Frisco RoughRiders Game Program: June 16 - 21

view our full 2026 schedule

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HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS 6/18

LIVE LIKE LOU IT’S ALS AWARENESS NIGHT AT RIDERS FIELD, PARTNERED WITH LIVE LIKE LOU. IT IS ALSO TWISTED TEA ROWDY @ THE RIVER AND THIRSTY THURSDAY WITH HALF-PRICE DRINK SPECIALS 6/19

DALLAS BLACK GIANTS FOR JUNETEENTH, THE ROUGHRIDERS PLAY AS THEIR NEGRO LEAGUES ALTERNATE IDENTITY, THE DALLAS BLACK GIANTS.

6/20 & 6/21

BLUEY NIGHT BLUEY IS HEADED BACK TO RIDERS FIELD ON JUNE 20TH AND 21ST! BLUEY WILL BE TAKING PHOTOS WITH FANS WHILE TIME ALLOWS DURING EACH GAME.

2026 SCHEDULE 3 HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS 8 OPPONENT OVERVIEW 12 RIDERS SPOTLIGHT 15 STADIUM MAP 24 ROSTER 39 MEET THE MASCOTS 42 FEATURE STORY: DALTON PENCE 59 PHOTO GALLERY 63 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE 69 ROAD TO THE SHOW 71 THIS DAY IN HISTORY 2

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ARKANSAS TRAVELERS

DOUBLE-A AFFILIATE OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS

EVERYTHING FELL RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE FOR ARKANSAS LAST SEASON. THE TRAVELERS FINISHED THE YEAR WITH A .500 RECORD EXACTLY, SPLIT INTO A 35–34 FIRST HALF AND A 34–35 SECOND HALF. THEY EVEN SPLIT THEIR 12 GAMES WITH THE ROUGHRIDERS 6–6.

OFFENSIVELY, THEY WERE FIFTH OUT OF 10 TEAMS IN THE TEXAS LEAGUE IN BATTING AVERAGE, FIFTH IN HITS AND SIXTH IN RUNS. ON THE MOUND, THEY ALLOWED THE FIFTH-MOST RUNS AND HAD THE FIFTH-BEST WHIP.

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS PLAYERS TO WATCH #26 RYAN SLOAN

POSITION: RHP AGE: 20 HEIGHT: 6'5 WEIGHT: 220 HOMETOWN: AURORA, IL

#32 KADE ANDERSON POSITION: LHP AGE: 21 HEIGHT: 6'2 WEIGHT: 179 HOMETOWN: SLIDELL, LA

#33 LAZARO MONTES

POSITION: OF AGE: 21 HEIGHT: 6'5 WEIGHT: 210 HOMETOWN: HAVANA, CUBA

POSITION

CATCHER

FAVORITE PLAYER

KEN GRIFFEY JR.

FAVORITE MOVIE

SPIDERMAN 3

FAVORITE FOOD

PEPPERONI PIZZA

YEARS WITH ROUGHRIDERS INSTAGRAM

2

@REAL24IANNN_

Chad Comer MANAGER

Comer returns to Double-A Frisco in 2026 after managing at the High-A level over the last three seasons. A native of Mansfield, Texas, will enter his 10th season with the Rangers and his second in Frisco. In 2022, Comer helped pilot the Riders to their second Texas League Championship in franchise history, serving as a development coach. Over the last three seasons, Comer managed High-A Hickory (2023-2024) and High-A Hub City (2025), going 197-191 (.508). The former University of Texas at Arlington catcher played two seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Thomas St. Clair PITCHING COACH

St. Clair joins the Riders as the pitching coach after leading a Hub City staff that finished with a 3.50 ERA in 2025. St. Clair enters his fifth season as a Rangers minor league pitching coach and first at the Double-A level, while also serving as the assistant pitching coordinator in the Rangers farm system in 2026. Initially, St. Clair joined the Rangers as a coach in the Dominican Summer League in 2022. Before pro baseball, he spent two and a half years as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at North Carolina Wesleyan College. The righthander pitched three professional seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals system from 2017-19. The Winston-Salem, NC native played four years at Lenior-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.

