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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Texas Rangers have invited Cherryville native Dalton Pence to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. The Rangers are looking to rebuild their bullpen and have made pitching depth a priority in 2026. The announcement came on January 29, 2026, and included Pence, a left-handed pitcher who was a standout at Cherryville High School, Cherryville Post 100 American Legion, and the UNC Tar Heels. The 6’2”, 215-pound fast ball hurler was drafted after his redshirt sophomore year in Chapel Hill by the Texas Rangers in the 11th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.
The Rangers hold spring training in Surprise, Arizona, 25 miles northwest of Phoenix. Surprise is home to both the Rangers and the Kansas City Royals during the Spring. Pence relies on a fastball he consistently throws between 91-93 mph, topping out at 95. He is currently working on adding a slider and splitter to his arsenal as he attempts to transition into a starting pitcher. After making his Minor League Baseball debut in 2025 with the Single-A Hickory Crawdads, he was quickly promoted in less than 90 days to the High-A Hub City Spartanburgers of the South Atlantic League in Spartanburg, SC. His combined statistics for both teams show a 4-4 record and an ERA of 2.73 in 31 games. He started 18 of those, pitching a total of 82.3 innings. During this time, he gave up 57 hits, 25 earned runs, and issued 11 bases on balls as he struck out 103 batters. This performance has earned him a ranking of 14th on Baseball America’s Organizational top 30 prospects list for the Rangers. The Texas Rangers begin their exhibition season at home on February 22 against the Colorado Rockies.
A Non-Roster Invitee (NRI) is a player not on the 40-man opening day roster that is invited to an MLB training camp, where they will compete for a spot on the opening day roster. Who gets invited? Usually, upper-level minor league prospects (Triple-A or Double-A mostly), non-roster veterans attempting to make a comeback, or those returning from injury rehab. The experience is a valuable opportunity for both players and teams. The coaching staff has the opportunity to evaluate minor leaguers and veterans on minor league contracts during exhibition games against top-level competition. They will be able to assess if the player has the potential to be added for depth or make the Major League roster. The players, who are usually easily identified by their high jersey numbers, will compete alongside the game’s top players during this tryout. This training camp is their chance to prove they deserve a roster spot on the team. Even if they don’t earn a place right away, practicing alongside major league players offers invaluable experience.
What if a player does not get added to the opening day roster? Typically, they are assigned to a Triple-A or Double-A team as organizational depth. The Rangers’ Triple-A team is the Round Rock Express, and the Double-A team is the Frisco Rough Riders; both teams are in Texas. Some NRIs will be offered an opt-out, which means they can become free agents and pursue signing with another team.
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Dalton Pence pitching for the Cherryville Ironmen
Dalton Pence
Dalton Pence pitching for Hub City Spartanburgers , Spartanburg, SC
Dalton Pence pitching for Hub City Spartanburgers Spartanburgers, SC
Dalton Pence pitching for the Hickory Crawdads
Dalton Pence Pitching for UNC Tarheels
Dalton Pence Plays for Cherryville Post 100
Dalton Pence with the UNC Tarheels
Dalton Pence has enjoyed success at every level at which he has played. He makes the most of the opportunities presented to him. The 23-year-old 2021 graduate of Cherryville High School has represented his hometown well throughout his career. He was a four-year letterman at Cherryville High School, where he was all-conference his senior year and named to the 2021 NCBCA 1A All-State Team. He played first base and pitched for the Ironmen, where he contributed at the plate as well as on the mound. His four-year batting average was .254, collecting 32 runs, on 34 hits, and 36 RBIs, along with 7 stolen bases. As a pitcher, he had a record of 9-3 with 1 save. His ERA was 2.83. In 94 innings pitched, he allowed 38 earned runs on 68 hits, issued 41 bases on balls, and struck out 165 batters. Pence also starred on the Cherryville Post 100 American Legion Baseball team. Full stats for his Legion career were not available.
At UNC, the Tarheels chose to “redshirt” him for his freshman year (2022 season), and he did not play due to recovering from Tommy John surgery. In 2023, as a redshirt freshman, Pence made 22 relief appearances and started 5 games. He finished the season with a 4-3 record, 2 saves, and an ERA of 3.33, averaging 9.25 strikeouts per 9 innings and 1.01 per inning. During 11 appearances, he recorded more strikeouts than innings pitched.
Dalton Pence pitching for UNC TarHeels
Photo Credit: Dalton Pence Instagram
The 2024 season would be his last and best for the Tarheels before being drafted by the Texas Rangers. As a redshirt sophomore, he played 36 games out of the bullpen, recording 5 wins, 1 loss, and 8 saves, with an ERA of 2.45 and an average of 11.35 strikeouts per 9 innings. He had the third most saves in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His memorable season began with throwing 14.1 straight scoreless innings. During the NCAA Tournament, he threw 19 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. Against LSU in the Chapel Hill Regional, he pitched 6.1 shutout innings over two games. In the Regional Championship game against LSU, he earned the win with a 1 hit, 6 strikeout outing. He next earned the save against West Virginia in game two of the Super Regional as he set a career high of 6 strikeouts. During the College World Series, he pitched 3.1 shutout innings against Virginia.
His efforts earned him 3rd-team All-ACC honors and a spot on four All-America Teams. Those honors included 2nd-team honors from the College Baseball Foundation and D1 Baseball, and 3rd-team honors from Baseball America and Perfect Game. He will now have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot on a Major League Baseball team during the Spring Training exhibition season.
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