2014 Round Rock Express Community Impact Report

R O U N D R O C K E X P R E S S B A S E B A L L C L U B

2014 COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

S E C T I O N 1 Baseball/Softball Development…………………3-11

S E C T I O N 2 Community Events at Dell Diamond……….12-18

S E C T I O N 3 Front Office Community Involvement…….19-34

S E C T I O N 4 In-Game Fundraising & Awareness…………35-48

S E C T I O N 5 Military Appreciation……………………………..49-55

S E C T I O N 6 Youth Programs………………………………………56-64

BASEBALL/SOFTBALL DEVELOPMENT

C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T R E P O R T

All-star games thsbca/centex

Dell Diamond hosted the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association (THSBCA) All-Star games, which feature the state’s top amateur athletes, and the CenTex All-Star game, which highlights players from Central Texas. The players are given the chance to experience playing on a Minor League Park at Dell Diamond with hundreds of coaches, family members, friends, and members of the community cheering them on.

Baseball & softball camps The Express offer year-round baseball and softball camps serving over 500 kids annually in the Central Texas region and beyond. The Express partner with area high school and college baseball and softball coaches to assist with the camps, making it a true community effort. We offer quality instruction on the fundamentals of the game in the big-league atmosphere.

TOTAL YOUTH SERVED: 500+

Central Texas Area Little Leagues

The Express partner with multiple little leagues across the Central Texas region to not only provide on-field inspiration from Express players, but to help alleviate the high cost of playing organized baseball. Each participating league was honored at their own “Youth League Night” during the season. Participants joined their teammates for an on-field parade before the game and each league received a portion from every ticket sold that night to offset league expenses. In total Dell Diamond hosted 12 unique leagues and raised over $18,000 for all of the leagues combined in 2014.

TOTAL RAISED:

$ 1 8 , 0 0 0

Mabson Field Unveiling Ceremony The Round Rock Express, the Nolan Ryan Foundation, RBI Austin, and many others worked to raise the $270,000 needed to fix up Mabson Field (Austin, TX) in 2014. The Express helped contribute to the project to ensure East Austin youth have a reliable field for playing baseball and softball. The field now is available for boys and girls from RBI Austin and the Greater East Austin Youth Association to safely play and enjoy the game.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 2 7 0 , 0 0 0

Miracle League of Austin The Round Rock Express Miracle Field (Austin, TX), home of designated Express charity Miracle League at Town & Country, has been recognized nationally as a premier alternative sports facility that offers specialized rubber-surfaced fields to over 14,000 local disabled and handicapped children in the Central Texas area. The Express have played an integral part in securing funds for the creation of the field by hosting multiple charity events and promotional activities. The Express continue to support the MLTC through different avenues each year, including “Miracle League Night” at Dell Diamond in 2014 as a way to highlight the many athletes, their families and the volunteers who make baseball possible for children statewide.

National Pro Fastpitch Series/Softball Week As a continued effort of the Express to engage the local softball community, Dell Diamond welcomed back the National Pro Fastpitch Softball Series to host a hour-game series between the USSSA Pride and the Chicago Bandits in late June of 2014. The series was part of a bigger initiative crowned as “Softball Week at Dell Diamond” that featured a Softball Appreciation Night at an Express game honoring legendary pitcher Cat Osterman and a two-day youth softball camp that included professional instruction and an autograph session with members of the Pride.

Texas/New Mexico Junior College Baseball Coaches Association All‐Star Game

In 2014, Dell Diamond served as the host site for the annual Texas/New Mexico Junior College Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Games for the first time. The event features four selected teams of all-stars from Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana community colleges, as well as the Dallas Metroplex National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III colleges. The event gives baseball student-athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents for collegiate coaches and professional scouts. Players are selected at the annual conference meetings based on the previous year’s accolades. In total, 115 student-athletes spanning 35 colleges participated in the event.

UIL state baseball championships This year marked the 15th year for Dell Diamond to host the annual University Interscholastic League (UIL) state baseball playoffs championships, which brings schools from all classifications across the state of Texas to compete for their respective state title. Dell Diamond has become the premier destination teams across the state set their sights on reaching each and every season.

