Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers
Daylon Brooks, who spent three years developing his baseball skills at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, will continue his career at UTA after signing a letter of intent Wednesday during the academy’s annual signing day at Globe Life Field.
Brooks and Nick Smith, who also signed with UTA, were among 44 student-athletes who signed with collegiate programs.
The Texas Rangers Youth Academy helps develop athletes ages 7-18 by offering free year-round baseball and softball instruction, summer competition through MLB’s Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities league and educational programming to athletes, according to its website.
For Brooks, the academy’s biggest lessons weren’t about hitting or fielding. He said traveling with the academy, flying for the first time and spending time away from home helped prepare him for college ball before ever setting foot on the field at Clay Gould Ballpark.
“Traveling without my mom and my dad and all my parents has really taught me how to grow up,” Brooks said.
Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers
His growth didn’t go unnoticed. His mother, Sequoia Brooks, said she watched the growth firsthand.
“The youth academy actually pushed him out of his shell. The youth academy helped him with his public speaking, helped him just advance more than what he was,” she said. “It was a great choice to go with the youth academy.”
After preparing for college through the academy, Brooks wanted to stay close to the people who helped him get there. Choosing UTA meant staying close to home after graduating from South Grand Prairie High School.
Brooks smiles at the camera behind a table with a Mavericks banner on the front.
Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers
“It feels like home away from home. It’s really home because it’s 15 minutes away,” Brooks said. “It’s one of those things where if my mom needs me or I need my mom, I can just go knock on the door. She’s right there.”
Brooks won’t be the only academy member making the trip to Arlington.
Smith, an Arlington native who signed as an infielder, also chose to stay close to home after connecting with UTA’s coaching staff and program during the recruitment process, and a practice he attended.
“I live around the area, and it’s a really cool experience going there, being around the corner, and being able to still have the same coaches, and train with some of the same guys,” Smith said.
While each of the 44 athletes arrived through a different journey, Sequoia Brooks said Wednesday’s ceremony represented much more than a college baseball commitment.
“Daylon is the first boy on my side of the family to graduate from high school, so graduating from high school and signing, it was a big deal,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of him.”
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