The group consisted of Emmanuel Durojaiye of Morgan State University and Marcus Plummer of Grambling State University from Getty Images’ HBCU Photographer Mentorship Program, and MLB intern Jamea “Nadia” Beavers of Spelman College.

Equipped with cameras and training, the creatives documented every moment as 50 athletes from Division I HBCU baseball programs performed on a national stage, aiming to enhance their prospects for the MLB draft.

Emmanuel Durojaiye, Morgan State University

Emmanuel Durojaiye, an engineering major and graduating senior at Morgan State University, became interested in sports photography as an incoming freshman seeking to be active on campus. Since then, he has balanced his engineering studies and sports photography with contributing to the growth of his university’s media department. He helped establish MSU Creatives, an initiative where students intern with Morgan State’s athletics program.

“My creativity thrives in this setting. Upon realizing the minimal sports coverage my university received with only one professional handling all sports photography at the time, Randolph Brent, now the current digital media director at MEAC [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference], quickly became my mentor,” Durojaiye said. “As he handed me my first camera, a Canon T7, from that moment, I felt compelled to create a larger platform to showcase my peers.”

“This picture shows the athletes running alongside their teammates, coming out of the dugout amidst smoke, lights and music. In this moment, you can hear the players yelling, ‘Yah!’ Being able to capture the camaraderie they had for each other, as well as their love and pride in representing their athletic abilities, felt amazing,” Durojaiye said.

“The band truly embodied the spirit of HBCU culture and history, bringing it to life on such a grand platform. It meant a lot to hear our songs resonating through the crowd, who were ecstatic. Both Texas Southern’s Ocean of Soul and Prairie View A&M’s Marching Storm showcased their schools with pride and passion battling off on the field,” Durojaiye said.

“Captured at the end of the game, this was a moment where players were flipping and dancing in celebration,” Durojaiye said. “I had to crouch low to get these shots, and catching him midair truly shows the level of excitement I feel. You could tell it meant a lot for the players to be there, as this wasn’t just another game for them but a chance to showcase that there is talented athletes at HBCUs.”

Marcus Plummer, Grambling State University

Marcus Plummer, who is pursuing his master’s degree in sports management at Grambling State University, graduated in 2023 with his bachelor’s degree in mass communication. He got involved in sports photography in high school to stay connected to sports after his time as a player.

While at Grambling, he gained experience photographing campus life and homecoming events before moving into university athletics.

“I felt this year’s classic was a great representation for Grambling, with five athletes participating. After having a phenomenal year and becoming the SWAC [Southwestern Athletic Conference] champs in baseball, seeing Tiger Borom walk away with the Swingman Classic MVP trophy at the end was truly amazing,” Plummer said. “Just being alongside these athletes from my school felt great, and I’m proud to represent our athletic department in this creative space as a photographer.”

“In the front is Tiger Borom, with what I believe is his family in the background, posing with a thumbs-up after winning MVP,” Plummer said. “I also love this picture because it shows his support and just the crowd and the youth in the stands who came to watch the players.”

“Ty Jackson has such a great personality that you can see when photographing him. He hit a double and started celebrating as soon as he made it to second base,” Plummer said. “Moments like this in baseball are cherished because they showcase the personality of the game, and the fans loved it. His energy throughout the game was truly something special.”

“[Jose] Vargas pointing to his country’s flag beneath his hat shows the deep love he holds for his roots. I’m glad to capture this on such a stage where he represents not only himself but also his culture, community, Grambling and the name on the back of his jersey. It carries immense meaning,” Plummer said. “Seeing and capturing moments like this is my favorite because they’re often easily overlooked.”

Jamea ‘Nadia’ Beavers, Spelman College

When Jamea “Nadia” Beavers took Advanced Placement art classes in high school, an introductory photography course sparked her interest. Upon starting college, she studied arts with a focus in photography. To gain more exposure and experience in sports photography, she started photographing events at Spelman and nearby universities, which led to a summer internship with MLB, where she was invited to shoot the HBCU Swingman Classic.

“As a growing photographer, I really liked having the opportunity to capture images of individuals who look like me, particularly in environments where diversity among Black and brown people is not as prevalent. This experience was incredibly positive as it allowed me to connect with many individuals, including players, fellow photographers, media professionals and even fans,”  Beavers said. 

