Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1544361
82 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2026 money, how to travel. Those life experiences are just as important as the baseball." Macon RBI was founded on the belief that every child deserves the chance to play, regardless of where they come from or what they can afford. As the cost of youth sports continues to rise, programs like RBI work intentionally to remove those barriers. Registration fees are kept low, equipment is provided, and travel expenses are often covered so players can compete in tournaments they might not otherwise have access to. What started as an effort to simply give kids something positive to do during the summer has grown into something much bigger. "That's what this program is really about — those life-changing experiences," said Battcher. For Franchesca, those experiences helped shape her future. They taught her confidence, but also opened the door for opportunity. Out of more than 300 Nike RBI baseball and softball programs serving over 100,000 young athletes nationwide, only six softball players earned a Major League Baseball scholarship. Franchesca Divert from Macon is one of them. She earned a $20,000 scholarship that she is now using towards her nursing degree at Georgia Southwestern University. While she's not currently playing on a softball team in order to focus on her first year of college, Divert said she'll be back one day. For now, she's enjoying watching the next group of girls take their turns in the batter's box, and can see a little of herself in each of them. Not every player who joins RBI will go on to earn a scholarship or play in college, but each one gets a chance to learn new skills. Divert's mother, Melissa Williams-Divert, believes that is exactly what made the program so special. "RBI was very supportive in growing my daughter as an individual, not just on the field, but in who she was and how she presented herself," Williams-Divert said. "She was in sort of a leadership position with some of the younger girls, and they really worked with her to be a better person and a better player." She says the coaches focused on more than just the mechanics of the game. "When they had workouts and practice, they didn't just talk about catching the ball and hitting the ball," explained Williams-Divert . "They talked about attitude. They talked about how you showed up. They talked about timeliness, how to prepare yourself before games, and how to prepare yourself mentally whenever you're in competition." Lessons that stay with players long after they leave the field. "RBI was very supportive in growing my daughter as an individual, not just on the field, but in who she was and how she presented herself." ABOVE Franchesca Divert earned a scholarship from the program. BELOW The rigorous athletic program builds characrer and opens up opportunity.