Congratulations to our own Damien Magnifico on being selected in the 5th Round of the MLB Draft (164 overall) by the New York Mets.

"Nick is a player that can come in right away and make an impact," said Head Baseball Coach Mark Standiford. "He brings both the physical and mental side of the game that helps make him a true pitcher. Nick comes from and outstanding family and I believe will be a great fit for us hear a Tabor."  Nick is the son of Jack and Janet Trompert.

14U Dukes player, Randy Tapley was introduced to Texas Dukes friend and Baltimore Orioles bullpen coach and catcher, Ronnie Deck on Monday, April 13th.  Ronnie is a long time friend of the Dukes and was excited to meet up with Randy at the Texas Rangers game.  Ronnie has previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays, coached in the midwest for an independent baseball program out of Chicago and was formerly an assistant coach at Northeastern Colorado Junior College.  His current position with Baltimore is a very rewarding experience and he's enjoying it a lot.

Thanks for the visit Ronnie.  Good luck this season !

The Texas Dukes 14U, 15U, 16U & 18U teams are seeking dedicated, disciplined and hardworking pitchers, catchers and position players for their 2009 spring teams.

Call (214) 850-2572 or send an email (kim.price@strasburger.com) to schedule a tryout.

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The Texas Dukes families came together to help others for the holidays by gathering and assembling Holiday Boxes for the Homeless.  The project will benefit The Stewpot recipients in Dallas (1822 Young Street, Dallas 75201).  Volunteers were asked to wrap and assemble shoe boxes with needed personal items and small gifts.  In three hours, the group was able to assemble 30 Holiday Boxes.  Community outreach is one of the missions of the Texas Dukes as it helps create well-rounded young men. 

The Dukes also had Christmas in the Cages which was a fun time for everyone.  Pictures from the event will be posted shortly.

The Texas Dukes congratulate and send off the following graduating seniors to various colleges:

Ranger Junior College:
- Cody Ashford (Sachse HS)

Hill Junior College:
- Tanner Putty (Midlothian HS)

Chattanooga State:
-  Jacob Price (North Mesquite HS)

Colorado School of Mines:
-  Andy Oberg (North Mesquite HS)

Tyler Junior College:
-  Travis Green (North Mesquite HS)

Cisco Junior College:
-  Kyle Reed (Crowley HS)

Former Texas Dukes player, Carlos Newman has signed a contract to play with the River City Rascals (http://rivercityrascals.com/) in Missouri on July 22, 2008.  The Rascals is an independant baseball team in the Frontier League (http://www.frontierleague.com/index.php). 

Carlos Newman (aka "The Hammer") is a 2005 graduate of Sachse High School who most recently played for Murray State College in Tishomingo, OK (http://www.mscok.edu/~mkelley/baseball.htm) where he was selected to the All American Baseball Team and All Regional Baseball Team for his record-breaking season. 

The Texas Dukes are proud of Carlos and all of his accomplishments.  Congrats !

The Texas Dukes are excited to announce that Pedro Villarreal was drafted in the 7th Round of the Major League Baseball draft and has signed with The Cincinnati Reds organization. 

Pedro is a 2006 graduate of Seagoville High School and 2-year graduate of Howard College (Big Springs, TX).  Pedro was also offered a full scholarship to play for UT Pan American.  Pedro's hard work at Howard College has paid off.  Congratulations, Pedro !

2008 Graduates and Texas Dukes seniors Tanner Putty (Midlothian HS) and Jacob Price (North Mesquite HS) are selected to play in the local All-Star game at the new AirHog stadium/Quik Trip Park in Grand Prairie.  Price and Putty came together to help score the only run for the East team.  Congratulations to both boys.

2008 Graduates and Texas Dukes seniors Andy Oberg (North Mesquite HS) and Jacob Price were selected to the 2008 Texas High School All-State Academic Baseball Team.  We are very proud of both boys for their accomplishments in the classroom as well as the ball diamond.  Good luck with your future college plans.

Front Row:  Trevor Dickson, Taylor Garrard, Cody Ashford, Ray Ashford, Tim Hattan, Marvin Banyon, Jacob Price, Bobby Baker

Back Row:  Coach Mike Cangemi, Travis Green, Adam Frese, Juan Villarreal, Coach George Matheus, Marvin Prestridge, Chase Knight, Austin Arden

Texas Dukes and Howard College congratulate Pedro Villarreal on his recent signing with University of Texas-Pan American.  Pedro's consistent pitching efforts at Howard College have spoken loudly.  Howard College is off to a terrific start (10-0).  Keep up the good work Pedro.  Below is a link to one of the most game recaps.

http://www.howardcollege.edu/Athletics/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=4&Itemid=26