Rick Bailey is a Texas A&M graduate currently located in Houston, Texas. He has family ties to North Carolina as several of his family members have graduated from Duke University located in Durham. While he is a first- time team owner, he loves the game and is excited about their plans for the Porcupines.
Their vision includes increased community involvement, more youth baseball camps, and most notably, using the team as a platform to help promote autism awareness. Bailey has a son that was born with autism, so he is passionate about bringing awareness to youth and the community. He aims to encourage other teams in the ONSL to get involved in this mission as well.
The Pineville Porcupines partner with several organizations to both promote awareness and increase youth involvement with the team including THINK Neurology, Spring Spirit, and Bregman Cares. THINK Neurology is the leading provider of pediatric neurological and developmental services in the Houston area. Spring Spirit is a nonprofit organization that uses education, athletics, and ministry together to help empower youth to reach their full potential by nurturing each participant’s mind, body, and soul. Bregman Cares, owned by Alex Bregman- the third baseman for the Houston Astros- has a mission to accelerate access to life changing resources for those in need. Bregman believes in social responsibility and wants to use his position to make a positive impact on the world through awareness, support, time, and resources. When the Astros infielder was younger, he made a pledge to himself that if he made it to the ‘big leagues’, he would invest just as much energy off the field helping others.
Bailey explained, “I believe that these three organizations are the perfect partners for the Pineville Porcupines to help facilitate community involvement with the team while also aiding in bringing awareness to a cause that's important to me. The Pineville Porcupines are a relatively new team, and I am thrilled to help continue their success in the Old North State League.”