great RBI season, which included a roster spot on the Rangers RBI Senior Baseball All-Star team.

“I have had a great experience playing with RBI from day one several years ago,” said Vernon. “Our academy director, Mr. Gárciga, has been encouraging and supportive. I hope to be able to play again or at least volunteer and work with the program.”

Vernon, who is one of several siblings that attends the Rangers Youth Academy, will surely be back and encourages other Rangers RBI athletes to apply for next year’s scholarship opportunity.

Texas Rangers Youth Academy departs for Kansas City

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy departed for Kansas City today to participate in the second annual Negro Leagues Museum Invitational, presented by Comerica Bank.

Athletes and coaches will take an in-depth tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, compete against the Kanas City Royals Urban Youth Academy in baseball and softball exhibition games, and conclude the weekend at Kauffman Stadium for the Royals-Padres Saturday night match-up.

For live updates on the team’s journey this weekend, follow @RangersYA on Twitter and Instagram.

Fall Programming returns September 13

Texas Rangers Youth Academy baseball and softball programming will return this fall for athletes ages 7 to 18. Participants will get the opportunity to learn from the Academy’s hand-selected coaches and learn how to improve their game on and off the field at no cost.

Training will officially return on Tuesday, Sept. 13, for 9U and 12U athletes, and Tuesday, Oct.18, for 18U athletes. Trainees will divide into specialized groups based on age and skill level for hands-on coaching in a variety of areas, including the fundamentals of offense and defense on the diamond.

To register for Texas Rangers Youth Academy fall baseball and softball programming, visit texasrangers.com/academy.