Community Events at Dell Diamond


COATS FOR KIDS Dell Diamond was the site of Round Rock Area Serving Center’s annual “Coats for Kids” distribution event in the fall of 2014. The serving center collects coats for children who are enrolled in the Free Lunch Program in Round Rock and average approximately 3,500 donated coats each year. The Express were able to collect over 1,500 coats at the ballpark this year and were thrilled to host the event where they all got distributed to the kids in October.

TOTAL COATS COLLECTED: 1 , 5 0 0 +

GOODWILL CLOTHING DONATION DRIVE

The Express and Goodwill Industries of Central Texas teamed up to host a clothing donation drive weekend at Dell Diamond at the end of July. A special clothing drop-off bin was placed in the Railyard – the Express’ official team store – for fans to make clothing donations all weekend long. All fans who made any size donation received a voucher good for two tickets to a future Express game and received a voucher for 15% off their total purchase in the Railyard. Overall, Goodwill collected a full 5 ft. x 5 ft. bin of donated clothing.

Fire Truck Pull Challenge benefiting Special Olympics

The fifth annual Austin/Round Rock Fire

Truck Pull Challenge took place in the Dell

Diamond parking lot prior to the last home

game of the season. The event was hosted

by the Round Rock Police Department,

Round Rock Fire Department, Law

Enforcement Torch Run and the Round Rock

Express. 25 teams comprising over 300

people competed in the event to be named

the 2014 Fire Truck Pull Champions. In total,

the event raised $10,000 with all proceeds

benefiting Special Olympics Texas.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 1 0 , 0 0 0

Reckless Kelly Celebrity Softball Jam

Austin-based roots-rock band Reckless Kelly and the Express hosted the 6th Annual Reckless Kelly Celebrity Softball Jam at Dell Diamond that brought together professional athletes and musicians for a fun-filled softball game and an afternoon of live music. All proceeds went to benefit various non-profit youth baseball groups, including The Miracle League at Town & Country and The Miracle League in San Antonio. The six softball jams have drawn more than 30,000 people and raised more than $180,000. In 2014, over $38,000 was raised through the event. The event also hosts a baseball equipment drive to benefit RBI Austin, and this past year brought in a full truck bed’s worth of gently used equipment.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 3 8 , 0 0 0 +

Round rock isd convocation The Round Rock Express and the Round Rock Independent School District partnered together to host one of the largest convocations in district history at Dell Diamond this past summer. Over 5,000 teachers, principles and staff were in attendance representing 33 elementary schools, ten middle schools and six high schools. This “World Class” assembly focused on coming together as a team of educators to share common goals of being kid-centric in their decision making, building world class schools and programs for the students, and making 2014-2015 the best year ever. Speakers like Express General Manger Chris Almendarez, Teachers of the Year Allison Schroeder and Roy Smith, and Superintendent Steve Flores made an impact on everyone as they moved into a new school year to help encourage 48,000 students to learn and grow through academics, arts, and athletics.

YMCA at dell diamond The Round Rock Express’ partnership with Central Texas YMCAs continued in 2014 as Dell Diamond played host to multiple events for the organization over the course of the year. In October, YMCA brought their annual “Halloween at the Y” event to the ballpark where adults and children alike enjoyed carnival games, a petting zoo, a costume contest, and lots of candy. Local businesses set up vendor booths, and some members of our nation’s military stopped by to support the event. Altogether, this event brought over 8,000 out to the diamond to celebrate Halloween.

TOTAL P A R T I C I P A N T S : 8 , 0 0 0 +

Front Office Community Involvement


“Catch Nolan” contest The Express kicked off their 15th season with a very unique promotion that garnered national attention. “Catch Nolan” started as a guerilla marketing campaign with everything from stickers, stamps, cards and even a billboard plastered with the signature “Catch Nolan” logo. It was ultimately unveiled as a contest where one fan would get the chance to catch a first pitch from Nolan Ryan on Opening Day. Over 5,000 entries were received during the month‐long campaign.

CC4C’s Micro Marathon Express CEO Reese Ryan and staff were honored to attend the 4th Annual Cheyanna's Champions 4 Children (CC4C) Micro Marathon which helped raise funds for children suffering from rare and undiagnosed conditions. CC4C’s mission is to help reduce time to diagnosis and help these children reach their recovery as quickly as possible. The Express were excited to participate in the 2.62 mile family fun run around the Hill Country Galleria to help fight for all the special children.

