The entirety of the Texas League is rallying behind Texas' Hill Country.
On Tuesday, teams in the venerable Double-A circuit jointly announced a fundraising program to aid Kerr County flood relief efforts. The Central Texas area -- the Hill Country is in the heart of Kerr County -- is recovering from the devastating events of July 4 weekend, when torrential rains caused flash flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers and the Nolan Ryan Foundation are also supporting this fundraising initiative, while the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox have played a role as well. These efforts began in earnest on Aug. 9, when the San Antonio Missions took the field wearing the jerseys of four Hill Country high schools that were affected by the flooding.
Missions president Burl Yarbrough said that "As a proud part of Central Texas, the Missions are committed to supporting our neighbors as they begin to recover and rebuild."
The Padres (parent club of the Missions) and the Red Sox also wore jerseys representing those high schools during batting practice that same weekend, giving fans the chance to bid on jerseys worn by stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Garrett Crochet, Jarren Duran.
The other nine teams in the Texas League have now announced their own flood benefit nights, part of a unified fundraising auction. These nights will take place between Aug. 29 and Sept. 12, with the home team wearing Hill Country jerseys that will then be signed by the player or coach who wore it and auctioned off via a combination of in-stadium auctions and online bidding. The money raised will benefit the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund -- helping to rebuild local ballfields and youth programs -- and will also support Ingram, Texas' Little League.
"We were heartbroken to hear the news of the tragedy that occurred in Kerr County and our thoughts have been with all those affected by the disaster ever since," said Tony Ensor, president and general manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. "As stewards of our community here in the Panhandle, we wanted to find a way to support our neighbors and fellow Texans."
Teams in the Texas League -- which also includes clubs in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri -- will wear Hill Country jerseys on the following dates:
Tulsa Drillers (LAD) - Aug. 29
Amarillo Sod Poodles (ARI) - Aug. 29
Wichita Wind Surge (MIN) - Aug. 29
Frisco RoughRiders (TEX) - Aug. 30
Arkansas Travelers (SEA) - Sept. 4
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC) - Sept. 5
Midland RockHounds (A's) - Sept. 6
Springfield Cardinals (STL) - Sept. 9
Corpus Christi Hooks (HOU) - Sept. 12
On the dates in question, teams will employ a variety of additional fundraising methods. The Frisco RoughRiders, for example, plan to honor members of the North Texas task force that assisted in flood rescue and recovery operations. The Midland RockHounds and Amarillo Sod Poodles will both sell T-shirts to benefit the cause, with the latter team also enlisting local firefighters to "pass the boot" so that fans can contribute money from their seats.
"As an industry and a baseball family, a collective that includes our fans, partners, communities and teams, we have the opportunity in the Texas League to make a positive difference," said Ensor. "We hope our efforts in this unified league-wide jersey auction will have that effect."