Diamondbacks' Nike RBI teams lifted by return of ASU baseball commit

A few of them woke up before the sun and drove hours from Nogales or Yuma to make it to practice. Afterward, they ate, loaded their cars and drove all the way back, only to do it again the next day at Salt River Fields.

From Monday, July 13, to Wednesday, July 15, players on the Diamondbacks' Nike RBI baseball teams — high schoolers from throughout Arizona — worked out on the same fields the Diamondbacks use for spring training in preparation for the annual RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) regional tournament in Portland, Oregon, from Thursday, July 16, to Sunday, July 19. They flew to the Pacific Northwest with brand-new Diamondbacks uniforms donated to them by the club and star outfielder Corbin Carroll.

Carroll surprised all 48 RBI athletes (two baseball teams and a softball team) with Nike uniforms, cleats and travel gear ahead of their tournaments. It's something Carroll has been a part of in years past, and watching the players see their new gear for the first time is always a highlight.

The RBI program helps players from areas that don't often draw scouts gain visibility; the chance to play at an elite level and make enough of an impression to earn post-high school playing opportunities.

"Sometimes these kids do get overlooked just because of their background and where they come from, as opposed to kids from maybe the East Valley, guys who actually have the resources and funding to get looked at, " said Eric Figueroa, manager of the Diamondbacks Baseball Academy.

"The RBI program can definitely put you on the right path and really just get you in front of the right coaches, the right connections, the right people."

RBI meant a lot to former Laveen Cesar Chavez (since renamed Cactus Canyon) player Adolfo Pacheco, who was in the program from 2022-25. Pacheco played on the Diamondbacks senior RBI team that won the RBI World Series last year, then went on to play at Chandler-Gilbert Community College this past season.

Pacheco, a catcher, hit .344 with 12 home runs and 54 runs batted in in 55 games. Those numbers and his ability to switch-hit landed him at Arizona State, where he will play going forward.

Pacheco said he knew ASU was where he wanted to play out his college career. He said USC, where he visited, just didn't feel right.

"Coming out of Chavez, I didn't have a lot of eyes," Pacheco said. "I would get turned down really easy because I was too small, I didn't have enough power or whatever it was. There was always an excuse. So I kind of had to go make a name for myself and make sure that they couldn't tell me no.

"I always knew baseball was going to be the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life."

Pacheco worked out with this year's RBI teams as a way of giving back to the program for how it helped him.

"I want to come back and spend time with the players," Pacheco said. "Either show them some tips and tricks, or just being around is a big factor. I know they can pick up some stuff off me, I know I can pick their brain also."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks' Nike RBI teams lifted by return of ASU baseball commit