DELL GIVES BACK As a part of the renewed, 10-year naming rights agreement prior to the 2013 season, Dell and the Round Rock Express have committed to allocating $25,000 of the annual sponsorship to various non-profits in and around Central Texas each year. An internal committee was created with both Dell and Express representatives to determine the criteria for consideration and to award the year’s beneficiaries. Three organizations were chosen in 2014: The Capital Area Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas; the Round Rock Area Serving Center, a non-profit serving human needs in Round Rock and surrounding communities; and RBI Austin, a Major League Baseball initiative geared towards engaging and developing inner-city Austin youth athletically, academically and spiritually through the game of baseball. An amount of $5,000 was distributed to both The Capital Area Food Bank and the Round Rock Area Serving center, and $10,000 was utilized to cover the camp cost for 60+ RBI kids at the annual Holiday Camp at Dell Diamond.

TOTAL Donated: $ 2 5 , 0 0 0

DONATION REQUESTS The Round Rock Express donate countless tickets, merchandise and memorabilia to numerous qualifying organizations throughout the state of Texas every year. To maximize its charitable efforts, the Express primarily give direct support to disadvantaged youth, youth development and educational programs, youth baseball programs and medical research organizations. Anyone is welcome to request a donation on the team website all year-round. In 2014, the Express donated over $65,000 worth of tickets and over $12,000 in merchandise to worthy organizations across Texas.

TOTAL Donated: $ 7 7 , 8 3 1

Family Legacy Trip to Zambia For the second year in a row, Express General Manager Chris Almendarez utilized his holiday break to give the gift of baseball with Family Legacy Missions International, an organization that connects American families to orphaned and vulnerable Zambian children. This year Chris, his wife, and his youngest son made the long trip to Africa with 200 baseball uniforms, 50 gloves, 20 bats and five dozen baseballs that were gifted to the kids during their “Dream Camp”. Over 140 disadvantaged youth participated in Coach Chris’ five-day program, all made possible by Express ownership through donations and funding. Chris and his family have been so touched by the program, they have “adopted” an orphan from the camp to sponsor throughout the year, enabling him to attend school, an opportunity he otherwise would have been without.

Habitat for Humanity The Express staff teamed up with Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County to help bring the community together to build decent, affordable housing – and hope – for people in need. Habitat provides a “hand up” to home ownership through sweat equity, donor generosity, volunteer labor and interest-free mortgages. We also designed a door for World Habitat Day and were selected as the contest winner!

HeartGift Foundation Host Founded in Austin, the HeartGift Foundation provides life-saving heart surgery to children from developing countries. Round Rock Express CEO Reese Ryan has been involved with the organization in both Austin and the Dallas/Fort Worth area for many years. In January 2014, the Ryan family served as a host to an almost two-year-old girl from Belize, Courtney, who was set to undergo surgery in mid-January at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas with her mother, Tricia, by her side. Courtney was the non-profit organization’s 200th patient and successfully underwent surgery to correct a life-threatening heart defect.

HOPE ALLIANCE Based in Williamson County, HOPE Alliance serves as a domestic violence and sexual assault response and prevention program for the women of Central Texas. Several members of ownership – including Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and his wife Ruth – are personally involved with the organization and play a huge role in their fundraising efforts throughout the year. In 2014, Express ownership participated in the annual “Safe At Home” dinner, the “Women Fore Hope” golf tournament and the “Baseball 101 for Ladies” night. Hope Alliance is one of the designated non-profit organizations for the Express.

Mascot and Player Appearances

The Express offer year-round mascot appearances and seasonal player appearances. Spike, the Express mascot, visited numerous schools, civic and charitable events, and little leagues throughout Central Texas. In total, Spike made 200+ appearances in 2014. Express players are also available for public speaking, appearances and autograph sessions during each baseball season. The players and coaching staff showed up to support many local organizations over the course of the year including the YMCA, Habitat for Humanity and the Boys Scouts of America.

