D-backs star Corbin Carroll stuns Arizona teens with custom jerseys

It was even better than they expected.

On Thursday, 32 local high school softball and baseball players arrived at Chase Field for a unique experience. Next week, they’ll head to Seattle for a tournament, representing Arizona and the Diamondbacks in the Nike RBI regionals. RBI stands for Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, a youth baseball program operated by Major League Baseball. First, though, the young athletes had been been invited to watch batting practice and take in a Diamondbacks game.

They got much more. Before the game, the Diamondbacks and star outfielder Corbin Carroll surprised the players with their own official Nike uniforms, plus cleats and backpacks for the tournament. Now, the Arizona baseball and softball standouts will head to the Pacific Northwest in style. They’ll also do so flying first class, the Diamondbacks said – including some who will be taking a plane for the first time.

The players heading to Seattle include students from the following Valley high schools: Alhambra, Betty Fairfax, Camelback, Carl Hayden, Central, Cesar Chavez, Marcos De Niza, Maryvale, North, PXU Digital, Sierra Linda, South Mountain, Tolleson, Trevor G. Browne and Younkger. The Diamondbacks RBI program isn’t just for high schoolers, though. It’s run through Boys & Girls Clubs and is available for kids ages 5-18.