Opportunities for rising stars to showcase their skills at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex Presented by Toyota are not limited to high school or RBI games.
 
On Friday, the Academy played host to a MLB Prospect Development Pipeline Premier event for elite high school age amateur baseball players.
 
The Prospect Development Pipeline is a joint initiative between Major League Baseball, the MLB Scouting Bureau, and USA Baseball to establish an official identification and player assessment pathway. Regional events are conducted on an invite only basis, with no cost to athletes to participate.
 
Activities include athletic assessment, performance vision screening, on-field wood bat batting practice, infield/outfield session, and on-field gameplay.
 
The Academy is one of 13 sites that will host PDP events in 2018. Over 30 players from the region participated in the event.
 
More to RBI
 
RBI league play is only one aspect of what students can take away from their experience at the Academy this summer. The Texas Rangers RBI Career Workshop Series kicked off Thursday, June 7.
 
As part of the Texas Rangers RBI season, the RBI Career Workshops Series exposes players to different front office roles throughout the Texas Rangers organization. Front office staff speak to players regarding their personal background, job history, current role, and a host of other subjects.
 
On Thursday, Juan Garciga (Director, Youth Baseball & Youth Academy Programs) and other Rangers employees shared their stories with the players at the Academy and answered questions on a variety of topics.
 
Future workshops are planned for June 25 at the Academy and July 12 at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
 
There are currently 350 players in the RBI League baseball and softball program at the Academy, including 20 teams. The Jr. Division (15U) consists of three teams, the Senior Division (18U) has seven teams, and Softball 18U includes 10 teams. 
 
The current schedule for upcoming contests to be hosted at the Academy is below. Please note that the RBI schedule is subject to change.
 
6/9 -- 9:00 AM -- Mercy Street vs. Lancaster -- Field of Dreams -- Junior Div. (15U)
6/9 -- 11:30 AM -- Generals vs. Mercy Street -- Field of Dreams -- Junior Div. (15U)
6/9 -- 2:00 PM -- Generals vs. Lancaster -- Field of Dreams -- Junior Div. (15U)
6/9 -- 3:00 PM -- Leopards vs. Bulldogs -- Kershaw's Challenge Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 3:00 PM -- Longhorns vs. Wildcats -- Josh Hamilton Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 5:30 PM -- Panthers vs. West Dallas A's -- Kershaw's Challenge Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 5:30 PM -- Raiders vs. Timberwolves -- Josh Hamilton Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 7:00 PM -- Spartans vs. Gators -- Josh Hamilton Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 9:00 AM -- Mercy Street vs. Bears -- Oates Field -- Senior Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 11:30 AM -- Academy vs. Vikings -- Oates Field -- Senior Div. (18U)
6/9 -- 2:00 PM -- Cougars vs. Patriots -- Oates Field -- Senior Div. (18U)
6/12 -- 7:00 PM -- Tigers vs. undefined -- Josh Hamilton Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/12 -- 7:00 PM -- Mercy Street vs. Academy -- Oates Field -- Senior Div. (18U)
6/13 -- 7:00 PM -- Generals vs. Lancaster -- Oates Field -- Junior Div. (15U)
6/13 -- 7:00 PM -- Timberwolves vs. Panthers -- Kershaw's Challenge Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/13 -- 7:00 PM -- West Dallas A's vs. Longhorns -- Josh Hamilton Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
6/14 -- 7:00 PM -- Wildcats vs. Leopards -- Kershaw's Challenge Field -- Softball Div. (18U)
 
For games played at Oates Field, the address is 2303 Bickers St., Dallas, TX 75212. Parking is available behind the building.
 
For games played at Field of Dreams, Hamilton, and Kershaw's Challenge Field, the address is the 3500 Goldman St., Dallas, TX 75212. Parking is available in the lot in front of Kershaw's Challenge Field.
 
Play Ball with the Rangers
 
The Academy is set to host activities for Play Ball Weekend tomorrow, Saturday, June 9.
 
Texas Rangers pitcher Jesse Chavez, in addition to infielders Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jurickson Profar, are scheduled to join approximately 150 Academy baseball and softball participants, ages six through 13, for the festivities. Held on Adrian Beltre Field in the Academy's indoor facility, activities will include a Wiffle ball game, plus pitching, hitting, and running stations.
 
Player check in begins at 9:30 a.m., and activities will run from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Rangers players are slated to participate from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
 
Play Ball Weekend is Major League Baseball's league-wide celebration of youth baseball and softball participation.
 
Pitch, Hit & Run at Globe Life Park
 
Regular participants at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex Presented by Toyota are taking their talents to Globe Life Park in Arlington tomorrow, Saturday, June 9.
 
Paisley Needham (11/12 softball), Natalie Perez (13/14 softball), and Amaad Garrett (11/12 baseball) each were named All-Around Champions for their respective sports and ages in the Sectional Round of the Scotts MLB Pitch, Hit & Run competition hosted at the Academy on May 19.
 
Their scores were compared to the other Sectional All-Around Champions from the market, and they were among the top three scorers in their division age group to advance to the Team Championships.
 
Team Championships will be held Saturday, June 9 at Globe Life Park as part of Play Ball Weekend. Winners from that round who finish with one of the top three scores among all 30 club winners in their divisions will win a trip to MLB All-Star Week.
 
Both Perez and Garrett are regular participants in Academy programming.
 
Summer Camp Kick Off
 
Summer camp kicks off at the Academy on Monday, June 11. The free, five week program runs through Thursday, July 12. Activities will take place Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., with no camp on July 4. 
 
Baseball and softball players, ages 7 to 18, have the opportunity to work on hitting, fielding, defensive strategies, throwing, and all aspects of their sport with member of the Academy coaching staff.
 
Registration is available at https://texasrangersya.leagueapps.com/camps.
 
Programming will occur rain or shine, with all activities relocating to the indoor space in the event of weather issues.
 
More Softball Selections
 
Two more Academy participants have been added to the roster invited to participate in the USA Softball Elite Development Invitational, bringing the total to four participants from the Rangers Academy.
 
Hannah Rodriguez and Karina Rodriguez also received invitations to the free event, joining Erin Ledesma and Ximena Zamarron.
 
Hannah Rodriguez attends Irving High School, where she is a member of the class of 2020, and plays for the RBI Gators. 
 
Karina Rodriguez, attends Lamar Middle School and is part of the class of 2022.
 
Both Hannah and Karina (no relation) are on the Rangers Academy team participating in the Jennie Finch Classic in Washington D.C. during MLB All-Star Weekend. 
 
Ninety high school softball players were invited to attend the event, taking place at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL, July 5-11. The camp aims to provide elite training, instructional opportunities, college-career guidance and life lesson seminars with former Olympians and current USA softball players.