She said being the first student photographer from Spelman to shoot the game meant a lot to her.

“Representing my HBCU at Swingman Classic and through this internship with MLB and connecting with Getty mentors was amazing,” Beavers said.

“Before the game, the players stood for both the national anthem and the African American national anthem, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ led by gospel artist Kirk Franklin. It was a great moment to see players look toward the flag with honor,” Beavers said.

“I took a lot of pictures from the ground using a millimeter lens,” Beavers said. “Taking action shots like this was new for me. Quickly I was able to adapt, even with the intense energy between the teams. I could see my pictures getting better as the game went on as it was my first time using this lens.”

“At the end of the game there was a large crowd of people, and I had to get through other photographers from various outlets to capture this photo,” Beavers said. “Seeing this through my lens was amazing. I could clearly see the joy on everyone’s faces, and it felt incredible.”

The HBCU student photographers also participated in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on July 13. More of their work can be found on gettyimages.com and @MLBDevelops on Instagram.

In their final showcase before the 2024 MLB draft, which runs from Sunday through Tuesday, Bufford and Walker will be among 50 Division I HBCU athletes playing in the second annual HBCU Swingman Classic on Friday during MLB All-Star Week in Arlington, Texas.

Walker, second baseman for the Tigers, participated in the inaugural Swingman Classic in 2023.

“It was the ability to play in front of, I want to say, 14,000 fans for the very first time. That was awesome,” Walker told Andscape. “Just being able to meet all the guys, you know, from different HBCUs and hearing their stories and being able to be coached by former big leaguers and Black personnel who’ve made names for themselves in the major leagues … it was awesome.

“This year, I’m expecting the same thing. I’ll be a little bit older and a little bit more mature.”

Third baseman Bufford, who also was on the inaugural roster, is looking forward to showcasing his growth.

“It was fun competing in the Swingman last year. That was another event where I was able to showcase myself in front of scouts,” Bufford told Andscape. “I enjoyed meeting new players and coaches and was able to pick their brains about not only baseball but life. What I am hoping to show scouts this time around is how consistent I [have] been and how much better I got [since] the last time that they seen me.”

Illinois native Bufford, who started playing baseball when he was five years old, was a member of the Jackie Robinson West Little League team that won the U.S. Little League World Series in 2014 before losing the world championship game to South Korea. (The team was later stripped of its U.S. title after it was discovered it had used ineligible players.)

Grambling State baseball coach Davin Pierre remembers watching the predominantly Black Little League team from Chicago. When Pierre saw Bufford at a prospect tournament in Atlanta, the two connected and formed a relationship that brought Bufford from Illinois to Louisiana.

When Bufford arrived at Grambling in 2020, he was 6-feet-3 and 170 pounds. One of his biggest developments as a player was filling out his frame by adding around 25 pounds of muscle.

“It was just the talent, like, man. I knew this young guy was gonna be the king one day. He was one of my favorites, but he worked hard. … He was always on time, always doing the things you need to do, and he was about baseball,” Pierre said. “He worked on his craft to the point where it put him in a good position, and now he has an opportunity to hear his name called in the draft.”

Bufford broke the Grambling State home run record earlier this year. He entered his senior season with 36 career home runs, one run behind Chris Cottonham, who set the record in 2000 with 37. Bufford took the No. 1 spot March 3, hitting his 38th homer during Grambling’s 3-2 victory over Florida A&M University.

“Imagine watching the kid from his freshman year all the way up until his senior year and watching him, you know, just conquer barrier after barrier,” Pierre said. “He’s one of the best players in Grambling State University baseball history to me collegiately.”

On May 25, Bufford hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning of the SWAC semifinals to help the Tigers defeat defending champion Florida A&M 14-11, and in the conference championship game, he scored the winning run. Bufford was named SWAC tournament MVP honor and earned an All-SWAC baseball First Team spot. He finished the season batting .343 with 10 home runs, 57 RBIs and 52 runs scored.

“My first year at Grambling, my hitting and fielding wasn’t as good as it is now, and while being at Grambling I learned a lot about myself as a player and made the proper adjustments that I needed to elevate my game,” he said.

Though Bufford doesn’t know where he will fall in the 20-round MLB draft, he was grateful for the opportunity to display his skills at the MLB combine in June in Phoenix.

