Frisco RoughRiders Game Program: May 5-10

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HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS 5/5 & 5/6

EDUCATION DAYS EDUCATION DAY PRESENTED

BY COLLIN COLLEGE MEANS STUDENTS TAKE OVER THE BALLPARK! THEY WILL HAVE A WORKBOOK AND HEAR FROM DIFFERENT SPEAKERS. 5/8

SHAKE & BAKE AT THE PLATE CELEBRATE A NIGHT DEDICATED TO THE FILM TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. GRAYSON RUSSELL (TEXAS RANGER FROM TALLADEGA NIGHTS) AND DAVID BABCOCK (WILL FERRELL IMPERSONATOR) WILL BE ON HAND!

4/26

YOUTH BACKPACK GIVEAWAY KIDS CAN GET TO THE BALLPARK EARLY FOR THIS YOUTH BACKPACK GIVEAWAY PRESENTED BY HILAND DAIRY!

2026 SCHEDULE 3 HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS 7 OPPONENT OVERVIEW 11 RIDERS SPOTLIGHT 14 STADIUM MAP 23 ROSTER 36 MEET THE MASCOTS 41 FEATURE STORY: COREY JOYCE 55 PHOTO GALLERY 62 ROAD TO THE SHOW 64 THIS DAY IN HISTORY 68 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE 2

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS DOUBLE-A AFFILIATE OF THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF FORMER SIX-YEAR MAJOR LEAGUER BROOKS CONRAD, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NOTCHED IDENTICAL 33–36 RECORDS IN BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND HALVES LAST YEAR. THE NATURALS FINISHED SECOND IN THE LEAGUE IN HITS AND STEALS, PACING AN OFFENSE THAT FINISHED IN THE TOP HALF OF THE LEAGUE OVERALL.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS PLAYERS TO WATCH #7 BRETT SQUIRES

POSITION: INF DOB: 2/26/2000 HEIGHT: 6'3 WEIGHT: 210 HOMETOWN: FORT WORTH, TX

#8 SAM KULASINGAM

POSITION: INF DOB: 7/10/2001 HEIGHT: 6'1 WEIGHT: 185 HOMETOWN: SANTA ROSA, CA

#11 DREW BEAM

POSITION: RHP DOB: 2/14/2003 HEIGHT: 6'4 WEIGHT: 208 HOMETOWN: NASHVILLE, TN

POSITION FAVORITE PLAYER TOP ARTIST FAVORITE MOVIE

CATCHER BUSTER POSEY CAGE THE ELEPHANT JUST GO WITH IT

YEARS WITH ROUGHRIDERS INSTAGRAM

2

@JULIANBROCK4

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 04/27

#1 KEYBER RODRIGUEZ

POSITION: INF | DOB: 10/24/2000 | HEIGHT: 5'10" | WEIGHT: 178 HOMETOWN: MARACAY, VENEZUELA Rodriguez enters his ninth season in the Rangers organization after signing a Minor League contract on July 2, 2017. He first reached Frisco in 2023, batting .242 in 41 games. In 2024, he hit .234/.285/.369/.654 while his 139 defensive assists ranked 10th among Texas League shortstops. Last year, Rodriguez hit .251 in 116 games with Frisco and also earned his first career call-up to Triple-A Round Rock. The Maracay, Venezuela native won the 2021 True Ranger Award, given to the Rangers Minor Leaguer who exemplifies the core values of the organization both on and off the field.

#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.

#6 JAKE SNIDER

POSITION: OF | DOB: 5/19/1998 | HEIGHT: 5'10" | WEIGHT: 190 HOMETOWN: WATERLOO, IA An original 20th-round pick in 2019 by Pittsburgh out of the University of Louisville, Snider agreed to a Minor League free agent deal with the Rangers in January. Texas is the outfielder’s fourth organization since breaking into pro ball. After spending 2023 and 2024 in Colorado’s system, Snider played in High-A and Double-A last year for the Padres organization. In seven Texas League games with the San Antonio Missions last season, Snider went 6-for18 at the plate, drew three walks and stole three bases, making his Double-A debut.

#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 TUCKER MITCHELL

POSITION: C | DOB: 2/10/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 210 HOMETOWN: IRVING, TEXAS The 25-year-old backstop was a 14th-round pick by Texas in the 2021 MLB Draft after one year at Florida Atlantic and one year at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Before college, Mitchell played high school baseball at the prestigious IMG Academy. In 2025, he played 53 games for the RoughRiders and hit .218 behind the plate before getting his first career call-up to Triple-A Round Rock. With the Express, he made 20 plate appearances in eight games to finish the season.

