COMPTON, Calif. -- The Atlanta girls softball program has not only been successful on the field, it has succeeded in the classroom as well. Over the past six years, the team has won six RBI World Series championships. Add to that a number of girls who have gone on to college after graduating from RBI, and you have the makings of a strong, well-rounded program.

This year the eight graduating seniors in the Atlanta program are heading to, or have already left for, softball and educational opportunities at the next level.

The four seniors on Atlanta's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series team have their college plans set. Four other seniors who played with the team over the summer weren't able to compete in the tournament because they recently left for college.

Denetia Carter, Latanda Pharr, Antonya Pharr and Alex Williams are the graduating seniors competing for Atlanta in the RBI World Series presented by KPMG, the championship round of Major League Baseball's RBI youth baseball and softball program.

Rayna McClinton, Tiara Parks, Brandi Payne and Rhea Taylor are graduating seniors who played with the Atlanta RBI team this summer, but recently left for college.

All eight of these RBI players will begin playing softball with their colleges this year. Carter will attend South Carolina State University, McClinton will attend the University of Memphis, Parks will attend Mississippi Valley State University, Payne will attend Grambling State University, the Pharr sisters will attend Claflin University, Taylor will attend the University of Missouri and Williams will attend the College of Charleston.

Atlanta RBI coaches Richard Lee and James Roberts beam with pride when they talk about their players going on to college. While training the girls in softball skills is an important part of the RBI program, they say that is secondary to helping the girls get a good education.

"It's good to get all the seniors signed -- that's what we're here for, to get them to school," Roberts said. "Just to work with them, it's real satisfying to see them all get out and be able to go to school, most of them on full scholarships."

The girls can play for RBI after their freshman year of college if they haven't aged out yet. Two Atlanta RBI World Series team members are currently attending colleges: Jada Jeffries is going to Hampton University and Tamara Perkins is going to Tennessee State University.

While most of the RBI softball grads go into other careers after college, some of them stay in softball. Two former Atlanta RBI players from the 2001 class are now coaching softball at colleges.

Jalana Brown is the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Denetia Johnson is the assistant coach at South Carolina State University.

Roberts' daughter, Jamie Roberts, a 2003 RBI grad who went on to Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., is the softball coach at Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Ga.

Lee and Roberts have been with the RBI program since 2001 and they say it's been exciting to watch the girls' development over the years.

"It's been real good to see them advance into college, and I'm happy about it," Lee said. "When they go to college, the others kids see them gradually going to college and then they want to play softball too."

Graduating senior Williams, 18, has played for Lee for years and says she will miss playing with the RBI team.

"I think [Lee] umpired when I was about five, and I started playing with him around 12," Williams said. "But I'd known him in the park and he would help out with my team from five and on.

"It's been really fun, I never had to worry about trying to meeting a new coach and worrying about what their style was," she said. "It's really comforting to come back to the same coaches. Coach Lee is a really great coach, so I like playing for him."

Williams said she will be a recruited walk-on for the softball team at College of Charleston this year. She said she's looking forward to playing at the college level.

"It feels great," she said. "It's Division I, which is one of the divisions I've always wanted to play in in the NCAA, so I'm really excited to be playing for them."

She said it was her goal to play in college and she's happy that it's becoming a reality.

"I really hoped it would happen and I really worked hard to make it happen," she said. "There were other scholarships, but any college search it's all about the school that you like, so it was a school that I really liked."

Williams said she will be majoring in the business branch of hospitality and tourism management. She also will be looking into playing softball professionally after college.

"I plan to research some of the pro teams, see if they have tryouts, and try out for one," she said.

Williams is the second baseman for the Atlanta RBI team, and said participating in the RBI World Series will help her get ready for the fall.

"It really does help, right before you get ready to go to school, either high school or college ball, it still helps you stay in shape right when you get there," she said. "You tweak a couple things and then when you get there you're on point."

She said RBI has helped her with many softball skills and she's been working on hitting this year.

"This is my first time really hitting left-handed in a tournament," she said. "This has been a great opportunity for me to see where I'm at on the left side and tweak anything. A lot of times my coaches are asking me if I can hit on the left. So when I go I can say, 'Yeah, I can hit on the left.' So this has helped a lot."

This is the first year the other three seniors on the RBI World Series team, Carter and the Pharr sisters, have played in RBI. Antonya Pharr, 18, said they feel it's been a good experience.

"The exposure ... you could always put [the RBI World Series] down on something when you're trying to talk to a coach, 'Oh yeah, I went to RBI,'" Pharr said. "I would say the exposure helps because it's a big tournament."

Pharr is the catcher for the Atlanta RBI team and said the RBI coaches have helped with her awareness on the field.

"The skills that they helped me with the most are paying more attention to the game and what's going on when runners are on base," she said.

Pharr said that she and her twin sister Latanda grew up playing softball together and they both will attend Clauflin on softball scholarships.

"I was excited just getting the offers, that whole process is exciting," said Antonya Pharr.

She said it's "amazing" to have a chance to play softball in college, and she would consider playing beyond that if she has the opportunity.

"If I get offers to play professionally then I will definitely do it," she said.

Pharr said she would like to come back and help RBI or other young softball players one day.

"I really want to try to coach softball, help people just like other coaches have helped me," she said.

Pharr said she was glad to have the opportunity to participate in RBI.

"It's nice to know that people care about people living in the city," she said. "It good to know that there's a program out there."