Robinson High grad Braxton Ashcraft reflects on MLB debut

ROBINSON, Texas (KWTX) – A Robinson native who made his Major League Baseball debut on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Memorial Day, tossing three scoreless innings, says he’s living out his childhood dream, calling the last week “surreal,” but saying he was ready for the moment.

2018 Robinson High School graduate and MLB second round draft pick Braxton Ashcraft, 25, came out of the bullpen in relief in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks May 26 in a stellar performance.

He only had hours between finding out he was moving up to the big leagues from the organization’s Triple A team in Indiana and suiting up for the Pirates in Arizona.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks for his MLB debut in the sixth inning during a baseball game, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)(Rick Scuteri | AP)

22 Central Texans, including friends and family, were in the stands for his big moment.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind,” Ashcraft told KWTX.

“You always prepare yourself for this situation. Just growing up, everything you do, all the summers playing baseball. It’s something that you prepare for and dream of, and having it happen and being able to go through that process and have the families here, it was really surreal.”

The 6′5″ pitcher went pro right out of Robinson High School.

Braxton is seen here with his family during his days playing baseball for Robinson High School in Central Texas.(Courtesy Photos)

He’s spent the last seven years in the organization’s minor league system, being promoted to Triple-A in 2024.

Ashcraft said he got the call Sunday while playing in Toledo that he was wanted in Phoenix but didn’t know if he’d be on the active roster or not.

Ashcraft’s first call with the news was to his fiancé Cassidy Green. The two have known each other since kindergarten and graduated in the same Robinson class.

Cassidy was on Lake Waco and missed the call, so Ashcraft then reached out to his parents, Karen and Tony, who luckily had much of the family gathered for the Memorial Day weekend in Robinson.

Braxton and Cassidy then and now(Courtesy Photos)

Cassidy quickly returned the call, and the entire family began to scramble to get to the game.

“When he shared the news, I immediately started crying happy tears and I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since,” Cassidy said.

“I’ve never been more proud and so happy to be by his side through it all.”

By the next morning, Ashcraft learned he’d be pitching that day.

By noon, he was on a plane and once it landed, Ashcraft had just hours before the first pitch.

“It was nice because I flew in and landed and didn’t stop until the game started whenever I got to Phoenix. I didn’t really have any time to get nervous or think too much about anything,” he said. “I was just able to roll out and do my job and once it was over it kind of got me a little bit.”

It was chaos for his family and friends in Central Texas trying to make it in time.

After a weather delay at the airport in Dallas, Braxton’s parents arrived to the stadium after the game started.

Karen says they parked illegally and sprinted in only to make it to their seats just as Braxton was about to throw his first pitch in the sixth inning.

“There was no time for deliberating or overthinking. I started praying. Everyone committed to what we needed to do to get to the stadium. So, when we got to our seats with minutes to spare, I just remember saying ‘thank you God.” Karen said. “I felt strangely calm and so grateful looking around and being in ‘awe’ that we were about to see our not so little boy live his big-league dream.”

Cassidy and her family joined Tony and Karen and Ashcraft’s three siblings plus extended family.

Braxton Ashcraft with his family on the night of his big debut.(Courtesy Photo)

His four-month-old nephew, Callan, even made it to the game where Ashcraft held him for the first time on the field afterwards.

Friends included former Robinson Mayor Bert Echterling.

Ashcraft put on a show that had sports writers buzzing.

Sports Illustrated said “he dazzled” in his debut. MLB.com said he was “outstanding” and “excellent.”

There may have been no prouder critic that his dad, Tony, who coached his son much of his life and put high expectations on him as a kid seeing his potential.

Exclusive: Robinson native Braxton Ashcraft discusses ‘surreal’ MLB debut for Pittsburgh Pirates

“Braxton has worked so hard and has prepared so well for this opportunity. I’m super proud of him,” Tony said. “He’s had so many people supporting him along the way and he’s remained humble and grateful. It speaks to who he is, how he got to the big leagues and why we expect he will be there for a long time.”

Braxton’s journey to the major leagues wasn’t without challenges and wasn’t necessarily traditional in today’s world of year-round youth baseball.

He’s overcome three major surgeries since being selected #51 in the draft including shoulder surgery, knee surgery and Tommy John surgery.

Braxton has never played fall ball in his life. He played Robinson Little League until nine-years-old before playing on a team his dad helped coach until 13.

At 14, he played for a select team called Wranglers and at 16-years-old joined Marucci Baseball.

He played in his first showcase in Houston at 15 and that’s when he started to get noticed by colleges and professional scouts.

Braxton was a multi-sport athlete in Robinson throughout high school playing football, basketball, baseball and running track.

He said he believes that’s how he avoided burnout.

Part 2: Robinson native Braxton Ashcraft discusses his baseball career and promotion to MLB

“I think the most important piece of it, especially as a young adult and kid, is giving yourself time to miss it. Giving yourself time to enjoy other things,” Braxton said.

“It was really important for me growing up, my dad made it really important that I played everything. I played football. I played baseball. I played basketball. Ran track. Did all these different things that allowed my body to adapt and to be the best athlete that I could whenever the time came for me to choose a singular sport.”

It wasn’t until he was a senior that Braxton focused just on baseball.

He helped lead the Rockets to deep playoff runs all four years, making it to state as a sophomore where they lost in the semifinals and as a junior where they lost to Abilene Wylie in the championship.

Still, the baseball star says one of his biggest regrets is not playing football as a senior.

“I look back all the time now as I think it worked out that I quit football after my junior year, I look back now and really wish I would have played my senior year because once you’re done, you’re done. You can’t get those years back,” he said.

Ashcraft pitched a scoreless inning in a game Sunday in San Diego.

He has a chance of pitching Wednesday as the Pirates face the Astros and now that he’s achieved his childhood dream of making it to the big show the humble flame thrower has a new goal in mind.

“Everybody talks about getting to the big leagues. That’s the goal,” Ashcraft said. “That was the goal my entire life and as I’ve realized that goal now the next step to that is staying here.”

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