#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.

#16 JOHN TAYLOR

POSITION: INF | DOB: 4/26/2001 | HEIGHT: 5'11" | WEIGHT: 200 HOMETOWN: BEND, OR A former Ragin’ Cajun from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Taylor takes his talents to Frisco in his second season of Minor League Baseball.

After posting a .932 OPS with eight home runs in 52 games for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the independent Atlantic League, Taylor signed with Texas and joined High-A Hub City in June of 2025. With the Spartanburgers, Taylor hit .256 in 58 games with 20 runs driven in. John and his brother, Will, run the social media brand, the Baseball Bat Bros, which reviews different baseball bats. They have over one million subscribers on YouTube and over a million followers on Instagram.

#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 DAVID DAVALILLO

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 9/21/2002 | HEIGHT: 61" | WEIGHT: 175 HOMETOWN: OCUMARE DEL TUY, VENEZUELA The 23-year-old right-hander returns to Frisco after dominating with High-A Hub City last year and making the midseason jump. At the time of his promotion, Davalillo ranked fourth in Minor League Baseball in WHIP (0.82) and led the SAL in ERA (2.12). Between Low-A Down East and High-A Hickory in 2024, Davalillo led MiLB with a 1.88 ERA, the lowest by a Rangers farmhand since former Rider Joe Wieland in 2011. In his first Double-A stint last season, Davalillo stayed red hot and stormed to a 2.73 ERA in 11 starts.

#22 WILIAN BORMIE

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 4/7/2001 | HEIGHT: 6'3" | WEIGHT: 175 HOMETOWN: BARAHONA, D.R. Bormie signed a minor league contract with the Rangers in December of 2019 and began playing in the Rangers organization in August of 2022. After posting a 3.86 ERA with High-A Hub City in 2025, he was promoted to Frisco on August 5, 2025. Across 33 relief appearances for the Spartanburgers, the right-hander struck out 76 batters across 52 innings of work while walking just 29. Bormie proceeded to post a 2.31 ERA in his 12 appearances with the RoughRiders and tallied 14 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.

#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 BEN ANDERSON

POSITION: RHP | DOB: 5/2/1998 | HEIGHT: 6'4" | WEIGHT: 200 HOMETOWN: REXFORD, NY Anderson resigned with Texas in January after logging 35 career starts in 39 career appearances as a RoughRider. Over that span, the righthander was 1012 with a 3.98 ERA. Anderson played at the University of Binghamton for three seasons and posted a 2.76 ERA as a senior before the Rangers selected him in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Anderson’s brother, Ian, was the third overall pick by Atlanta in 2016 and won the 2021 World Series with the Braves.

#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.

#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.

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FEATURE STORY

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats “I just wanted another opportunity to play.”

It’s a common baseball comment that can seem straightforward at face value. For Corey Joyce, though, it’s a layered reflection that represents the wraps and coils of his twisting and turning journey to Frisco and back to baseball in general.

On one hand, the Riders’ newest infielder is grateful for a roster spot after the Rangers scooped him up following his release from Pittsburgh and sent him to join Frisco six days later. On the other, he’ll never take for granted any chance to play the game that is “basically everything he’s ever known” after it was nearly taken from him entirely.

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats Early on in 2024, Joyce’s fifth season in the Tigers organization, the Lexington, NC native was playing for Triple-A Toledo, every day one phone call or managerial meeting away from the big leagues. As he got off to a slow start, Joyce couldn’t look past the nagging headaches and pressure around his eye that followed him from day to day. He’d never experienced them before.

An April medical visit less than 10 games into Joyce’s season unearthed the cause. Doctors discovered a skull tumor located around Joyce’s eyebrow, created by Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare blood disorder that normally affects newborns and children. According to the Cleveland Clinic, LCH’s classification is debated by scientists as to whether or not it is a form of cancer, but it acts like a cancer and, in Joyce’s case, required surgery.

Five years into a professional baseball career in which Joyce became accustomed to an everyday routine filled from start to finish with athletic activity, he had to step away from the sport. In recovery, all Joyce was allowed to do physically was walk.

“It was probably one of the toughest times in my life,” Joyce said.

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Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats While Joyce spent those days in part thinking he might never play baseball again, he says the hardest part was not knowing how the situation might affect his future off the field.

“I just wanted to be able to eventually create a family,” Joyce said. “That’s one of the best things in your life that you can do and I was worried about not being able to do that.”

Joyce had gotten engaged just a few months before in January and his fiancée Caitlin traveled to Toledo to be by his side through the surgery and the recovery process.

