Softball and competition both run in the Rios family.
As the middle of three daughters, Angelica picked up softball around age 4. Even though the oldest, Angelina, is 5 years older, Angelica was soon unofficially joining her older sister¡¯s teams.
¡°They¡¯re all in college now, but when I was younger, I was always so close to them and the coaches that coached her, I got to play and scrimmage with them and go to practices with them,¡± Angelica remembered.
The competitiveness also extends to younger sister, Alina.
¡°Since I¡¯m a catcher, she wants to be a catcher. I give her drills and we practice together. But every time she masters something, she¡¯s like ¡®now we¡¯re going to go against each other,¡¯¡± Angelica explained. ¡°When I would practice with my older sister¡¯s teams, I would be like, ¡®I did it better than her.¡¯¡±
Angelica¡¯s passion for softball made it especially difficult when her freshman season was canceled due to COVID.
¡°My freshman year, I made varsity and I was really excited,¡± Angelica said. ¡°It was really hard (when the season was canceled). For me, every second I have is spent on softball and it¡¯s pretty much my main sport. I do volleyball, but that¡¯s only in school, so when you have no sport and that¡¯s all I do in my free time, it¡¯s pretty weird. And I hate not playing.¡±
Fortunately, Angelica was introduced to the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, presented by Toyota, in time to compete in the summer season of the Academy¡¯s RBI softball league.
Angelica and several of her Grand Prairie High School teammates helped the Gophers win the championship game, a highlight experience of her time at the Academy so far.
¡°The coach said, ¡®I want this to be fun and a good experience,¡¯ but it became so much more than that,¡± Angelica said. ¡°It was heart racing because you had your time where you made simple errors and then when you came back, you made amazing plays. It was really fun. Every time you thought it was the last one, someone had a great hit or made a great play.¡±
Although she¡¯s a sophomore, Angelica is already strategizing the best way to take her love of softball and being a catcher to the college level.
¡°I know a lot of girls that have made it to college, and they say if you don¡¯t get scouted DI, that if you go to a junior college, DI schools will go and scout you there and you¡¯re more likely to get a starting position at DI because you¡¯ve had experience there,¡± Angelica explained.
She¡¯s also using her time at the Academy to work toward her goal of a softball scholarship.
¡°I love the Academy. I feel like college-wise, it gives you a lot more opportunities and exposes you a lot more than anything I¡¯ve been in. That¡¯s why I love it so much. Since I¡¯ve been here, I got to play at Globe Life Field, which was a great experience, and then just being nominated to go to showcases, I love it,¡± Angelica said.
And Angelica has one more chance at a championship before high school softball returns, this time with her Aztecas teammates as they prepare for the Saturday, Dec. 5 championship tournament for the Academy¡¯s fall season of RBI softball.?
Tomorrow¡¯s schedule for the championship tournament is listed below. Scheduling is subject to change, and updates can be found by following the Rangers Youth Academy on social media.
Dallas Parks and Rec hosted the fall season of RBI baseball.