New Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister was in town Thursday night at Olsen Field as part of the FOX Sports Southwest Texas Rangers Media Tour.
Traveling by private jet, the tour kicked off from Arlington at roughly 9 a.m., making stops in Lubbock, Oklahoma City and College Station before returning home. For the first time, every game not nationally broadcast will be on FOX Sports Southwest.
“It was a whirlwind day,” said FOX Sports Southwest Public Relations Director Ramon Alvarez. “We hit a lot of the outer markets — that’s where a lot of our viewer base is. Now that we have all the games, it’s really important to hit markets like College Station.”
FOX Sports Southwest Senior Vice President and General Manager Jon Heidtke knows the importance of providing their product to fans who can’t make it to Arlington for games.
“There are a lot of Rangers fans in College Station,” said Heidtke, Class of 1981. “We want to make sure people get a chance to see games and get to know the players. Jeff Banister is a great guy…[He] has a lot of charisma. He’s a larger-than-life figure.”
Banister was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986. He called Pittsburgh home as a player and coach until he was named manager of the Rangers in October of last year.
“Every time I put my feet on the floor since the day I was offered the job, it’s been wonderful,” said Banister.
The Rangers open the 2015 season against the Athletics in Oakland on April 6.