With school back in session, the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex Presented by Toyota is gearing up for a slate of fall programming and activities. 
The Youth Academy Fall Training Program is slated to begin Tuesday, September 18, and occur Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until Thursday, November 15. 
The free programming allows baseball and softball players, ages seven to 18, the opportunity to work with members of the Academy coaching staff on hitting, fielding, throwing, and defensive strategies. Registration is now available at www.rangers.com/academy. 
RBI Fall Baseball and Softball season is also right around the corner. Scheduled to open Saturday, September 29, it will run on Saturdays through November 17. The Academy league is expected to facilitate eight baseball and eight softball teams for the fall season.   
Registration is also open for Mercy Street Little League at https://www.mercystreetdallas.org/baseball/.  
States Play
While games for this weekend's inaugural "States Play" tournament will be held at Globe Life Park in Arlington beginning today, the Academy is set to get in on some of the action.
Workouts will be held at the Academy today, Friday, August 24, and Saturday, August 25, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
The three games of the tournament will be hosted at Globe Life Park, pitting a roster of players from Texas against a roster from California. Athletes were selected MLB and USA Baseball.
Games at Globe Life Park are Friday, August 24, at 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, August 26, at 11:00 a.m. The games are free for the public and will stream live on MLB.com.
Equipment Drive Update
The Texas Rangers and Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) teamed up to host an equipment collection drive at Globe Life Park on Saturday, with all equipment received being donated to the Rangers Academy. 
Academy athletes who were on the RBI All-Star teams that traveled to the RBI Southwest Regionals in Austin, Texas, were on hand to assist with the collection of new and gently used equipment. 
Over 1,000 pieces of equipment were donated and will benefit Academy participants, Rangers RBI, and Mercy Street Little League.