Jason Hart HITTING COACH Hart begins his 13th season with the Texas organization and his ninth as Frisco’s hitting coach. He served as the Riders' hitting coach from 2012-2019. Most recently, he served as the Major League hitting assistant for the Marlins. In 2015, Hart was named the Mike Coolbaugh Texas League Coach of the Year for his work with the Riders hitters. His tenure with the Rangers began after he assisted the Single-A Clinton staff with coaching for part of the 2008 season.

Hart played professionally from 1998-2006, with stints in the Oakland, Texas and Minnesota organizations. He made his Major League debut with the Rangers in 2002. He missed the 2004 season following the removal of a benign brain tumor, but returned to the field in 2005 and hit 21 home runs in 128 games with Frisco. He attended Southwest Missouri State University, where he paced the conference in homers in 1997 and was named a Missouri Valley Conference All-Star in 1998.

Jay Sullenger DEVELOPMENT COACH Sullenger serves his seventh year in the Texas organization as a development coach for Frisco. He made his professional managerial debut in 2021, leading the ACL Rangers to a 31-28 record. Sullenger was slated to coach for Hickory in the 2020 season before the cancellation of the campaign. Before joining the professional ranks, he served as head coach at Biola University in California from 2013-2018. In addition to his work at Biola, Sullenger invested in the local community through baseball camps and working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes summer ball team. He began his coaching career in 2000 as a volunteer assistant for James Madison University and finished his tenure in 2011 as associate head coach. Additionally, he worked one season in stadium operations for the Tampa Bay Rays. Sullenger played baseball at Florida Southern and Liberty.

Jorge Hernandez BENCH COACH Hernandez joins the Riders for his first season with the Rangers organization. During 2020, Hernandez managed the Texas Collegiate League Frisco RoughRiders after the Minor League season had been canceled. In 2025, he served as a bench coach for Triple-A Jacksonville and spent 19 seasons with the Marlins as a coach and coordinator. In that stint, he served eight seasons as a manager, most recently in 2022 with High-A Beloit.

Hernandez started his coaching career at the University of Mobile in 1993 as a hitting coach and stayed there through 2001. From there, he coached Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi from 2002-2004 and the University of West Florida in 2006. From 20052006, Hernandez served as the hitting coach for the Independent Pensacola Pelicans.

Hernandez attended Troy State, where he helped them to the 1987 DII World Series Championship

Kiley Brown ATHLETIC TRAINER Brown makes his Double-A debut, serving in his third season in the Rangers system. Before being the athletic trainer for High-A Hub City in 2025, Brown was the ACL Rangers athletic trainer in 2024. He joined the Texas organization in the 2023-24 offseason after completing a student athletic trainer internship with the University of Texas baseball program in 2023. Brown was also a student athletic trainer at Carroll University in 2021. The Louisville, Ky. native holds an associate’s degree in Biology, a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, and a Master’s in Athletic Training. Additionally, he played four years of college baseball as an infielder and pitcher for McHenry County and Upper Iowa.

Brett Platts STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Platts returns to the RoughRiders for his third season in the Rangers organization and his second in Frisco. In his first year, he was the strength and conditioning coach for the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks before spending a season with the Cubs, working in the Dominican Summer League. The Canada native completed his strength and conditioning internship with the University of Iowa athletic department in 2022 and spent four years with the Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Academy from 2019 through 2022. Platts played two seasons at Southeastern Community College in Iowa.

AS OF 6/9

#2 FRAINYER CHAVEZ

POSITION: INF | DOB: 5/24/1999 | HEIGHT: 5'8" | WEIGHT: 170 HOMETOWN: VALENCIA, VENEZUELA Chavez enters 2026 having played parts of four seasons with Frisco, after being drafted in the 22nd round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Midland Junior College. The Venezuelan-born infielder went to Little Elm High School, under 10 miles from Riders Field. In his RoughRiders career, coming into 2026, Chavez is a .251 hitter with 12 home runs and 86 RBIs across 220 total games.

He was a postseason hero for the Riders in 2022, hitting the go-ahead single in the 10th inning of the TLCS-clinching win over Wichita.

