2022 MLB RBI Southwest Regional Tournament
The Texas Rangers Youth Academy will host the 2022 MLB RBI Southwest Regional Baseball and Softball Tournament from July 23-25. Rangers RBI All-Star teams will face RBI Austin, Astros RBI and NOLA RBI as they compete for the chance to advance to the RBI World Series in Vero Beach next month.
After tryouts and extensive evaluation during the Rangers RBI summer league, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy has finalized its RBI All-Star rosters in each division— 15U Baseball, 18U Baseball and 18U Softball.
Texas Rangers Youth Academy MLB RBI Southwest Regional Tournament Rosters:
Texas Rangers Youth Academy Athletes return from MLB All-Star Week
The Texas Rangers Youth Academy had 32 athletes participate in the All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic tournaments, and the National Jr. Home Run Derby Finals in Los Angeles last weekend.
The Rangers Youth Academy All-Star baseball team finished the Commissioner’s Cup with a 3-1 record, dropping its only game to the eventual champions, the MLB Develops Program in Puerto Rico. The Rangers All-Star softball team finished the Jennie Finch Classic 1-2-1, falling short in their pursuit of back-to-back Jennie Finch Classic championship titles.
In the Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, July 16, Texas Rangers Academy athlete Braylon Hubbard was named national champion of the 12U baseball division after hitting 13 dingers in round one, followed by another 16 in the final round of competition.
Also representing the Rangers Academy in the derby final were Maddox Johnson, Giovanca Frias and Alyssa Summers. Johnson finished seventh in the 14U Baseball division with seven home runs, Summers finished sixth in the 14U Softball competition with two home runs and Frias hit eight balls out of the park in the 16U Softball division, securing a third-place finish.
Before returning to Texas on Tuesday, athletes also attended off-field events like the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game, All-Star Futures Game, Celebrity Softball Game and T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
Academy athletes invited to attend 2022 Hank Aaron Invitational
Four Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes were invited to attend the 2022 Hank Aaron Invitational (HAI) in Vero Beach. Amaad Garrett and Aaron Grant will participate in the program for the Class of 2025-26 during week one of the HAI, and David Hogg III and Aden Howard were selected to represent the Class of 2023-24 during week two.
Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and USA Baseball created this unique amateur development event to serve as a youth-oriented, on-field diversity initiative that aims to get high school-age players to the next level of the game.
Nearly 250 of the best ball players from across the country will participate in five days of elite-level training and competitive games while also receiving a series of presentations on college eligibility and other information necessary for advancement in the collegiate and professional levels of the sport.
Garrett and Grant began training in Florida yesterday, July 21, and will return to DFW on Monday, July 25, the same day Howard and Hogg will arrive at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex for week two of the Hank Aaron Invitational.
Chandler Vernon recaps Her MLB All-Star Week experience
Chandler Vernon played on the 2022 Jennie Finch Classic 17U team for the Texas Rangers Youth Academy in Los Angeles. In the story below, Vernon recaps her time playing in the tournament and the events she experienced as part of MLB All-Star Week.
It was the event that every softball player wants to be a part of— the 7th Annual All-Star Jennie Finch Classic, an annual competitive youth softball tournament that features top teams from Major League Baseball Youth Academies across the nation. I wasn’t able to attend the 2021 Jennie Finch Classic, so being able to be on the 2022 team was extremely sweet.
This year's Classic was held at the Compton Youth Academy in Los Angeles, California. The Compton Academy was the first one created by Major League Baseball. I was super excited to represent the Texas Rangers team and let me tell you, the event did not disappoint.
The flight, accommodations, and all festivities were sponsored by MLB. The energy at opening day/kickoff festivities was high. You could feel the excitement in the air. Though the Classic is only for softball teams, the Commissioner's Cup for baseball was also being held at the Compton Academy, so the Texas Rangers were well represented.
It was truly a grand event, with all the various jerseys, the countless smiles and the incredible tacos that were served for dinner. Marvelous, absolutely marvelous.
Our first game was early Friday, and we had to face off with the Houston Astros. They've made a name for themselves, so we knew we'd have to dig in. It was a great game, but Houston came out on top. Shortly after, we went head-to-head with team New Orleans, and after an extended battle, the game ended in a tie.
Soon after our games, we were whisked off to take in a USA High School All-American baseball game. These were some of the best high school players around.
We had one game on day two, and it was a 9-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds. After we played, we took in more games that included the All-Star Future players and the Celebrity Softball game, which featured Quavo, JoJo Siwa, Coi Leray and many others. I laughed for hours watching that!
In our game on Sunday, the Compton crew was up for the challenge. We hit, we ran, and we stole bases, but Compton took an early lead, and they held it until the end. It was a respectful loss: we were in their house, so I understood their desire to win.
Both Compton and Houston were top performers, so they had to face each other to secure a championship spot. The game ended in a tie, but Compton secured the championship bid based on points.
We hung out at the academy for lunch, attended an awards ceremony, and then it was off to the mall. We had bundt cake and celebrated three of our team members birthday’s, Ana, Jazmin, and Bri.
Monday was championship day, and boy, was it intense. Everyone thought Compton would win, but the Washington Nationals weren't having it. They are the 2022 Jennie Finch Classic Champions, and believe me, they earned it.
After the championship game, we headed to Dodger Stadium for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby. We were all stunned by rookie Julio Rodriguez's performance; he stole the show.
After five days of excitement, it was time to return to Texas. The Jennie Finch Classic was a wrap. The experience was one to remember and will be hard to beat. I met a representative from the Seattle Mariners who wanted to know what would make next year's event better; I assured her that she'd have to dig deep because this year's festivities would be hard to top.