The Texas Rangers are hosting their first community day highlighting historically Black colleges and universities on July 22.
Organizers said it's an opportunity to unite local HBCU alumni and students and help the Rangers find new talent.
HOW DIAMOND DAY CAME TO BE
You're familiar with community game days, Texas Rangers offer fans a chance to attend games with others who share similar interests or attended the same college or support certain causes. When Ron Fry looked at the list, he saw something was missing.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"I work for Republic National distributing and I was actually planning on going to a game with some customers. So I just happened to go on the Rangers website just to see what all kinds of cool activities they had,'" said Ron Fry, the vice president of corporate development with the Florida A&M University Alumni Association.
Fry said when he saw SMU and TCU nights but not Howard or Florida A&M nights, he saw an opportunity.
"So I emailed the Rangers and said, 'Hey, we do this with the Mavericks, I love to partner with you guys, with the Rangers, and do the same thing.' They reached back and said, 'Hey, we'd love to do it too. I'm glad you reached out to us,'" said Fry.
"The conversation kind of led to how can we be a resource to help develop young talent and really, to celebrate what HBCUs represent in this country and the world. It's such an amazing thing, what HBCUs do for young adults, each and every day," said Ray Casas the Texas Rangers director of community impact.
Fry and fellow FAMU alum Gerald McKinney are part of an alumni network dedicated to raising money for and awareness of HBCUs through fundraisers, college fairs and other events. For several weeks they worked with the Rangers to plan the inaugural HBCU Diamond Day which includes a first-ever pre-game media panel of local HBCU alumni.
HOW HBCU DIAMOND DAY HELPS THE RANGERS WITH RECRUITING
The Rangers already offer a Charley Pride Fellowship designed to expose people of color and women to Major League Baseball career opportunities. HBCU Diamond Day serves up another chance to educate and attract diverse talent.
"It's life-changing because when you see them come in from, let's say an HBCU, and they're on the cusp of graduating but they could never really see themselves working for a professional sports team and then you see them wearing the T and they're in meetings where they're making decisions about our draft picks that we just had," said Casas. "I think what's even more special is when they start to realize that it can become a reality."
WHY HBCU DIAMOND DAY IS A HOME RUN
A week before the first pitch, all of the HBCU Diamond Day tickets are already sold out. Organizers said $5 from each ticket goes to the Tom Joyner Foundation which gives scholarships to students attending HBCUs.
The Texas Rangers are already planning to make next year's event even bigger than the inaugural event.
"We're trying to create a fan base that everyone can be a part of. And so when you have this incredible network of HBCU alums in the Metroplex we see this as an opportunity. But more so selfishly, I see this as an opportunity to help diversify baseball. And if we can bring people and expose them to the opportunities or are working in professional sports then, to me, that's a bonus," said Casas.