#3 THEO HARDY

POSITION: INF | DOB: 11/27/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 185 HOMETOWN: BERKELEY, CA Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Rangers in 2023, Hardy plays his third season with the RoughRiders in 2026 after five games in 2024 and 14 last year. The Berkeley, California native was a standout infielder over four seasons with the San Jose State Spartans, including being named 1st Team All-MWC in 2023. That season, he hit .329/.426/.449/.875 while starting in all 58 games. In the minors, he has played at High-A’s Hickory and Hub City, Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, with 35 hits in 74 career games.

#4 JULIAN BROCK

POSITION: C | DOB: 6/3/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'3" | WEIGHT: 220 HOMETOWN: HOUSTON, TX The Rangers selected Brock in the eighth round of the 2023 draft. Before earning a call-up to Frisco on August 5, 2025, the former University of Louisiana-Lafayette standout racked up 503.0 innings behind the dish for High-A Hub City. Defensively, Brock caught 61 runners stealing while also adding 24 RBIs, 12 doubles and 10 stolen bases on offense across 62 games for the Spartanburgers. While with the RoughRiders, the catcher hit .321 across 17 games with an .846 OPS and 10 RBIs.

#5 MARCUS LEE SANG

POSITION: OF | DOB: 1/2/2001 | HEIGHT: 5'11" | WEIGHT: 200 HOMETOWN: LAUREL, MD 2026 marks the seventh season in Minor League Baseball for Lee Sang, who joined Texas on a MiLB free agent contract over the offseason. Between 2019 and 2025 in the Phillies organization, the Maryland native hit .249 with a .727 career OPS across every level of Minor League Baseball. Lee Sang only played in four games with Double-A Reading last year, but hit .239 with 13 HR and 47 RBI in 103 games back in 2024. He also made his first career appearance in Triple-A with Lehigh Valley. Lee Sang was an 11th-round pick

by Philadelphia in 2019 out of Northern High School in Owings, MD.

#8 DYLAN DREILING

POSITION: OF | DOB: 4/17/2003 | HEIGHT: 5'10" | WEIGHT: 197 HOMETOWN: HAYS, KA Dreiling was drafted by Texas in the second round in 2024 off the back of a national championship with the University of Tennessee, where he was the College World Series Most Outstanding Player. Dreiling makes his Double-A debut in 2026 after clubbing 21 doubles and 12 home runs for High-A Hub City last season. Entering 2026, in 134 career Minor League games, Dreiling is slashing .221/.323/.364/.686 and has stolen 20 bases.

#11 KEITH JONES II

POSITION: OF | DOB: 4/29/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'2" | WEIGHT: 220 HOMETOWN: BRENTWOOD, CA The 23-year-old was assigned to Frisco on July 1 last season and made an immediate impact, homering in his Double-A debut versus the Arkansas Travelers. He’d finish with three long balls and a .244 average in 52 Frisco games. With High-A Hub City in 2025, Jones ranked fifth in the South Atlantic League in OBP (.406) and seventh in OPS (.857), securing June Player of the Month honors. In total, Jones slashed .259/.377/.421/.798 between the two levels. The Rangers took him in the ninth round in 2024 out of New Mexico State, after starting his college career at Washington State.

#12 MAX WAGNER

POSITION: INF | DOB: 8/19/2001 | HEIGHT: 5'11" | WEIGHT: 215 HOMETOWN: GREEN BAY, WI Wagner signed midseason with the Rangers as a Minor League free agent following four seasons as a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization.

The former Clemson Tiger played 87 games with Double-A Chesapeake last year after missing all but 25 games in 2024 due to hamate bone surgery.

While in college, the eventual second-round pick hit 17 home runs in the last 24 games of his sophomore season to tie the Clemson single-season program record with 27 total on the year.

#13 ORLANDO MARTINEZ

POSITION: OF | DOB: 2/17/1998 | HEIGHT: 5'11" | WEIGHT: 185 HOMETOWN: HAVANA, CUBA A Minor Leaguer since 2018, Martinez makes his first appearance in the Rangers organization this season. The RoughRiders saw the Cuban outfielder across the Texas League in 2025, as he spent 60 games with the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Astros system. With Corpus Christi, Martinez hit .270 with a .724 OPS and knocked in 25. He also logged 54 games in the independent, unaffiliated Mexican League and clubbed 16 home runs for the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. The 28-year-old’s career started with six seasons in the Angels system, reaching as high as Double-A Rocket City.