TOTAL Appearances: 200+

Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund Former Express favorite Mike Coolbaugh was struck and killed by a line drive late on the evening of July 22, 2007 while coaching first base for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. A memorial fund was established at Spirit Bank in Tulsa, OK and donations can be made through the Round Rock Express. To date, the Express have passed along in excess of $21,000 to the memorial fund and continually donate to the annual Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Golf Tournament.

OAK HILL YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION REBUILD A record rainfall in west Austin this past October caused Williamson Creek to overflow, flooding and leaving the Oak Hill Youth Sports Association (OHYSA) baseball and softball fields destroyed and unusable for the seeable future. OHYSA, which was in the midst of Fall Ball for approximately 750 local youngsters, estimated the cost of rebuilding the fields at around $100,000, which was far out of the league’s budget. The community as a whole rallied around the league to donate and host fundraisers in support of the rebuild including the Round Rock Express and their Turf Services counterpart, Ryan Sanders Sports Turf Services. They were able to rebuild the field surfaces on seven fields at the complex ‐ five baseball diamonds and two softball fields.

Player AND family amenities

An assignment to the Express is seldom seen as

a demotion. In fact, because of amenities like

stadium family discount cards, a state-of-the-art

Family Room with babysitting services and hi-

definition televisions, on-site massage services,

personal hairstylist, vehicle detailing and

curbside car rental pickups and drop-offs, it is

an assignment sought after by players and

players’ families alike. Even the players’ wives

and children are encouraged to get involved

with the Express community through

community projects and local event

appearances.

Speakers Bureau The goal of the Round Rock Express’ speaker’s bureau is to provide quality knowledge and information to better empower the surrounding area. Express staff members provide free guest and keynote presentations year-round in Central Texas. Express staff members have diverse backgrounds spanning all levels of baseball, including: journalism, finance, marketing, sales, ownership, team building, motivation, media relations, public relations and many other sectors which are vital not only in business and education, but also in life.

Ronald McDonald Room Refresh Project

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas celebrated its 5th birthday by hosting their first-ever “Room Refresh Project”. Local groups and businesses were invited to sponsor one of the thirty guest rooms by purchasing much-needed furniture and decorations, making it a warm and welcoming “home away from home” for families with children hospitalized at nearby Dell Children’s Medical Center. The Express Front Office sponsored one of the thirty rooms at the House and spent several days, alongside mascot Spike, decorating a baseball-themed guest room complete with new furnishings (donated by CORT Furniture), wall decals (donated by Ideal Signs), and plenty of baseball memorabilia.

Walk to Defeat ALS The Round Rock Express Front Office staff created a fundraising team for the annual Walk to Defeat ALS event that took place in Austin in October. All money raised from the event went towards finding a cure for ALS and helping to sustain local care services for people and their families in Central Texas living and dealing with the disease. A number of Express Front Office staff also joined in on the actual Walk day to further show support for the ALS Association.

In-Game Fundraising and Awareness


Bark in the Park In April 2014, the Round Rock Express and Action Pack Dog Center (Round Rock, TX) hosted over 180 dogs at Dell Diamond for the third year in a row at fan-favorite theme night, “Bark in the Park”. The evening featured a pre-game pooch parade, a highlighted rescue organization on-site, a costume contest, and multiple dog-themed, in-game elements, including local dog celebrity Sid the Beagle (Facebook: my reagle beagle) throwing out the first pitch. Fans interacted with adoptable pups at the Chasco Community Partnerships kiosk where non-profit rescue organization Austin Pets Alive! volunteers educated the community on their organization, one that has been instrumental in deeming Austin the “largest no-kill city in the nation”.

“Berm Bucks” The Express offer non-profit organizations the opportunity to sell Express tickets as a fundraising effort. Each “Berm Bucks” coupon sheet contains six general admission tickets, which are good for any regular season game (subject to availability). The organization sells each coupon sheet for $20 ($48 retail value); $10 stays with the organization and $10 is returned to the Express. The “Berm Bucks” fundraiser helped raise over $10,000 for various youth baseball/softball teams and non-profit organizations in 2014.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 +

CHASCO Community Partnership Program

The Chasco Community Partnership Program affords one local non-profit or charitable organization the opportunity to have a presence at Dell Diamond for each of the 72 home games. Organizations receive prime kiosk space on the main concourse for the purpose of educating Express fans and the general public about their organization and to help create awareness for their specific cause. Organizations take part in a pre-game interview on the field and receive an in-game PA announcement as a part of the program. Groups also have the opportunity to raise funds for their organization through Express game ticket sales. In 2014, 70 unique organizations took part in the third-year program.