“That was really like a dream come true, because not everyone gets the chance to get invited to showcase yourself in front of every major league organization, and I had fun doing so,” he said.

Over the two years Bufford and Walker have played together, they have built a lasting relationship. 

“Just being able to play with Cam for two years, I just know that good or bad, he’s always got my back,” Walker said. 

After graduating from Grambling, the two are still supporting each other during the next phase of their baseball careers.

“We’re both praying for each other. We’re just continuously talking about how we’re going to do it and this is what we’ve been dreaming of,” Walker said. “This is the last step of the goal that we need to accomplish before really starting off in our major league careers.”

Walker, a New Orleans native, started playing baseball at 4 years old and was a multisport athlete, playing football and running track and field before settling on baseball.

His collegiate career began in 2021, just 10 minutes up the road from Grambling State at Louisiana Tech. After redshirting his freshman year due to a non-surgical shoulder injury, he followed in the steps of his Louisiana Tech teammate Shemar Page and transferred to Grambling and became a staple for the Tigers’ offense.

“Being injured in the beginning at Louisiana Tech and then coming into a season where you didn’t play as much as you would like to [before] transferring to a school where you didn’t know anybody and you didn’t know you can fit in was hard,” Walker said. “But I did have a lot of help from Shemar, who made that first jump the year before. So he definitely helped me through the process and just getting to know people, building relationships with my coaches before I even got there.”

In his senior season, Walker established himself as a power hitter in the SWAC, finishing in the top five players in the conference in on-base percentage, hits, runs scored and home runs. 

“He possesses one trait that I think is probably one of the greatest traits that any kid can have … he is a dog,” Pierre said. “He is a competitor. Fierce. When he’s at the plate, he wants to knock the pitcher’s head off. When he’s on defense he wants to have energy and be out there making plays.”

For Walker, his breakout season for the Tigers was the result of getting fully healthy and doing the little things in the offseason. He batted .381 with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and 71 runs scored.

“Just really staying in the weight room and you know [and] just kind of tweaking out little things in my swing to make it better and better after every game, every practice,” Walker said. “I kind of caught the barrel a little bit more this year.”

Walker’s work ethic and leadership drew praise from his teammate. 

“Playing with Kyle was like playing with my younger brother. … He is one of them ones who really make sure that he is getting better every day at something, and he is not afraid to ask questions either,” Bufford said.

Walker, who played with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in June, was the only HBCU player on the International Friendship Series roster for Team USA.

“It kind of brought me out there with a chip on our shoulder,” Walker said. “Seeing guys from all over the place and you know that you’re one of the only few from a smaller school, smaller conference … it was awesome being out there.”

Walker believes he had a good showing at the MLB combine and hopes to showcase more elements of his game at the HBCU Swingman Classic.

“I definitely think I did pretty well. I know there were some elements of [batting practice] that I kind of wish I did a little bit better in showcasing my ability out there,” Walker said. “But I think the physical test, I killed it. I know I had a pretty good 30-yard dash and showed some athleticism with the broad jump and stuff like that.”

Walker has been in contact with former Grambling State coach James Cooper, who is currently the manager of the New York Yankees’ Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons and has advised Walker about the draft process.

“[Cooper] said it’s just a lot of waiting around, especially when you’re not sure who’s gonna [pick] you for the draft,” Walker said. “It’s super-important to just be patient and stay prayed up.”

Pierre believes both of his players have earned the opportunity to play pro baseball and have opened doors for future Grambling baseball players in the process.

“These guys deserve an opportunity to go out there and show that they can play with anybody across the country,” Pierre said. “It’s big to see that happen because it don’t happen for a lot of kids at the HBCU level, and it’s a big recruiting tool for us to show kids across the country that, man, if you can play baseball at the next level, you can get those opportunities.

“These guys are setting a path for future kids to show them that magic can happen for you.”

When his players talked about getting matching tattoos during their season he thought they were joking. But when several of them decided to permanently ink “Hell Baby” on various parts of their bodies to commemorate the program’s first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since 2010, Pierre couldn’t help but smile.

“When I got on the bus and saw it, I was like, ‘‘Yall crazy.’ But that’s a testament to show how serious those guys are,” said Pierre, whose team will face No. 3 seeded Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, today in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. “I thought it was funny, but I’m getting one, too. It’s just the bond that we have, man. … This team is really a family.”