#14 WINSTON SANTOS

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 4/15/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 160 HOMETOWN: SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. Santos signed as a Non-Drafted Free Agent on 7/2/2019. After starting 2024 with a 2.80 ERA in 12 starts at High-A Hickory, he was selected to the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field. The next day, he joined Frisco, going 5-3 with a 4.89 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 10 starts. The Payita, Dominican Republic native, dazzled with a 12-strikeout outing in Game Two of the Texas League Division Series versus Midland. Santos only threw six games in 2025 due to a back injury, but made his Triple-A debut in Round Rock.

#15 ARTURO DISLA

POSITION: 1B | DOB: 10/08/2000| HEIGHT: 6'2" | WEIGHT: 240 HOMETOWN: LA VEGA, D.R. Disla, a Dominican Republic native, was promoted from High-A Hub City to join Frisco in mid-May after batting .314 with six home runs in 30 games as a Spartanburger. The 25-year-old grew up in the D.R. before coming stateside for a scholarship at Southeastern CC in Iowa, before transferring to Plainview, Texas’ Wayland Baptist University. With the nickname, “The Buffalo,” Disla demolished a 481-foot home run for Hub City in the weeks leading up to his promotion.

#17 LEANDRO LOPEZ

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 6/17/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 200 HOMETOWN: BONAO, D.R. The 23-year-old was assigned to Frisco from High-A Hub City on July 20th last season. With the Spartanburgers, he posted a 2.19 ERA, a .199 opposing average and 74 strikeouts across 14 starts. In his final five starts in High-A, he notched a 1.93 ERA, eighth-best in the South Atlantic League. Lopez didn’t look back upon arrival in Frisco, twirling a 2.78 ERA across 35.2 innings with 43 strikeouts. Of his nine RoughRiders appearances, eight were starts.

#18 COREY JOYCE

POSITION: INF | DOB: 8/19/1998 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 190 HOMETOWN: LEXINGTON, N.C. Joyce signed with Texas as a Minor League free agent in April after he was released by the Pirates at the end of Spring Training. The middle infielder spent five seasons in the Tigers organization before spending 2025 with the Knoxville Smokies in the Cubs system. The former 12th-round draft pick enters 2026 with 166 career games played at the Double-A level and 70 games in Triple-A.

#19 RYAN LOBUS

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 9/8/2000 | HEIGHT: 6'2" | WEIGHT: 180 HOMETOWN: WOODSTOCK, GA Lobus signed with Texas as a Non-Drafted Free Agent on July 18, 2023, after three seasons at Mercer University and one at Chattanooga State Community College, where he started as a position player. In his first Minor League season, Lobus stood out in 27 appearances, including 12 starts, between Low-A Down East, High-A Hickory and Frisco. The Marietta, Georgia native posted a 2.96 ERA and 134 strikeouts while his 35.8% strikeout rate ranked second in MiLB (min. 90 IP). Last year, Lobus led the Riders with 45 appearances and had a 3.48 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched.

#20 DALTON PENCE

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 8/28/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'2" | WEIGHT: 215 HOMETOWN: GASTONIA, N.C. An 11th-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Pence has blossomed into a top prospect in the Rangers organization with his strong start in the Minor Leagues. After being named Texas’ MiLB Pitcher of the Month in April, Pence was promoted to Frisco for his Double-A debut in May. The lefty from the University of North Carolina made 31 appearances and 18 starts in his first full professional season last year, posting a 2.73 ERA in 82.1 innings with 103 strikeouts.

#23 JOSH TRENTADUE

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 1/25/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'2" | WEIGHT: 185 HOMETOWN: RICHMOND, VA. The 2024 Rangers 14th-round pick out of the College of Southern Idaho started last season with High-A Hub City and stymied the South Atlantic League. In 15 appearances and nine starts, the Richmond, VA native allowed just seven earned runs in 54.2 innings. Among pitchers in the SAL who threw at least 50 innings, he led the league in ERA (1.15) and batting average against (.147). From there, the left-hander made seven starts to finish the season with the RoughRiders. Across both levels, Trentadue’s 2025 worked out to a 2.34 ERA in 77.0 IP with 94 total strikeouts.