Concession Stand Fundraisers In 2014, the Express and Dell Diamond concessionaire RS3 welcomed non-profit organizations into the concession stands to help raise money for their cause during Express games. In total, 11 different organizations took part in the program and collectively raised more than $200,000.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 +

Express Wives’ Raffles During the 2014 season the Express players’ wives took to the home plate concourse to host a silent auction and raffle in an effort to raise funds towards worthy causes. Items included autographed hats, balls, bats and jerseys as well as in-game experiences like being “manager for a day”, taking batting practice on the field, and speaking on-air with an Express radio announcer. At “Pink in the Park Night”, the wives’ table alone raised over $5,395 to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

HISPANIC HERITAGE DAY The Express celebrated Hispanic Heritage Day with the Round Rock Ballet Folklorico and the Stony Point High School Mariachi Band who performed live before and during the day game. The Hispanic-themed, game-worn jerseys from the night were auctioned off on the concourse during the game raising over $2,065. All proceeds went to benefit the Round Rock Ballet Folklorico.

TOTAL RAISED: $ 2 , 0 6 5

KXAN FANS FROM FANS The Express, KXAN and Family Eldercare teamed up once again in 2014 for the annual “Fans from Fans” event at Dell Diamond to provide needy Central Texans with relief from the life-threatening summer heat. Express fans were encouraged to bring a fan to the night’s game in exchange for a pair of tickets. Dozens of fans were collected and an additional $2,500 was received in online donations from the night.


Prostate Cancer Awareness Night

The Express partnered with Ed Randall’s “Bat for the Cure” – a “Home Grown Charity Partner of Minor League Baseball” – to present “Prostate Cancer Awareness Night” at Dell Diamond in 2014. Local volunteers manned a booth during the night's game to pass out informational material and raffle off a team-signed blue bat, the color of prostate awareness. A pregame PSA was played on the stadium's video board to showcase the organization and the cause. The Express players also wore light blue wristbands during the game show their support for the evening’s cause. In total, Ed Randall’s “Bat for a Cure” took home $5,395 for their charity.


Round Rock Arts Council “Have A Ball” Contest

The Express partnered with the Round Rock Area Arts Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, to host the first annual “Have A Ball” contest at Dell Diamond benefiting area art scholarships and the Round Rock Arts Council. Fans were encouraged to transform a baseball – or two – into a creative work of art and submit it for entry amongst several different categories. All entries were judged by a celebrity panel including Ballpark Rob and the mascot Spike crowning a first, second, third and honorable mention winner in each category. All entries were made available for purchase through a silent auction on the Express concourse during the April 26th Express home game. In total, over 70 entries were submitted and $4,567 was raised through the silent auction.


Shirt-Off-the-Back Night During the final home stand of the season, the Express hosted the annual “Shirt-Off-The-Back-Night” sponsored by Carino’s. Fans purchase $1 raffle tickets throughout the game with hopes of winning one of the jerseys worn by the Express players and coaches that evening. Following the game, the winning numbers are drawn and fans come onto the field to collect their jersey from the player or coach. The 2014 event raised $4,900 for the local affiliate of Autism Speaks.


“Slugging als night” In support of the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous speech, the Round Rock Express, along with the ALS Association Texas Chapter and MJ’s Army, hosted “Slugging ALS Night” at Dell Diamond. Express players and coaches wore commemorative pinstripe jerseys with Gehrig’s name on the back and a #4 patch on the sleeve that were auctioned off on the concourse long with other one-of-a-kind autographed baseball memorabilia. Michael Jaillet, a victim of ALS and the namesake to MJ’s Army, was on hand to throw out the night’s first pitch, and general admission tickets were available at a special discounted price of $4. Gehrig’s speech was played prior to the night’s fireworks in his honor. On top of the silent auction, a group hosted a casino night in the stadium’s conference center also benefitting MJ’s Army and the ALS Association Texas Chapter, and an area wood bat tournament was also hosted in support of ALS research. In total, the night helped raise over $8,500 to go towards ALS research.

