BATON ROUGE, LA-- Southern has five players selected to play in the Inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic founded by legendary MLB player Ken Griffey, Jr.. The game will be live on MLB Network presented by T-Mobile, beginning at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.
Senior center fielder Jaylen Armstrong, senior first baseman O'Neill Burgos, senior catcher Gustavo Nava Sanchez, junior right fielder Khyle Radcliffe and junior pitcher Nicholas Wilson was announced on June 9th, by Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and Hall of Famer & Ambassador for the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation Ken Griffey Jr..
"These guys getting selected to this all star game shows that there hard work is being rewarded. They earned everything they are getting and I'm proud of these guys, said
Chris Crenshaw, Southern Head Coach.
The HBCU Swingman Classic will highlight the history and legacy of HBCU baseball programs while also providing 50 HBCU baseball players with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage. The student-athletes have been selected by a committee that will include Griffey Jr., representatives from MLB and MLBPA, and scouts. They will participate in a variety of MLB All-Star Week and general community-focused activities.
Historically, many HBCU alumni have reached Major League Baseball, including Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and
Lou Brock as well as Marquis Grissom,
Rickie Weeks, Jr., Ralph Garr, Vince Coleman, Tommie Agee, Tom Alston, Earl Battey, Joe Black and others. Hall of Famer Larry Doby is also an HBCU alumnus but did not play baseball at the collegiate level.
- LIVE National Broadcast: MLB Network will air the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile LIVE, beginning at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET. The broadcast will include MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, and HBCU Sports Journalist Symone Stanley as the sideline reporter. Griffey Jr. will join the broadcast from each dugout throughout the game.
-- The HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile also will stream LIVE on MLB.com.
- Tickets On-Sale: Tickets for the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile, at T-Mobile Park, are now on-sale at AllStarGame.com.
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