#24 IAN MOLLER

POSITION: C | DOB: 10/26/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 190 HOMETOWN: DUBUQUE, IOWA Moller was a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 2021 out of Wahlert High School, forgoing a commitment to LSU. After 15 games with ACL Rangers in 2021, Moller played 155 games over the next two seasons with Low-A Down East. He flashed defensively with High-A Hickory in 2024, ranking third in the South Atlantic League with a .989 fielding percentage and tied for seventh with 22 runners caught stealing. In 2025, Moller made his first Frisco appearance, logging 77 games and over 600 innings behind the plate for the RoughRiders.

#25 RICARDO VELEZ

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 8/21/1998 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 180 HOMETOWN: LAJAS, PUERTO RICO Velez has enjoyed a long career in both the Minor Leagues and International baseball. He owns a career 21-8 record and 2.95 ERA across five MiLB seasons between the Twins and Cardinals organizations. Last year, Velez pitched for the Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League with a 1.99 ERA and 53 K’s in 30 games for the eventual champions. The righty has also tossed 151 combined innings in the Puerto Rican Winter League and Caribbean Series with a 2.21 mark. Most recently, Velez suited up for Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic and did not allow a run in two outings.

#27 AUSTIN ROBERTS

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 7/27/1998 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 215 HOMETOWN: WEST SACRAMENTO, CA. Now in his seventh season as a Minor League reliever, Roberts will pitch in the Rangers organization for the first time. The righty split time between Double-A and Triple-A last year, playing both for Miami and Milwaukee’s affiliates. The former eighth-round pick appeared at the Triple-A level as early as 2021, his first season in MiLB. He spent the bulk of his season last year with Triple-A Jacksonville and posted a 5.19 ERA across 34.2 innings before time with two Southern League Double-A teams: Pensacola and Biloxi.

#28 DYLAN MACLEAN

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 7/12/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'4" | WEIGHT: 190 HOMETOWN: PORTLAND, OR MacLean, Texas’ fourth-round draft selection in 2020, makes his Double-A debut with Frisco in 2026. The Central Catholic High School product spent 2022 and 2023 with Low-A Down East before starring last season with HighA Hub City. The left-hander twirled a 3.34 ERA across 72.2 innings for the Spartanburgers in 2025. He surrendered just 53 hits and 15 walks for a 0.94 WHIP and added 65 strikeouts. In Hub City’s postseason run, MacLean made two starts and allowed three earned runs in eight total innings.

#30 JANSER LARA

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 8/10/1996 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 170 HOMETOWN: SAN CRISTOBAL, D.R The 28-year-old made his return to Minor League Baseball last year for the first time since 2018. In 2015, Lara signed at 19 years old with the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander pitched in the Royals organization from 2016-18, reaching as high as Class-A Lexington. Lara was assigned to Frisco on April 17th and pitched two shutout innings on April 18th. His Double-A debut marked his first MiLB game since Aug. 31, 2018. By season’s end, Lara made 13 appearances and struck out eight hitters over 9.2 innings.

#38 RAFE PERICH

POSITION: INF | DOB: 5/22/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 225 HOMETOWN: ALLENTOWN, PA A product of Lehigh, Perich was originally selected by Texas in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft. After splitting time with Single-A Hickory and High-A Hub City in 2025, the Pennsylvania native returned to Hub City to start 2026 and powered his way to one of the best starts in the Rangers organization. In just 38 games before his promotion to Frisco, the switchhitter clubbed 11 home runs to lead all Texas farmhands after hitting just six long balls in his first 105 career Minor League games.

#40 BRYAN MAGDALENO

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 2/22/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 202 HOMETOWN: SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. Magdaleno was named the 2024 Rangers Minor League Reliever of the Year after a dominant season between Low-A Down East, High-A Hickory and Frisco. The southpaw yielded just six earned runs all year, while his .134 batting average against was tied for second among MiLB pitchers (min. 40 innings). From July 3rd to Sept. 7th, he pitched 19 consecutive innings without allowing a hit between the three levels. Magdaleno had a 6.31 ERA in his first full season with Frisco last year across 36 appearances. The Santo Domingo, DR native has now pitched five years in the Rangers organization.