TOTAL RAISED: $8,500+

Sport Clips “Team Member for a Day” For the fourth-consecutive year, the Express partnered with Sport Clips Haircuts to offer a “Team Member for a Day” contest which was available at numerous Sport Clips locations in the greater Austin area. The Grand Prize Winner was selected at random and offered a one-day, official contract to join the Round Rock Express. The contract was signed during a press conference, alongside Express GM Chris Almendarez and manager Steve Buechele, and included an official locker in the Express clubhouse, a personalized jersey, the opportunity to participate in pregame batting practice, dinner with the team, throwing out the night’s first pitch, delivering the official lineup card during the managers’ meeting at home plate and, of course, sitting in the dugout during the game.

“Strike Out Hunger” Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, a 501c(3) non-profit organization and the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas, teamed up with the Express every Wednesday night game in 2014 and offered fans the opportunity to exchange two H-E-B branded canned goods for a lawn ticket. Collectively we received 3,387 pounds of canned food, converting into 2,823 meals for our community!

TOTAL: 3 , 3 8 7 L B S O F C A N N E D F O O D

Military appreciation


Military Appreciation More than 3,000 veterans joined the Express at Dell Diamond in 2014 for our annual “Military Appreciation Night”, presented by the Wish For Our Heroes program, to honor those who currently serve or have served our country in the various branches of our military. A Benefit Fair with more than 40 veteran service organizations showcasing special programs for veterans, active military and civilians was held in the conference center during that night’s game. Attendees were offered free food and the opportunity to network with thousands of other veterans. Furthermore, the military-themed, game-worn jerseys from the night were auctioned off on the concourse, raising over $3,500. All proceeds went to benefit The Wish For Our Heroes program. The night’s Community Partner was Honor Flight, a non-profit organization committed to transporting every WWII veteran to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials dedicated to their services and sacrifices. The WWII veterans in attendance were honored on the field during a pre-game ceremony.

Total Raised: $3,500+

Military ticket donations Corporate sponsors Home Depot, Papa John’s and H-E-B helped the Express donate over 35,000 tickets to soldiers and their families stationed at various bases in and around Central Texas including Fort Hood, Camp Mabry and the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. The recipients of the donated tickets enjoyed Dell Diamond baseball on Friday, Saturday and Sunday games throughout the entire season.

Opening Day with “Operation: Military Kids” For the third year in a row, the Express partnered with “Operation: Military Kids” on Opening Day to salute our military and their families. Over 100 children with one or more parents in the military, many of whom are impacted by military deployments, lined up around the infield during the special Opening Day ceremonies each holding an American flag in honor of their parents. The month of April marks the nation’s “Month of the Military Child,” a time to honor youth impacted by deployment, making the timing of Opening Day that much more special.

Operation Finally home In 2014, Express teamed up with Operation FINALLY HOME to surprise disabled veteran Clifton “Ray” Coffey and his family with a brand new home for his heroic service. At the game, Coffey was honored on the field and received a game-signed ball by each member of the Express, unaware that he was about to be presented with a new house. An hour later, members from Operation Finally Home appeared during a staged in-game interview and Ballpark Rob broke the news about the house. The Coffey family then got to meet Hall of Famer and legend Nolan Ryan to complete the evening.

Operation FINALLY HOME is an initiative that “brings together homebuilders, the military and communities to build custom mortgage-free homes” for the country’s heroes returning from duty.

Salute to Our Heroes The Express and Re-bath teamed up in 2014 to implement the “Salute to Our Heroes” program. Prior to each Express home game, one local veteran is highlighted on the field, receiving recognition on both the scoreboard and stadium PA system for their service. The night's Hero then joins the Express Manager and other members of the Express team on the Dell Diamond field for the duration of the National Anthem. Each of our Heroes and their families are given seats at the game to enjoy some baseball as a token of appreciation for their service.

