Academy Notebook: Angles in the Outfield STEM Camp, presented by Lockheed Martin; Jr. Home Derby Regional; Pitch, Hit & Run: Round 1; Dash Johnson to coach at Girls Baseball EDI

June 23rd, 2023

Angles in the Outfield STEM Camp, presented by Lockheed Martin

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy and Lockheed Martin have teamed up to create a new educational summer program for Youth Academy student-athletes— Angles in the Outfield.

Throughout the five-day course, Academy athletes 13-16 years old will work to apply the principles of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to lessons that directly connect to baseball and softball and careers at Lockheed Martin.

The curriculum, as designed by Science of Sport, will allow students to bridge the gap between sports and the STEM industry, providing a new understanding of these lessons as it relates to the game they love and offering perspective on future career opportunities, including those at Lockheed Martin.

Science of Sport staff will lead each day’s coursework alongside guest speakers from various divisions of Lockheed Martin.

Key lessons will include trajectory, aerodynamics, biomechanics, coding, engineering design process, baseball analytics and Lockheed Martin careers. The course will involve classroom discussions, hands-on experiments, research opportunities and group collaboration through their final projects on innovation.

“At Lockheed Martin, we recognize the importance of instilling the next generation with a strong foundation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education,” said Ashlee Davidson, Vice President of Communications, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We are proud to partner with the Texas Rangers to inspire future leaders and innovators in a fun and dynamic way. We know the future depends on the bright students being shaped today.”

The Angles in the Outfield STEM Camp will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy from Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30. Registration for the course has reached capacity and is now closed.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services.

Please follow @LMNews on Twitter for the latest announcements and news across the corporation.

Jr. Home Run Derby Regional

The Texas Rangers Youth Academy will host the Jr. Home Run Derby Dallas Regional on Sunday, June 25, where the winners of local competitions across Texas and surrounding states will go head-to-head for a spot in the Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals at T-Mobile Park.

Representing the Texas Rangers Youth Academy in the regional competition are 2022 National Champion Braylon Hubbard, Mason Berry, and Amira Forbit, all of whom won their age division at the Youth Academy’s first round of competition on April 30.

Major League Baseball also extended at-large bids to three Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes, Maddox Johnson, Destan Burks and Alyssa Summers after their strong performances in the local competition.

Winners in each age group will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Seattle to compete in MLB’s Jr. Home Run Derby National Finals during All-Star Week.

Sunday’s Jr. Home Run Derby Dallas Regional at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is free to attend.

Pitch, Hit & Run: Round 1

The first round of the Pitch, Hit & Run youth skills competition will take place at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy’s Johnny Oates Field on Wednesday, June 28.

Athletes competing in the 8U, 10U, 12U, and 14U baseball and softball divisions will showcase their skills in the three-round challenge to advance to the Texas Rangers Pitch, Hit & Run Regional Team Championship at Globe Life Field.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., participants will test their skills to receive point values based on their ability to pitch strikes, hit long balls, and run from base to base.

Registration for this year’s competition will remain open through Monday, June 26, at rangers.com/academy.

Dash Johnson to coach alongside Pros at Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational

Dash Johnson, manager of Youth Academy baseball and softball operations, will head to Vero Beach, Fla., this weekend to act as a guest instructor at the MLB Develops Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational (EDI).

After an impressive college baseball career at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Johnson served as a part-time coach at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy before taking on his full-time position in the Rangers front office in early 2022.

Johnson has taken advantage of a mixed role overseeing all baseball and softball programming while still offering his coaching expertise at every turn.

He served as a guest instructor at the MLB GRIT: Girls ID Tour earlier this year, where he impressed Major League Baseball personnel enough to earn an invitation to become one of the first non-professional instructors to coach at the Girls Baseball EDI.

Johnson will instruct dozens of young women alongside USA Baseball Women’s National Team players, coaches and alumni at the five-day camp from June 22-26, helping improve their skills and further their dreams to play baseball at the highest level.

Among those participating is Rangers Youth Academy athlete Jordan Gilreath, who is attending her third baseball event this year after strong showings at MLB GRIT and the Trailblazer Series.

Rangers Nike RBI baseball & softball schedule