#43 AIDAN CURRY

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 7/25/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'5" | WEIGHT: 205 HOMETOWN: OSSINING, NY Curry, a non-drafted free agent out of Fordham Prep HS in New York in 2020, joined the RoughRiders after a late-May promotion from High-A Hub City. In seven starts with the Spartanburgers to begin 2026, the right-hander pitched his way to a 3.48 ERA in 31 innings with 42 strikeouts. The 23-year-old has crossed the 100 strikeout mark in three straight seasons. While with the Single-A Down East Wood Ducks, Curry was named the 2023 Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.

#46 ZACH BRYANT

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 6/5/1998 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 210 HOMETOWN: DAYTONA BEACH, FL Bryant joined Texas over the offseason after spending time in the Red Sox organization. The Florida native started his career as a 15th-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2019 and joined Boston’s High-A affiliate, Greenville, in 2021.

Since 2022, the righty has spent all of his time with Double-A Portland and owns a 6.26 ERA across 79 appearances at the level.

#49 JOEY DANIELSON

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 1/11/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'3" | WEIGHT: 235 HOMETOWN: EDINA, MN Danielson earned a June promotion to the RoughRiders after a dominant start to 2026 with High-A Hub City. The 25-year-old made 20 appearances to start the season with the Spartanburgers and recorded a save in seven of them. Across 21.2 innings, Danielson allowed just three earned runs for a 1.25 ERA. In a 2025 season that saw him make 49 total appearances, Danielson made his Double-A debut with Frisco last year, striking out 19 batters in 14.2 innings. He was originally a 17th-round pick in 2024 out of North Dakota State.

#51 DUSTIN SAENZ

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 6/2/1999 | HEIGHT: 5'11" | WEIGHT: 197 HOMETOWN: CORPUS CHRISTI, TX Saenz is familiar with Texas, having grown up in Corpus Christi and played collegiately at Texas A&M. The left-handed pitcher signed with Texas in April as a Minor League free agent and joined the RoughRiders in May. A former fourth-round pick, Saenz began his pro career in the Nationals system, reaching as high as Triple-A in his five years with Washington affiliates.

#52 JONATHAN BRAND

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 2/20/2000 | HEIGHT: 5'9" | WEIGHT: 200 HOMETOWN: COLUMBUS, GA Brand enters his fifth season of Minor League Baseball in 2026 and his first as a member of the Rangers organization. The righty brings his career 3.17 ERA to Frisco after pitching across all four levels in Boston’s system. Brand, a former eighth-rounder out of Miami University of Ohio, had a 3.48 ERA with Double-A Portland last season after posting a 0.89 mark in High-A Greenville and making one appearance with Triple-A Worcester. Texas selected the Georgian in the Minor League phase of MLB’s Rule 5 Draft.

#54 BLAKE TOWNSEND

POSITION: LHP | DOB: 4/5/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'4" | WEIGHT: 245 HOMETOWN: TRARALGON, VIC, AUSTRALIA The left-handed Townsend signed with Texas as a Minor League free agent in January. After four seasons in the Mariners system, his last two years came as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Last season, Townsend had a 2.05 ERA in 66 innings with Double-A Altoona and earned the chance to pitch in Triple-A for the first time with the Indianapolis Indians, working a scoreless 2.1 IP outing. A native Australian, Townsend is a two-time participant in the World Baseball Classic with Team Australia. Between 2023 and 2026, he didn’t allow a hit or a run across three WBC appearances.

#67 ERIC LOOMIS

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 3/27/2002 | HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 195 HOMETOWN: BRENTWOOD, MO The Rangers selected Loomis in the 16th round of the 2024 Draft. The righthanded pitcher started last season in Low-A and finished the year two levels higher with a seven-game stint in Frisco, ending his season as the Rangers Minor League Reliever of the Year. Loomis had a 2.89 ERA across seven appearances with Low-A Hickory and leveled up with a 1.80 mark and an astronomical 55 strikeouts in 35 innings with High-A Hub City. From there, the 23-year-old struck out 15 Texas Leaguers in 7.2 innings of work.

ALL AROUND THE TEXAS LEAGUE

SOUTH DIVISION

NORTH DIVISION

FEATURE STORY

dalton pence: starting over There is something special about college baseball this time of year.