“Hell Baby” has special meaning to Grambling State alum Pierre and the wider Grambling State community. Pitcher Esteban Tavarez, catcher Chris Marcellus and pitcher Miguel Baez currently have the tattoo, and more members of the team, including Pierre, plan on getting it after the NCAA regionals.

“[It] comes from Coach Eddie [Robinson] and Coach Wilbert Ellis! It’s about the passion they have for our university and athletic programs. And I’m just holding and pushing what they started. ‘Hell Baby We Grambling’ means we can overcome anything, we can do anything, and the expectation is for us to be the best. It means we are family,” Pierre said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It means we have a respect for our university. It means that we just don’t wear the G. It’s in our heart, and it means no matter what we will always fight for Grambling.”

The Tigers (26-26 overall, 18-8 SWAC) earned the third NCAA DI tournament appearance in program history after pulling out a close 6-5 win over Jackson State in the SWAC championship game on Sunday. Pierre believes the team’s resilience, which players displayed during the SWAC tournament, will help them in postseason play.

“I think they learned that when they come together there’s nothing that they can’t accomplish,” Pierre said. “We talk about it all the time. When something good happens, keep playing. When something bad happens, keep playing. No matter what happens, keep playing. That’s what they did, and they fought together.” 

The team arrived at the regional site Wednesday, and Pierre and the coaching staff are making sure the Tigers are ready to compete. 

“I’m telling them that we are champions. There are 64 teams in his tournament and we’re one of the best, so go out and play with a lot of confidence,” Pierre said.

“[I told them] you don’t have to be fearful or feel inferior to anybody that’s in the tournament. If we play our best brand of baseball, we can give ourselves a chance to win no matter who we play.”

The level of play and coaching at historically Black colleges and universities has risen in recent years but wins over Power Five programs, let alone a defending national champion, have been rare. Southern’s 12-7 victory Monday at Alex Box Stadium — 20 minutes south of its campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — was only the sixth since 2020 by an HBCU against an opponent from Division I’s top level.

“It helps HBCUs because kids across the board will see a Southern and think if they can beat an LSU, maybe I can be on that roster as a student-athlete and try to elevate that program,” said Michael Coker, who has written about HBCU baseball for 25 years and runs the website Black College Nines. “That’s the significance of an HBCU knocking off a (top) team — they tend to get a few more really good players who would have not even considered an HBCU.”

One of those good players who migrated to Southern is Tyeler Hawkins. He spent four years at Louisville and got limited playing time after being ranked the No. 2 outfielder in Kentucky by Perfect Game and making all-state three times during his prep career in Lexington.

Southern coach Chris Crenshaw went into the transfer portal last summer to land Hawkins, a graduate student who said an HBCU seemed like a good place to “ball out.” Hawkins did just that against LSU, going 3 for 6 with a home run and three RBIs.

“That was probably the greatest moment I’ve ever had on a baseball field, genuinely, and I’m glad I had it with these dudes,” Hawkins said. “I’m genuinely happy here. I’m blessed. We are blessed.”

The Jaguars (12-13) went into Monday’s game with seven wins in their last eight games. The Tigers (20-10) had lost five of six and were swept at No. 1 Arkansas over the weekend.

“It already was in the air,” Hawkins said, referring to the conditions for an upset.

Kameron Byrd, Jalon Mack and KJ White had two hits apiece and Ryan Ollison doubled and drove in three runs. The Jaguars produced eight runs with two outs.

Nick Luckett, Antoine Harris and Jerry Burkett II held LSU to four hits and combined for 11 strikeouts. They also walked 11, but LSU was just 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Missouri coach Kerrick Jackson, the first Black Southeastern Conference head baseball coach, offered congratulations. He coached Southern to the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA regional. He chairs the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Diversity in Baseball Committee, which works to increase diversity in the coaching ranks and Black participation in youth baseball.

“I thought that was great win for Southern last night,” Jackson said in an email to The Associated Press. “Anytime you can get a win against a program of that quality, it becomes a belief builder win for your program. Congrats to Coach Crenshaw and the crew for a job well done.”

Crenshaw said the win was important to the Black baseball community, whose relatively low numbers have been a concern at all levels of the game.

A study by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at UCF found African American players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. Both figures were the lowest since the study began in 1991, when 18% of MLB players were Black.

