Twelve baseball and softball players from the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, Presented by Toyota, will take center stage at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 19 to symbolically sign National Letters of Intent to take their games to the collegiate level.

The ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. and last approximately one hour. Youth Academy Director Juan Leonel Garciga will introduce the athletes, and the Globe Life Field video boards will feature photos and highlight videos from their high school careers, before they sign the letter for their respective colleges.

“There are signing days, and then there are signing days at Globe Life Field,” Garciga said. “I can’t imagine a more special venue to celebrate these young athletes’ accomplishments and announcing where they will be playing baseball and softball in the fall. Each of these athletes has left their mark on the Rangers Youth Academy in different ways, and we wish them nothing but the absolute best on their journey.”

Below are the Academy athletes from the class of 2020 who have committed to play college baseball or softball. All except Kylie Cox and Ian Johnson are expected to participate in Sunday’s festivities.

NAME | COLLEGE | HIGH SCHOOL | SPORT | POSITION

Anthony Castaneda | Cedar Valley College | Cedar Hill High School | Baseball | C/3B

Kylie Cox | Crowley's Ridge College | Samuel High School | Softball |OF

Benjamin De La Rosa | Hesston College | Hillcrest High School | Baseball | 1B

Marco Garcia Wong | McMurry University | North Dallas High School | Baseball | OF/P/SS

Alicia Gonzalez | Rust College | Sunset High School | Softball | 3B

Melanie Henderson | Lamar State College, Port Arthur | Irving High School | Softball | C

Ian Johnson | Southwestern Assemblies of God University | Roosevelt High School | Baseball | C/RHP

Erin Ledesma | Southern University | Irma Rangel Young Womens Leadership Academy | Softball | SS

Joshua Marcellus | Bethany College | Sachse High School | Baseball | OF

Fabian Murrillo | Southwestern Christian University | Summit High School | Baseball | LHP

Julian Olivo | Mountain View College | Pinkston High School | Baseball | P

Gabriela Quintanilla | East Central University | Bishop Lynch Catholic High School | Softball | SS

Rolando Ramirez | Wayland Baptist University | Duncanville High School | Baseball | OF

Hannah Rodriguez | Texas A&M University - San Antonio | Irving High School | Softball | OF/1B

The Academy hosted its first ever signing day in November, when Sachse High School product Joshua Marcellus signed on to play at Bethany College. Sunday’s group is set to include athletes who have participated in camps and clinics at the facility, played in the Rangers RBI League, and represented the Rangers Youth Academy in the RBI Southwest Regionals, Jennie Finch Classic, and Commissioner’s Cup tournaments.

As high school baseball and softball seasons and school years ended abruptly due to COVID-19, the Academy adapted summer programming to provide graduating seniors a second chance at experiences they missed. In addition to hosting Academy Signing Day at Globe Life Field, the Academy’s RBI Leagues incorporated Senior Nights in 2020, honoring seniors on the field prior to games.

Playoff Time for RBI Softball

The RBI Softball Junior and Senior Divisions combine to kick off their playoff schedule beginning Saturday, July 18.

Softball Playoff Schedule

DATE | TIME | HOME TEAM | AWAY TEAM | FIELD

7/18 9 AM Hickory Jaguars Josh Hamilton Field

7/18 9 AM Spokane Sounds Kershaw’s Challenge Field

7/18 11:30 AM Alliance Gophers Kershaw's Challenge Field

7/18 11:30 AM Panthers Wildcats Josh Hamilton Field

7/18 2 PM Wood Ducks TBD Josh Hamilton Field

7/18 2 PM Crush TBD Kershaw's Challenge Field

7/18 4:30 PM TBD TBD Kershaw's Challenge Field

7/18 4:30 PM TBD TBD Josh Hamilton Field

7/22 7 PM Championship Game Kershaw's Challenge Field

On the baseball side, the Senior Division teams will wrap up regular season play on Saturday. The day’s festivities will also include the final RBI Senior Night of the season O’Neal Texada III (Desoto High School), Keith King (Irving High School), Mi’Zeah Neal (Desoto High School), Brenden Cormier (Desoto High School), Anthony Castaneda (Cedar Hill High School), and Omar Gonzalez (Cedar Hill High School) from the Hard Hitters will be honored prior to the game against the Eagles.

Playoff games begin Monday, and the schedule is listed below.

DATE TIME HOME TEAM AWAY TEAM FIELD

7/18 9:00 AM Vikings Crawdads Oates Field

7/18 12:00 PM Hard Hitters Eagles Oates Field

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

7/20 7 PM Cougars Eagles Field of Dreams

7/20 7 PM Raiders Jaguars Oates Field

7/21 7 PM Vikings Down East Oates Field

7/23 7 PM Crawdads Rough Riders Oates Field

7/24 7 PM Hard Hitters TBD Oates Field

7/25 7 PM TBD TBD Oates Field

7/27 7 PM TBD TBD Oates Field

7/30 7 PM TBD TBD Oates Field

Remaining regular season schedules for the baseball Junior Division teams are listed below. The Junior Division playoff schedule is listed below.

Baseball Junior Division

DATE TIME HOME TEAM AWAY TEAM FIELD

7/18 9 AM Nashville Sounds Field of Dreams

7/18 12 PM Lancaster Raiders Field of Dreams

7/18 3 PM Monarchs Seahawks Oates Field

7/21 7 PM Lancaster Monarchs Field of Dreams

7/22 7 PM Nashville Raiders Oates Field

7/22 7 PM Patriots Seahawks Field of Dreams

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

7/25 9 AM Nashville Seahawks Oates Field

7/25 12 PM Raiders Lancaster Oates Field

7/25 3 PM Monarchs Patriots Oates Field

7/28 7 PM TBD TBD Oates Field

7/29 7 PM Sounds TBD Oates Field

7/31 7 PM TBD TBD Oates Field

RBI scheduling is subject to change. Updates are available by following @RangersYA on Twitter and Instagram.

Rangers Baseball and Softball RBI leagues were the first Academy programming to get underway after the three-month pause due to COVID-19. Approximately 450 high school baseball and softball players are competing on the 26 RBI teams in Junior and Senior division play during the seven-week season.

Baseball games are played on Oates Field and Field of Dreams, with softball competition taking place on Hamilton Field and Clayton Kershaw Challenge Field. Due to safety protocols, the Globe Life Indoor Training Center will remain closed at the present time. The facility is operating under the guidelines established for youth sports participation as part of the State of Texas’ reopening.

Science of Baseball Goes Virtual

Virtual Science of Baseball presented by Nike will allow students to play the new gaming app STEMadium, which teaches science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The three-week, virtual summer camp is designed for students entering fifth through eighth grades. Activities begin July 20. Registration is now available at www.bit.ly/STEMadiumRangersYA.

Buckner Virtual Programming

Academy athletes are continuing to take part in virtual classes offered by Buckner International’s Family Hope Center at the Rangers MLB Youth Academy. Online summer classes in both English and Spanish began four weeks ago, while in-person classes will resume once the Academy’s indoor facilities reopen.