VERO BEACH, Fla. – The 2025 Nike RBI World Series, hosted at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, concluded after two weeks of action on both the baseball and softball fields, with dozens of RBI programs from around the country and world vying for the ultimate prize.
Amid all the chaos and fervor of a Nike RBI World Series tournament, Major League Baseball made it a point to recognize athletes who are doing the little things right — not just on the field but off it.
In partnership with Scott Yelle and the Jackson Yelle Foundation, MLB introduced the inaugural Jackson Yelle Sportsmanship Award, presented to an athlete from each division who opposing coaches recognized as a true leader and team player.
Yelle, attending his second Nike RBI World Series, introduced the award created through the collaborative spirit of his foundation and the MLB Baseball & Softball Development team.
“It’s an honor to be down here again,” said Yelle. “To be around these kids and be able to present this week, it was great.”
Yelle lost his 21-year-old son Jackson, a student at Elon College, in a hit-and-run accident in 2023. That led Scott to start a campaign to visit all 30 MLB ballparks, a goal he first set with Jackson.
That goal turned into a collaborative effort with MLB. Scott donated $1,000 to every Nike RBI program in each city he visited until he completed his 30-stop journey.
Scott created the award to not only honor Jackson’s memory but to shine a light on athletes who go the extra mile to lift their teammates up, as well as their opponents.
“We’d be honored to be able to start the Jackson Yelle Sportsmanship Award,” Yelle told MLB Baseball and Softball Development staff before the World Series. “I think that’s just as important as the Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the game.”
Yelle, through the tragedy of losing his son, found a way to honor him while also honoring other young athletes who share the spirit and values that the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program stands for.
“I think being able to work well with teammates to fight through adversity, overcome obstacles, all those great things, is what the sport teaches you,” Yelle said.
The recipients of the Jackson Yelle Sportsmanship Award were Marc James of Dodgers Dreamteam Nike RBI, Maalik Perkins of Indy Nike RBI and Alina “AJ” Muhammad of U.S. Virgin Islands Nike RBI.
James came up big with runners in scoring position during the championship game, recording a hit that helped score the runners and propel the Dodgers squad to a Junior World Series title.
“I’m thinking I need to hit something to that side, get my runners over,” James said. “I just had faith that I could do it, and I just hit it hard.”
James, like the other award winners, was not aware of the possibility of winning or gaining any recognition, aside from a championship.
“I had no idea what that was before coming here,” James said. “I was just so glad I won it. It’s such an honor.”
Perkins, the award recipient for the senior division and a Ball State commit, was a fierce competitor when he needed to be but a humble opponent when it mattered most.
“I like to be good to other players because you never know what’s going to come back and bite you,” Perkins said. “I always try to keep my head level and not do anything dumb.”
Muhammad, a pitcher and the award recipient in the softball division, knows the language of sportsmanship as well as anyone.
Muhammad, a Tennessee State commit, led her team to the semifinals, losing to the two-time runner-up Roberto Clemente Nike RBI team.
“I’m just really proud of putting up a fight; my whole team put up a very strong fight until the very last minute,” said Muhammad. “We came here as the underdogs, never been here before. … So I’m just so proud of us for really pushing at every single moment and giving it our all.”
This grit and determination served as a shining light for the U.S. Virgin Islands team, participating in its first World Series with Muhammad serving as a worthy representative.
“Getting this award, the sportsmanship award, was just everything to me,” Muhammad said. “[Sportsmanship is] something I try to prioritize, so the fact that it was recognized was just very heartwarming and surprising.”
Events like the 2025 Nike RBI World Series continue to showcase the dedication and commitment MLB has to expand the sport to all parts of the country and world. Awards like the Jackson Yelle Sportsmanship Award showcase the layered effort by MLB to recognize as many deserving individuals as possible, all for the love of the game.