In Division I baseball, Black players made up 6% of the total in 2023. Even at HBCUs, less than half of the players were Black. In 2023, the HBCU breakdown was 45% Black, 24% white and 31% other races.

Crenshaw said there are promising signs. MLB’s diversity-focused programming draws 1,200 to 1,500 youngsters each year. At the college level, more than 200 HBCU players participated in MLB’s Andre Dawson Classic, and four years ago Coker founded the Black College World Series for small schools.

Crenshaw hopes Black youngsters take notice of what his team accomplished and give serious consideration to the sport and HBCUs.

“Even though it was one night,” he said, “it was a big night in our community.”

The game featured 50 handpicked Division I players from historically Black colleges and universities for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the inaugural game, spearheaded by Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and sponsored by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. The players collectively represented 17 HBCUs. The game was the first major event of the MLB All-Star week.

The classic had a Florida A&M presence on each roster. Shortstop Jalen Niles, outfielder Ty Jackson and pitcher Hunter Viets represented Rattlers on the American League squad coached by Jerry Manuel. Senior catcher Ty Hanchey and outfielder Janmikell Bastardo were the Rattlers on the National League roster coached by Bo Porter.

Niles displayed his immense talent throughout the weekend of activities. His play was electric during the game and helped the American League team to a 4-3 victory.

Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, who played at FAMU from 1972-75, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Vince Coleman, who played for FAMU and the Seattle Mariners. Former major leaguer Marquis Grissom was also among the FAMU alums who attended the game.

“I was really, really excited that it played out that way,” Dawson said, referring to the FAMU attendance. Dawson is the only living Hall of Fame player who attended an HBCU. “Not only is it an honor but it’s a no-brainer for me, when looking at the circumstances.”

A native of Miami, Dawson had several knee injuries in high school before joining the FAMU team as a walk-on. He worked hard to become a starter and earn a scholarship. Because of the opportunities that FAMU gave him, the school holds a special place in Dawson’s heart.

“The three years that I was there [Florida A&M], I wouldn’t trade it,” Dawson said.

He was emphatic about sharing his knowledge of life and baseball to the current Rattlers trying to follow in his footsteps.

“What was most important to me was them sitting on the bench and asking questions … and you being able to help them in that manner,” Dawson said.

Although Dawson’s FAMU team played in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — FAMU joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2021 — the same success experienced during his tenure is no different from this year’s ballclub.

The Rattlers baseball team, coming off a SWAC championship in late May, showcased its prowess early in the Swingman Classic. Jackson was a late add to the roster but proved to be one of the biggest players Friday. The outfielder was the first player to steal a base and score a run in the game.

“It was a blessing,” said Jackson. “Now my name goes at the top of the history books … first one to score at the Swingman Classic and I have to thank God.”

Jackson hinted at what being afforded this grand experience on the game’s largest stage meant not only for all the selected HBCU players, but also to him personally.

“We finally got to experience what it felt like to be a major league player,” he said. “With the atmosphere here, with them feeding us in the clubhouse and getting to hang out with the guys, it’s been a glorified to God blessing all around these past two days.”

Whether it’s Power 5 programs overshadowing them or stereotypes that persist about playing against lesser competition, there’s been a disconnect between pro teams mining HBCUs for players. North Carolina A&T pitcher Xavier Meachem became the first HBCU player selected in the 2023 MLB draft Monday when the Miami Marlins picked him in the 10th round (293rd overall).

Niles believes HBCU baseball programs can produce talent that can play alongside any other school, no matter the amount of funding the athletic program generates.

“We just wanted to prove that we can go out there and compete with the best of the best,” he said.

Arlington, Texas, and the Texas Rangers will host next year’s Midsummer Classic. While the Swingman Classic is in its infancy, Niles said he is looking ahead to next year and even greater possibilities for FAMU.

“Hopefully next year we can have some more guys here, as well as me and Ty,” he said.

North Carolina A&T pitching coach Jamie Serber wasn’t surprised when more than a dozen scouts lined up at World War Memorial Stadium near campus to look at right-handed pitcher Xavier “Meach” Meachem.

At just 20 years old, Meachem is one of the youngest eligible collegiate baseball junior prospects. He has intrigued scouts with a slider that touches 97 mph, and during his bullpen session at the MLB draft combine his slider had a spin rate of 2,888 revolutions per minute ranking third overall among prospects.