The last student-athletes left on campus are battling to keep their season alive and stave off summer one postseason game at a time – a stark contrast to their classmates who can’t wait to wrap up and trade statistics problems for sleeping in.

Teams fight tooth and nail to punch their tickets to the College World Series in Omaha as the country’s best players try to put out their best product before their collegiate careers come to a close either by choice or requirement.

Some are headed to the MLB Draft and some are headed home having played their last ever game.

It’s a breeding ground for some of the most competitive baseball on the calendar all year.

dalton pence: starting over Around this time two years ago, Dalton Pence was in the dead middle of it, straining every day to play another day. Pence’s North Carolina Tar Heels were selected as a host seed in the NCAA Tournament and got to play their Regional games at home in Chapel Hill. A win away from the Super Regional round, UNC suffered a Sunday loss to the reigning NCAA champion LSU Tigers, forcing a rematch 24 hours later. Winner would advance. Loser wouldn’t be so lucky.

On and off the field, what would follow served as a microcosm of what drew the Rangers to Pence and what prompted Texas to take the lefty reliever with their 11th-round pick later that July in the 2024 MLB Draft. It also provided an early piece of evidence that he’d take well to the transformation Texas was planning: turning him into a professional starter.

Over the weekend, Pence threw a combined 59 pitches, piloting North Carolina’s bullpen as he had all season long. Before Monday’s matchup, though, the Gastonia, N.C. native made his way to his head coach, Scott Forbes, to ensure they were on the same page. Pence wanted to pitch that night, no question about it.

dalton pence: starting over To persuade him, Pence told his skipper a story about Nolan Ryan, noting to Forbes that the Hall of Famer once threw 235 pitches in a game.

Pence thought, if Ryan could do that, what was holding him back from giving the Tar Heels more bullets on Monday night?

Whether he needed the persuasion or not, Forbes was willing to find out. With UNC down 3-2 in the seventh inning and the season on the line, the Tar Heel manager pointed to his ‘pen to call on Pence. The lefty got the last two outs of the seventh, held the Tigers scoreless in the eighth and watched as his offense tied the game in the ninth inning. Pence forced extra innings with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and, armed with a one-run lead, took the mound in the bottom of the tenth too.

With a runner at first and the potential winning run at the plate for LSU with two outs, Pence induced a deep fly ball to center field, which could’ve been a walk-off two-run home run. It didn’t have the legs, though, stopping short of the dirt warning track in Chapel Hill. When it fell into the glove of Pence’s center fielder, Vance Honeycutt, the game was over. North Carolina was moving on. Season saved and game won by Pence.

dalton pence: starting over The pitch that sealed it was Pence’s 117th of the Regional, not quite matching Ryan’s 235-pitch start, but blowing past Pence’s career-high in a weekend. He surrendered just one hit in 3.2 scoreless innings in the sealing effort.

“He’s a horse,” Forbes said that night. “Dalton is able to do that because he’s just a blue-collar, hard-working kid…We’re lucky to have him, that’s for sure.”

Flash forward to the present and that sentiment is one that the Rangers have shared since Pence turned pro and was promoted to Frisco in May. While serving as the RoughRiders’ acting pitching coach, Rangers Minor League Pitching Coordinator Jon Goebel said Pence’s mental makeup is “about as good as it gets,” citing his competitive nature and self-belief.

That’s why, despite 58 of his 63 college appearances coming in a bullpen role, Goebel and the Rangers were confident Pence would be able to handle the transition to being a starter in the Minor Leagues.

As for Pence?

“I thought it was awesome,” he said about the idea. “An awesome opportunity for me.”

dalton pence: starting over To persuade him, Pence told his skipper a story about Nolan Ryan, noting to Forbes that the Hall of Famer once threw 235 pitches in a game.

Pence thought, if Ryan could do that, what was holding him back from giving the Tar Heels more bullets on Monday night?

Whether he needed the persuasion or not, Forbes was willing to find out. With UNC down 3-2 in the seventh inning and the season on the line, the Tar Heel manager pointed to his ‘pen to call on Pence. The lefty got the last two outs of the seventh, held the Tigers scoreless in the eighth and watched as his offense tied the game in the ninth inning. Pence forced extra innings with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and, armed with a one-run lead, took the mound in the bottom of the tenth too.

