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Get Excited for the HBCU Swingman Classic!

By Christine Navarro |
National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

You may recall that during the coverage of the 2022 World Series, announcers said it was noticeable that there were no African Americans on either team. While there may have been players of African descent on the teams, they were born in other countries.

The HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Swingman Classic will become a part of the MLB All-Star event. The SWAC, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference have been comprised of Division 1 HBCU schools. Recently, however, teams in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference have begun playing in the NEC, the Northeast Conference. In addition, Hampton University played in the Big South this year but is moving to the Colonial League, and Tennessee State is part of the Ohilo Valley Conference.

Players from these schools have not always had the exposure that talented players from other big conferences receive. This will be an opportunity for these players to show what they can do.

The chart below lists the Division 1 HBCU schools and some of the top players who you will see at the HBCU game. For more information about these schools and their players, see the SWAC Overall Statistics. Look up the non-SWAC schools individually or search for the players' names.

The HBCU Swingman Classic will occur on Friday, July 7, at 7:30 PM at T-Mobile Park. Tickets are $10.00 per person. Find out more information and purchase tickets here. See you there!

State/Univ. name

Abbreviation

Number of players

Players to Highlight

AL/Alabama State University

ASU

7

*Randy Flores (IF) / Omar Melendez (P)

FL/Bethune- Cookman U.

BCU/BCKU

3

Nolan Santos (P) 3.32 ERA (7W-5L)

FL/ Florida State A&M

FAMU

4

Hunter Viets (P) 3.45 ERA (8-2m W-L)

MS/Jackson State University

JSU

4

*Ty Hill (3B) /Jesse Caver (P)

MS/ Mississippi Valley State U.

MVSU

2

Victor Figueroa (1B) .408 BA

AL/ Alabama A&M University

AAMU

1

LA/ Grambling State University

GSU

7

*Keylon Mack (1B)/ Lorenzo Peterson (P)

TX/ Texas Southern University

TSU or TXSO

4

*Alexander Olivo (1B)/Abraham DeLeon (P)

LA/Southern University

SU or SUBR

5

*Jaylen Armstrong (OF) / NIcholas Wilson (P)

TX/Prairie View A&M U.

PVAMU

1

AR/University of AK at Pine Bluff

UAPB

1

MS/Alcorn State University

ASU / ALSU

1

MD/Coppin State University

CSU

2

*Jordan Hamberg (OF) / Mike Dorcean (C)

DE/Delaware State University

DSU

1

DC/Howard University

HU

0

X

MD/ U of MD Eastern Shore

UMES

1

MD/ Morgan State University

MSU

0

X

NC/North Carolina Central U

NCCU

0

X

NC/North Carolina A&T State U

NCA&T

2

Camden Jackson (OF) .290 BA

Norfolk State University

NSU

1

Manny Jackson (C) .333 BA

TN/Tennessee State University

Hampton U.

South Carolina State

0

*Note that when there are multiple players from one school, their stats are listed below. The bottom row has the names of schools without representation at the game.

ASU: Randy Flores .336 BA / Omar Melendez 2.52 ERA (12W-0L)

JSU: Ty Hill .387 BA /Jesse Caver .527 ERA (6W-4L)

GSU: Keylon Mack (1B) .340 BA / Lorenzo Peterson (P) .536 ERA, 5W-3L

TSU: Alexander Olivo (1B) .376 BA/ Abraham DeLeon (P) 3.83 ERA, 6W-3L

SU: Jaylen Armstrong (OF) .330 BA/ Nicholas Wilson (P) 3.22 ERA, 6W -2L

CSU: Jordan Hamberg (OF) .306 BA / Mike Dorcean (C) .264 BA

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