TOTAL TICKETS DONATED: 2 8 3

Support Our Troops The Round Rock Express teamed up with Staff Sergeant NiQuita Newton who was returning from her deployment in Korea. Sergeant Newton surprised her two children in the middle of our dizzy bat race. They were overjoyed when lifting their heads to see their mother had returned from her tour after being gone for several months. It was a special moment for everyone who witnessed the reunion.

Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) The Round Rock Express was able to team up with ticket donation website Vet Tix to provide over 1,000 free tickets to veterans in the Central Texas area to come see our games. Veterans and their families can log on to the Vet Tix website to secure tickets to almost every game of the season. In total, the Express gave away over $18,000 in tickets and created unforgettable experiences for our military. Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) provides free event tickets to sporting events, concerts, performing arts and family activities.

TOTAL TICKETS DONATED: 1 , 1 5 8

Youth programs


Ballpark Tours The Express offer guests a behind-the-scenes look at Dell Diamond year-round. Visitors are not only provided with a thorough history of the organization, but are also shown some of the most exclusive areas including the press box, control room, Intel Club, hospitality areas and the Express clubhouse. Over 1,000 students from surrounding schools toured the stadium in 2014.

Baseball Buddies An Express partnership with Academy Sports and Outdoors offered Austin-area youth baseball and softball teams the opportunity to serve Baseball Buddies to the players at every Express home game in 2014. The buddies received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take the field with the Express players before the game and stand next to them during the National Anthem. Each Baseball Buddy received a free game ticket, a draw-string backpack, and an official PCL baseball to be autographed by the team. More than 60 youth baseball and softball teams participated in the Baseball Buddies program in 2014.

TOTAL YOUTH TEAMS : 60+

Boy scouts & Girl Scouts nights Boy and girl scout troops from the Central Texas region were each given a designated night to sleepover at Dell Diamond in 2014. Over 300 boy scouts and 450 girl scouts participated in a pre-game parade and were allowed to spend the night in tents in the outfield. The scouts were treated to a movie on the video scoreboard, an open pool area and fun zone, and of course, a pizza party. The scouts also received donuts and orange juice in the morning.

TOTAL: 750+

PARTICIPANTS

D.A.R.E. DAY D.A.R.E Day at the ballpark recognizes local 5th graders from area schools who have graduated from the D.A.R.E. program. General admission tickets were given to over 2,500 students who satisfactorily passed the program in 2014. Following the game, all D.A.R.E grads were welcome to run the bases with Spike to celebrate their achievement.

School Spirit Nights The Express partnered with numerous PTAs from local schools to host “Spirit Nights” at Dell Diamond in 2014 to help raise much needed funds for community schools. A portion of each ticket sold through their fundraiser for the night went directly back to benefit the PTA. Many schools used their night as an end-of-the-year celebration and were also recognized on the video board.

Spike Supports STAAR “Spike Supports STAAR” is a third-year program offered in support of Round Rock ISD schools prior to their year-end state assessment tests (STAAR). A list of five testing tips (one for each letter in Spike the mascot’s name) were distributed to each participating school and its students. The Express Street Team then took Spike out to each school and participated in that school’s STAAR kick-off assembly, sharing the testing tips with students and passing out pencils to wish them good luck on the test.

Sunshine Kids The Sunshine Kids is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to answer the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children. Various families made the trip to Dell Diamond from local hospitals to watch a game from a Party Suite in the United Heritage Center, eat some great catered ballpark food, receive goodie bags of Express merchandise, take a behind-the-scenes tour of Dell Diamond and have a meet-and-greet with some Express players and staff. In all, about 15 different kids and their families enjoyed a night at the ballpark in 2014.

“Triple-A for a Day” The Round Rock Express teamed up with RBI Austin, a designated non-profit of the organization, to host the first-annual “Triple-A for a Day” experience during the league’s Kid Pitch Championship game. The Express promotions and entertainment teams were out in full force as they transformed the league’s Downs Mabson Field (Austin, TX) into Dell Diamond for the night to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the RBI athletes, their families and the community. The night included the Express PA announcer, Express Party Patrol, several in-game promotions, a moon bounce, and many other elements you’d find during an Express game. RBI Austin is an affiliate of Major League Baseball's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program (RBI) and serves youth ages 4 - 18 through free clinics, low-cost summer leagues and year-round mentoring.


THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THE

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THE LIVES OF SO MANY.