New Macon RBI program to help underserved children

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb leaders and sports icons from the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame were at the Buck Melton Center in Macon Tuesday to announce the new MACON RBI program.

RBI stands for “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.” It is Major League Baseball’s way to give kids between the ages of five and 18 who can’t afford to play baseball or softball the chance to participate in America’s Pastime.

Jeff Battcher is the RBI league administrator for the new Macon chapter. He tells 41NBC says this program is an excellent way to help kids get onto the diamond.

“The main initiative is to get baseball to the kids who can’t afford to play and also education opportunities,” Battcher said. “There are numerous grants college bound seniors that they can get. They’ve given over 60 $20,000 grants to seniors who are eligible in the RBI program and going to college.”

The RBI program will provide all the necessary equipment needed to play, including uniforms and start-up fees.

RBI was first instituted in 1989 and currently has 225,000 participants in hundreds of cities worldwide, with Major League clubs having drafted over 200 players into their ranks since the program’s inception. Some of those players include Carl Crawford, CC Sabathia, and former Atlanta Brave Justin Upton.