Academy Notebook: Registration open for Jr. Home Run Derby; Buckner International Easter Eggstravaganza; MLB announces details for 2023 Trailblazer Series

Jr. Home Run Derby registration open

Registration for round one of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy Jr. Home Run Derby on Sunday, April 30, is open now at texasrangers.com/academy.

As part of MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby competitions across the U.S., the Texas Rangers Youth Academy will host the first round of local competition for its top baseball and softball sluggers. The baseball division will feature athletes competing in the 14U and 12U categories, while softball will showcase 16U and 14U athletes.

Winners from round one will advance to the second-round regional, with the regional champions moving on to the Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals in Seattle as part of MLB’s All-Star Week.

The April 30 competition in West Dallas will begin at 9 a.m. with 14U baseball, followed by approximate start times for 12U baseball at 10 a.m., 16U softball at 11 a.m. and 14U softball at noon.

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy had four athletes advance to last year’s national finals at Dodger Stadium, including 12U national champion Braylon Hubbard, two-time national finalist Maddox Johnson, along with Alyssa Summers and Giovanca Frias, who competed in the first-ever Jr. Home Run Derby Softball Championship.

Buckner International Easter Eggstravaganza

Nonprofit partner Buckner International, which operates a satellite Family Hope Center in the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, will host its annual Easter Eggstravaganza with Mercy Street on Saturday, April 1.

From 10 a.m. to noon, there will be family games, teen activities, music, food and an egg hunt for children 12 and under.

Those interested in attending the free event are required to pre-register through the Buckner registration page at texasrangers.com/academy. All participants are asked to bring their own Easter baskets.

Major League Baseball invites pair of Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes to 2023 Trailblazer Series

On Monday, March 27, Major League Baseball announced details of its 2023 Trailblazer Series, an annual development opportunity launched in 2017 for female baseball players across North America.

Hosted in conjunction with MLB’s Jackie Robinson Day celebration, events will take place from April 13-16 at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla. Athletes will experience both on and off-field development opportunities through workouts and drills, game play and panel discussions with notable women across baseball.

Among the nearly 100 girls invited to the weekend-long experience are Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes Naya Page and Aaliyah Marquez, who participated in the MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour held at the West Dallas Academy last month.

Marquez, a name mentioned frequently in recent editions of the Academy Notebook, is thrilled to be among the select few elite ballplayers participating in her second Trailblazer Series.

“[Last Year] it was very fun seeing other girls compete, and it was very challenging,” she said. “I’m glad [to return], and I'm going to put in more effort than I did last time. Last time I was more nervous, but this year, I'm used to it, so I'm just going to show out.”

The 11-year-old Marquez has experience playing third base, outfield and, her personal favorite, pitching.

“I chose baseball because it's easier for me to play, and I like striking boys out. I throw a fastball, slider, knuckle curve and changeup,” she said. “I tried softball, but I didn’t really like it. It just wasn't my sport.”

Despite baseball being a male-dominated sport, Marquez dreams of playing in college before making her Major League debut, and MLB’s initiatives to grow the sport for girls will only help her along the way.

Her favorite Major Leaguer as of late is a fellow third baseman and San Diego Padre, Manny Machado. Marquez said she tries to model her style of play after his technique, specifically when fielding ground balls and finishing her swing.

Another role model for Marquez is Brown University’s Olivia Pichardo, who made history as the first woman on an NCAA Division I varsity baseball roster just last year.

There will be no shortage of inspiring women in baseball at next month’s Trailblazer Series, including Alex Hugo and Bianca Smith.

Hugo, a USA Baseball Women’s National Team member, will be a familiar face for Marquez in Vero Beach after working with her during the MLB GRIT event. Smith, who in 2021 became the first Black woman to serve as a Minor League coach for the Boston Red Sox organization, also has ties to the Rangers Youth Academy as a former coach.

When asked about working with Hugo, Smith and the entire All-Star coaching staff for the Trailblazer Series, Marquez said, “It's awesome because I want to be like them when I grow up.”

The path to a Major League field will be no easy feat for Marquez, but at the core of all she does is her determination to work harder than everyone. Paired with her raw talent on the baseball diamond, she is ready to blaze her own trail to history.