Academy Notebook: Nicholas Garcia, Kobe Villa win RBI for RBI Scholarships; USA Baseball coaches clinic; Daxton Macias, Chandler Vernon awarded inaugural Young Family Scholarships

Nicholas Garcia, Kobe Villa win RBI for RBI Scholarships

Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday that Rangers Nike RBI baseball players Nicholas Garcia and Kobe Villa were among the twelve Nike RBI Athletes selected to receive 2023 “RBI for RBI” Scholarships.

Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (Nike RBI) participants from across the U.S. applied for MLB's annual scholarship program, which provides financial support for college-bound student-athletes based on academics, leadership qualities, school and community, involvement and financial need.

Garcia and Villa, who played for the Stallions and Express, respectively, during their years in the Rangers Nike RBI summer league, will each receive $20,000 scholarships to put toward their pursuit of higher education.

Garcia, an Academy athlete since 2020, graduated from North Mesquite High School this year and will continue playing baseball at the collegiate level for Philander Smith University, a Little Rock, Arkansas-based HBCU.

Since joining the Texas Rangers Youth Academy in 2021, Villa, who will attend Dallas Baptist University this fall, has grown both on and off the field, developing his baseball skills while also being an active community volunteer as a Trinity High School student.

“Nicholas and Kobe have both been a part of the Rangers Youth Academy for years, especially in the summer during the Nike RBI baseball season,” said Juan Leonel Gárciga, Senior Director of Youth Academy & Baseball Development. “Kobe initially competed in the junior division, working hard to earn his way onto a senior team his final two years, where he primarily served as an infielder on the Express and Nicholas was a member of the Stallions pitching staff that was dominant at times throughout the summer.

“Both of these young men will no doubt shine in the classroom and represent the RBI for RBI Scholarship with pride and excellence.”

USA Baseball coaches clinic

Tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 23, USA Baseball will host a free clinic for DFW area coaches at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy.

From 9-11 a.m., Andrew Bartman, USA Baseball’s Director of Coaching Development, will lead the educational program for individuals currently coaching baseball or those who aspire to coach.

The USA Baseball community coaching clinics aim to create a higher standard of coaching education to better serve athletes at every level.

Participants will receive hands-on training focused on the fundamentals of the game, practice planning and team management.

Daxton Macias, Chandler Vernon awarded $20,000 College Scholarships through Young Family program

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Rangers Youth Academy athletes Daxton Macias and Chandler Vernon participated in a pre-game check presentation with Chris Young, Rangers Executive Vice President & General Manager, his wife Liz, who serves on the Rangers Foundation Advisory Board and their three children.

Macias and Vernon were named the inaugural recipients of the $20,000 Young Family Scholarships, which will continue supporting the educational dreams of one baseball and one softball player every year.

"We’re happy to be just a small part of their journey,” said Liz Young. “Chris and I met in college, and education has always been super important to us and our family — we’re instilling it in our children — and we’re just excited to help support two amazing students.”

Macias and Vernon both expressed their sincere gratitude to the Young family and Texas Rangers Youth Academy before Tuesday’s ceremony and will continue to impress as they begin their college careers this fall.