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Meet the players: Texas Ranchers release debut pro-pickleball roster

Austin’s Major League Pickleball Team — one of the eight founding teams in the world — is ready to announce first-pick players Christian Alshon and Etta Wright.

April 4, 2024 • 
Laura Figi
Christian Alshon looking over his shoulder with a paddle in his hand on the left and Etta Wright poised to hit the ball wearing all black on the right.

First round picks Christian Alshon and Etta Wright will represent the Texas Ranchers in their inaugural season.

Photos courtesy of the Texas Ranchers

The debut team roster for the Texas Ranchers, Austin’s Major League Pickleball team, is here, and it’s a big dill.

Ahead of the team’s inaugural season, coached by semi-pro player Ryan Dawidjan, let’s meet some of the players.

  • Christian Alshon | Alshon is the first player in MLP history to take home the championship at both Challenger and Premier levels. A tennis player from Boca Raton, he was named MVP of MLP Dallas and began playing pickleball in 2021.
  • Etta Wright | Hailing from New Zealand, Wright is the first Tongan-American MLP player and began playing the sport in 2018.
  • Tina Pisnik | A former tennis pro (ranking No. 29 in the world in 2004), Yugoslavia-born Pisnik went pro-level after less than a year of playing pickleball.
  • Pablo Tellez | The Bogota native has been playing pickleball since 2019 and ranks in the top 10 in men’s singles and doubles on the PPA tour.
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