Texas Rangers Youth Academy back-to-school event

Last night, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosted a back-to-school distribution event in partnership with Comerica Bank and nonprofit Buckner International.

For the first time since 2019, the event was held on the indoor Beltre Field at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy and included participation from the Dallas Police Department, Mercy Street, and Youth Guidance¡¯s Becoming A Man (BAM) and Working On Womanhood (WOW) programs.

The Rangers, with help from Texas Rangers alumni Tanner Scheppers (2012-17), distributed 400 backpacks stuffed with school supplies to high school, middle school and elementary school students in need.

Recipients of the supplies included Youth Academy athletes, families served by the Buckner Family Hope Center at the Rangers Youth Academy and students from surrounding West Dallas neighborhoods.

Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosts successful MLB RBI Southwest Regional Tournament

Last weekend, from July 23-25, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy hosted the MLB RBI Southwest Regional Baseball and Softball Tournament.

Two Rangers RBI teams, softball and 18U baseball, advanced to the championship games Monday, July 25, but ultimately fell short of an RBI World Series bid. This year marked the first time in Rangers Youth Academy history that two Rangers RBI teams advanced to the RBI Southwest Regional Championship Games.

The Rangers RBI softball team advanced to the championship game with a perfect 4-0 record in pool play. On Day 1, the girls topped RBI YA NOLA, 9-4, and RBI Austin, 11-1, and on Day 2 of the tournament beat Astros RBI, 14-7, and Austin RBI, 11-1. The Rangers eventually fell to three-time defending RBI World Series Softball champion Astros RBI, 17-0, in the Southwest Regional Championship Game.

Ximena Zamarron, Hannah Pacheco, Destan Burks, Arianna Ortiz and Iliana Olivares were key contributors to the Rangers' offense.

The 18U senior baseball team also had a strong performance after a 3-0 finish in pool play. Rangers RBI beat NOLA YA RBI, 11-4, Astros RBI, 3-0, and RBI Austin, 6-2, sweeping the competition in pool play. In the Southwest Regional Championship, the team faced Astros RBI and lost, 12-1.

Chris Marcellus, Austin Phillips, Steven Ramos, Luis Cruz and Anthony Winters were all key contributors at the plate.

In 15U junior baseball, the team finished the weekend with a 0-2-1 record. On the opening day of the tournament, Rangers RBI lost to NOLA YA RBI, 4-3, and Astros RBI, 8-2. On their second day of play, after coming back from a nine-run differential, the team tied RBI Austin in their final game of the tournament, 10-10.

Will Carrigan, Jackson Morris, Maddox Johnson, Isaac Casas, Greg Lawrence and Christian Salazar were key offensive contributors on the junior team.

The 2022 RBI Southwest Regional Championship teams¡ª Astros RBI Softball, Astros RBI 18U Senior Baseball and NOLA YA RBI 15U Junior Baseball¡ª will represent the region at the MLB RBI World Series in Vero Beach, Fla., next month.