The Reds Community Fund celebrated its sixth annual Signing Day, presented by Ohio’s 529 Plan CollegeAdvantage on Monday. The event honors high school seniors from the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy and the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities) program who have earned the opportunity to continue their baseball and softball careers at the collegiate level.

Inside the Jeff Wyler Family Hall of Fame Theater at the Reds Hall Fame presented by Dinsmore, this year’s ceremony recognized two softball and three baseball student-athletes:

1. Alena Campbell (Mt. Notre Dame High School) -- Geneva College
2. Andralyn Brown (Princeton High School) -- Kentucky State University
3. Joe Mendy (Vandalia Butler High School) -- Wilberforce University
4. Cason Bennett (Vandalia Butler High School) -- Earlham College
5. Dallas Arthur (Lakota West High School) -- Earlham College

Bally Sports Ohio’s Brian Giesenschlag hosted the event and was joined by Reds president and chief operating officer Phil Castellini, Hall of Famer and senior advisor to the president/COO Barry Larkin, vice president and general manager Nick Krall and Reds Community Fund executive director Charley Frank, among other Reds representatives.

While the five honorees are ready to take the baseball and softball careers to the next level, another 12 members of the program are graduating from the Academy and heading to college in pursuit of goals away from the field. It’s the perfect example of what the Reds Community Fund and Reds ownership had in mind when the Reds Youth Academy opened in 2014.

“With this program in particular, we are creating what we call Major League citizens,” Castellini said. “We are now full circle of what the expectation is in creating these Major League citizens -- it’s about getting to whatever the next step in life is. If the next step is baseball or softball, even better, but ultimately we recognize and are now measuring the outcomes that go well beyond the game.”

Larkin echoed those sentiments and encouraged the teenagers to remain positive along their journey, even when facing adversity. Baseball and softball are difficult, and balancing the pursuit of success on the field with academic and social responsibilities away from the field will come with challenges. But those on-field skills translate far beyond the diamond.

“Perspective is a really important thing,” Larkin said. “We have to understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to achieve it, and understand that we are going to fail along the way. But we cannot be discouraged in our failures. I love the game of baseball because for me, it provided all kinds of life skills that I applied, not as a baseball player, but as a person making a positive impact on society.”

Before the players signed their official letters, Giesenschlag spoke to each of them about their experiences with Reds RBI and the Reds Youth Academy. One of the resounding themes in each player’s answers revolved around the positive, family-like environment that the Academy offers.

“It’s a great support system there, because when I moved from New Jersey they were the first baseball team that picked me up,” three-year Academy member and Earlham College commit Dallas Arthur said. “I started playing there and it was just a really good environment and they were really welcoming when I came to Cincinnati.”

Joe Mendy from Vandalia Butler High School signed with Wilberforce University. The Reds and Wilberforce announced a partnership late in 2021 as the Historically Black University is bringing back its baseball program this fall for the first time in over 80 years and will be ready for competition when games begin in the spring of 2023.

Roosevelt Barnes, a longtime RBI leader, current La Salle High School varsity baseball head coach and Wilberforce baseball coordinator and alumnus, addressed the honorees and had the chance to witness Mendy become the first player to sign with the Wilberforce baseball program for its return.

After Wilberforce reached out to Mendy and he did his due diligence, he knew Wilberforce was the perfect fit and he was ready to be part of the new era of Bulldogs baseball.

“I went there to see what it’s like and it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Mendy said. “It’s definitely motivation to work harder and make a name for myself.”

After the guests spoke and the signees enjoyed their big moment, they took photos and participated in interviews with local media. After touring the Reds Hall of Fame, the group took part in a private meet and greet with Reds pitcher Justin Dunn, who shared his experiences making the leap from high school to college and promised there would be plenty of opportunities and hurdles ahead.

Finally, the student-athletes participated in a pregame ceremony before settling in to watch the Reds shut out the D-backs from the Power Alley Patio. It was a busy day, intended to celebrate high school accomplishments ahead of the challenging transitions on the horizon. But it was an experience that the players and their families will never forget, all made possible by their hard work and the Reds’ continued commitment to the future of youth baseball.