With the strength he got from his family, fiancée and faith, Joyce overcame the biggest obstacle he’d ever faced and made his return to the diamond on August 20, 2024 – 118 days after his last game in Toledo – on a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland. He finished the season with Double-A Erie, played 92 games in the Cubs organization in 2025 and officially married Caitlin on November 15, 2025.

Through it all, Joyce’s battle with LCH did not return. The 27-year-old now looks back on the experience through an ever-mature lens.

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats “It’s taken a lot off my shoulders,” Joyce said. “Frustration. The 0-for-4, fourstrikeout nights. It definitely puts things in a different perspective.”

Joyce saw a shift and says the little things in life don’t get to him as much anymore. He’s developed a deep appreciation for something as small as playing in front of fans and says he can play free every day.

His mature outlook was one of the first things that RoughRiders Manager Chad Comer was told about Joyce by Texas Rangers officials after the team signed him as a Minor League free agent on April 8, 2026 and assigned him to Frisco on April 14.

The repeated phrase Comer remembers hearing was, “He’s a pro.”

“You always hear the words, ‘He’s a pro.

He’s a pro. He’s a pro,’ when you get different guys,” Comer said. “But I think, in the short time he’s been here, he very much is. More than anything, he seems to be a pretty level-headed guy… Just an easygoing guy that fits in with the team.”

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats Comer’s first introduction to Joyce came on a Tuesday in Amarillo, Texas, when the infielder joined the RoughRiders at the stadium for their series opener against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Frisco’s bus had left on Tuesday morning for the road trip, but Joyce had to fly in from Arizona after spending just under a week at the Rangers’ Spring Training facility.

Joyce’s alarm went off at 1:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time Tuesday morning ahead of a 5:00 a.m. flight. As the clock approached 10:00 p.m. Central Time in Amarillo that night – nearly 19 hours after Joyce’s wake-up call – Comer used him as a pinch-hitter in a seven-run ninth inning that helped the Riders come back from down three to win 15-11. Joyce scored the fourth run of the inning, the game’s winning run.

“Hey man, I know it’s been a long day, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to hop in there and get an AB,” Comer recalled telling Joyce upon arrival.

“And then, there you go,” he chuckled.

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats “It was pretty wild,” Joyce said. “You’re never going to be ready for that type of situation…

You just go out there and you compete. You compete like you’re a rockstar because that’s what you do. That’s who you are.”

That’s certainly who Joyce was the rest of the series. In his first week as a RoughRider, Joyce, who had been prepared to go to Mexico to keep his playing dreams alive in independent ball before the Rangers called, went 10-for-21 at the plate with nine RBI, including two separate three-run home runs.

“It was fun to watch, fun to see,” Comer said.

“Sometimes you get a fresh start somewhere and that’s what you need.”

After he tore up the Texas League in week one on the road, Joyce traveled back with the team to Frisco and prepared to make his home debut at Riders Field. The only issue? He came down with a stomach bug on his first day in the city, which caused him to lose nine pounds and sidelined him for the first three games of the week against the Tulsa Drillers.

Corey Joyce: Character in Cleats When Joyce felt “good enough” to return to the lineup Friday, Comer safely slotted him into the ninth spot in the order. Joyce rifled a double in his first at-bat, walked his second time up and blasted a 408-foot home run in his third trip to the plate to lead the Riders to their first win of the week.

“You know, laying in a bed for three days and then coming out and hitting a home run, you don’t really have an explanation other than God,” Joyce said the next day.

When asked about his reaction to all he’d accomplished in his first two weeks as a RoughRider, Joyce, who’d seen it all between hospital beds and dugout benches over the last two years, had a fitting response.

“I’m just super happy to be part of another organization that has given me a chance to play,” he said. “I’m just hoping I can stay on the field and be able to continue to play this year.”

Frisco Photos

AUSTIN ROBERTS IN RELIEF

DAVID DAVALILLO GETTING IT DONE

KEYBER WITH THE SNAG

DOUBLE FROM IAN MOLLER

JOSH TR ENTADU E GETTING THE PITC H

IS SIGNING ERIC LOOM E RIDERS FOR FUTUR NIGHT

HAND SHAK E LIN DALL E ON AS W INGS NIGH T

MAY 5tH-10TH

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MAY 6 , 1915 BABE RUTH, STILL A PITCHER FOR THE BOSTON RED SOX, HITS HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HOME RUN AGAINST THE NEW YORK YANKEES AT THE POLO GROUNDS.

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