With a runner at first and the potential winning run at the plate for LSU with two outs, Pence induced a deep fly ball to center field, which could’ve been a walk-off two-run home run. It didn’t have the legs, though, stopping short of the dirt warning track in Chapel Hill. When it fell into the glove of Pence’s center fielder, Vance Honeycutt, the game was over. North Carolina was moving on. Season saved and game won

by Pence.

dalton pence: starting over The Rangers ramped Pence up to his new role during his first professional season in 2025, flipping between two or three-inning starts and multi-inning relief appearances from April to July before letting him dig his heels in with four all-out starts in August.

When he turned in a 1.74 ERA over 20.2 innings in the month, it was clear he was ready to start full-time in 2026.

So, armed with what he called a “consistent routine,” Pence took on Spring Training fully committed to being a starter and captured the Rangers’ April Minor League Pitcher of the Month award with a 3.10 ERA across four starts with High-A Hub City. Two weeks later, he was off to Frisco to make his Double-A debut.

“He’s just a pro’s pro,” Goebel said about Pence’s promotion to Double-A. “He’s very well prepared. He’s mature beyond his years.

All those cliches about a guy’s mental fortitude and then you stack the fact on top that he’s got some really unique pitch characteristics…He’s just got a lot of things that make him a tough assignment for anybody.”

dalton pence: starting over At the center of Pence’s unique pitch characteristics is a fastball that Goebel says “punches above its weight” because of the lefty’s unique arm slot and the pitch’s riding action that makes it look like it rises to hitters. Goebel said hitters “don’t like to hit what they don’t see a lot,” and Pence’s fastball is a prime example. That’s one reason the offering made up about 80% of Pence’s arsenal at North Carolina.

To transition to a starter, however, Pence and the Rangers knew that percentage had to come down a bit, even if it was to stay his primary pitch. Texas told the lefty they wanted to start his arsenal from “ground zero,” and thought he should work on a cutter and a splitter, the latter of which he took visual cues from Nathan Eovaldi to develop. Then, in the middle of 2025, the Rangers asked Pence if he’d ever thrown a curveball before.

“I said yes, but it wasn’t too good,” Pence chuckled. “It might not be the best wipeout curveball, but it works for me.”

As his four-pitch mix has molded into form, Pence has used it to dice up Double-A hitters in his first four starts with the RoughRiders. As of June 9, the lefthander holds a 2.53 ERA across 21.1 Double-A innings with 21 strikeouts. In each of his four starts at the level, he has completed at least five innings.

dalton pence: starting over Pence credits his success to getting ahead of hitters with strikes early and forcing them to expand out of the zone later in counts. He’s also accomplished his goal of going deep into games, which he says is the “main thing” a starter should be focused on.

While Goebel has said he looks forward to seeing Pence battle adversity in the pros, whether in Double-A or Triple-A, and witness Pence’s response, he’s had to stay patient as the lefty refuses to slow down his climb. Goebel knows, as Forbes and all of Pence’s former coaches likely did, that he will be ready to handle it.

And why wouldn’t he be? From a 117-pitch weekend to an arsenal overhaul and full role reversal, Pence has pitched well through it all. He hasn’t let his competitive fire fizzle out and he certainly hasn’t complained. Now, after North Carolina and the lower levels of the Rangers farm system saw him succeed, Frisco gets to enjoy all the lefty has to offer.

And as Goebel concluded, “You’d love to have as many guys like him in your system as possible.”

Frisco Photos

RAFE PERICH WALKS IT OFF

SEAGER, LANGFORD AND SMITH REHABBED IN FRISCO

BROOKS ENJOYING THE POSTGAME FIREWORKS

BOWLING FOR SOUP E PERFORMS PREGAM

JONATH

AN BRAN D ON THE MOU ND

ND JERSEYS A TOY STORY ANTHEM NATIONAL

MOM ENTS DISAS BEFO R TER A T ROW E DY @ THE R I VER

June 16tH-21ST

TH

JUNE 16 , 1989 SAMMY SOSA MAKES HIS MLB DEBUT AS THE LEADOFF HITTER FOR THE RANGERS, BECOMING THE YOUNGEST PLAYER FROM THE D.R. TO MAKE THE MAJORS AT AGE 20.

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