Read Your Way to the Ballpark

supported by AVNET

The Arizona Diamondbacks Read Your Way to the Ballpark program, supported by Avnet, inspires K-5 students to develop a love of reading while supporting literacy in the classroom. By connecting reading achievement with unique Diamondbacks experiences, the program encourages students to build lifelong reading habits while celebrating their success throughout the school year.

Participating schools and students may receive:

Student reading incentives and recognition opportunities
Diamondbacks ticket vouchers for student completion
Classroom book grants, school visits, and reading celebrations
D-backs Reading School recognition

Read Your Way to the Ballpark: Our Impact - 28,733 students inspired to read since 2023, 239 schools engaged, 1,121 classrooms supported, 901 educators participated, $30,000 invested in classroom libraries, 60,448 game tickets distributed, 580 volunteer hours contributed by Avnet employees

Inspiring Reading Together

Together with Avnet, Read Your Way to the Ballpark extends beyond the classroom through book grants, volunteer engagement, school deliveries, and reading celebrations that connect students and families to the joy of reading.

Each year, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Avnet visit participating schools to celebrate literacy, recognize student achievement, and inspire a lifelong love of reading.

Through assemblies, classroom visits, school celebrations, and appearances from Baxter, Diamondbacks representatives, and Avnet volunteers, students experience the excitement of reading both inside and outside the classroom.

Read Your Way to the Ballpark intentionally partners with schools serving diverse communities throughout Arizona, including Title I schools, dual-language programs, newcomer-serving campuses, district schools, charter schools, and rural communities.

What Educators Are Saying

"One of my students went from reading 15 words per minute to 100."

-- Shayleigh Fischer, Global Academy of Phoenix

"Students who had never been to a professional baseball game before read more than probably ever before."

-- Jesyka James, Brinton Elementary School

"In the years we participated, the amount of hours students read doubled compared to years without this program."

-- Regina Nunley-Smith, Kyrene Monte Vista

"My end-of-the-year Reading Benchmark scores were some of the highest I've ever had."

-- Cathy Fraley, Marionneaux Elementary School

Participants in the 2025-2026 program can redeem tickets here.