Texas Rangers Youth Academy Athletes set to compete in 2025 Major League Baseball Pitch Hit & Run Team Championship at Globe Life Field tomorrow, Sept. 6
Texas Rangers Youth Academy to send eight representatives to exclusive MLB event
Eight athletes from the Texas Rangers Youth Academy are expected to participate in Major League Baseball’s 2025 Pitch Hit & Run Team Championships tomorrow morning at Globe Life Field.
The event will see youth baseball and softball players across four age groups from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi compete for the opportunity to advance to this year’s Pitch Hit & Run National Finals, which will be hosted during the 2025 World Series in October.
The athletes’ scores will be weighed not only against fellow competitors in their region, but also measured among the several Pitch Hit & Run Regional events being held at Major League ballparks throughout the country.
Representing the Rangers Youth Academy tomorrow will be Anthony Bazan (14U Baseball), Alicea Cantu (12U Softball), Matthew Chau (12U Baseball), Benito Cordero (8U Baseball), Emilia Garcia (10U Softball), Aaliyah Marquez (14U Softball), Mathias Perez (10U Baseball) and Leilani Rico (8U Softball).
During a local Pitch Hit & Run qualifying event held this May at the Rangers Youth Academy in West Dallas, Marquez registered a total composite score of 1400, which would have bested the 1350 mark posted by reigning 14U Softball National Champion Kendall Hom at last year’s finals event at Dodger Stadium.
To learn more about MLB Pitch Hit & Run, visit mlb.com/pitch-hit-and-run.
QUICK HITS
Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes to visit Kansas City Urban Youth Academy next weekend
- What it is: A group of 13 high school-aged baseball players from the Texas Rangers Youth Academy are scheduled to make a three-day visit of Kansas City for the 2025 Negro Leagues Museum Invitational hosted by the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy from Sept. 12-14.
- On the agenda: During the weekend, the Rangers contingent is expected to play three exhibition games against athletes from the Kansas City Royals Youth Academy, pay a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in downtown Kansas City and attend an MLB Home Run Derby X event at Kauffman Stadium.
- The roster: This year’s roster for the Negro Leagues Museum Invitational was comprised of Academy athletes Jayde Austin (Mansfield Lake Ridge), Arthur Darensburg (Mesquite), Michael Davis Jr. (Home School), Bryson Gilbert (Mansfield Lake Ridge), Joshua Griffin (Anna), Dominik Harper (Mansfield Lake Ridge), Vincent Hood (Mansfield Legacy), Maddox Johnson (North Garland), Jalen McLin (Emerson), Jonathan Menefee (Skyline), Kyle Moore (Kennedale), Evan Ogwezi (Lake Ridge) and Nicholas Smith (Mansfield Timberview).
2025 fall programming at Texas Rangers Youth Academy to begin on Sept. 23
- It’s fall y’all: The fall baseball and softball programming session at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy is set to begin Sept. 23. Trainees ages 7-18 will be designated into novice, intermediate and advanced skills groups, where they will gain hands-on experience from Rangers Youth Academy coaches in a variety of disciplines on both sides of the ball.
- Where to register: Registration for the no-cost baseball and softball training program is now open, and will remain open throughout the session at rangers.com/academy.
Education & Buckner International Programming
The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy goes beyond baseball and softball programming to benefit our community. With help from our partner Bucker International, the Academy hosts free education and enrichment courses for athletes and their families throughout the year. Register here for all Youth Academy classes.