“Twenty scouts aren’t coming to watch you pitch when you don’t have something that you can offer. There’s been times where our stadium has been full of scouts, and they were there to see one person – Xavier,” Serber said. “When his slider is working, it doesn’t matter. There’s been times where you can call that pitch, and you know it’s gonna be an instant strikeout. I think you can get major league hitters out with a slider when it’s all together.”

In his final showcase before the 2023 MLB draft from Sunday through Tuesday, Meachem will be one of 50 Division I athletes from historically Black colleges and universities playing in the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic on Friday in Seattle during MLB All-Star Week.

“I’ve been doing a lot of pre-draft workouts and went to the combine. … I love the grind,” Meachem told Andscape. “I’m gonna be a part of something that has to do with Ken Griffey Jr. and MLB in Seattle.

“I’m really excited. [My] parents are really excited [and my] family [is] really excited for me. There’s a lot of good HBCU players out there and baseball players so just for me, representing them, it’s a blessing.”

Since the Aggies wrapped up their baseball season in late May, Meachem has been working to increase his MLB draft stock. 

In June, the 5-foot-11 pitcher participated in the MLB combine, where 300 MLB prospects are invited to prove why they deserve to be selected in the 20-round draft. Meachem also is currently one of three HBCU players representing the United States as a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Managing his health has been his top priority in the months leading up to the draft. Meachem has his own stretching and lifting routine to keep his lower body healthy and his pitches consistent. He also has focused on perfecting his slider and mastering more pitches.

“I’ve been working on [my slider] more. It was popping out my hand too much, so it was allowing hitters to see it. So I’ve been able to work on it and make it look more like a fastball, tunnel it a bit,” Meachem said. 

“I’ve been working on my changeup the past year,” he added. “One of my goals was to get my changeup better, and I worked on it a lot in the offseason. It helped me a lot during the season, but I do want to start developing, like, a sinker and cutter just add to my repertoire.”

Others have noticed Meachem’s development.

“I’ve seen him put, like, a whole bunch of work in this whole year,” said Camden Jackson, Meachem’s Aggies teammate and childhood friend. “Meach really takes care of himself, his body and all that and what he eats.”

Jackson also will participate in the HBCU Swingman Classic. 

“I’m looking forward to facing him. … We faced a lot in my inner squads and all the scrimmages and all that. It’s a little different. It’s just gonna be fun,” Jackson said. “Like, we’ve been talking about it since we got picked and all that once I saw that we weren’t on the same roster. … I might talk to him after the game. For now, business.”

Since his freshman season Meachem has improved each year, decreasing his ERA from 8.31 to 5.59 by the end of his junior year. He finished his junior campaign with a career-high 47 strikeouts in 48.1 innings.

“[His improvement] shows that the best baseball is in the future for Xavier. His best days are ahead of him for sure,” Serber said. “I think everybody in this game knows that. Ask anyone in our clubhouse or some of the scouts. They’re saying, ‘We’ll probably bet Xavier plays in the big leagues for five to 10 years or even more.’ How he continues to grow and develop is probably going to be the key.”

Meachem’s disposition under pressure is his most noticeable trait as a pitcher. Serber raves about Meachem’s maturity on the mound, noting he isn’t a player who barks at opponents when he strikes them out nor is he a player who complains or lacks accountability when things go awry.

“I think that’s just my personality. I just like to stay calm throughout things and majority of time I celebrate sometimes, you know, [but] baseball is a weird game,” Meachem said. “You get too up and you get knocked right back down. So just staying level is what was best for me.”

Former North Carolina A&T pitcher Evan Gates, who currently pitches in the San Francisco Giants’ minor league system, remembers working with Meachem when he was a freshman.

“When I was there and he was 18 years old, fresh out of high school, just watching him throw I knew that his arm is special,” Gates said. “I remember him being one of the quieter kids … but people flocked to him and it looks like now he’s just a natural-born leader. I’m just really proud of him.”

Meachem fondly remembers walking into coach Ben Hall’s office as a freshman and seeing the Aggies’ draft pick board, hoping that one day his picture would be on the wall.

“They had the board of how many MLB draft picks they had and Leon [Hunter] was the last one. I always just picture my name right under his, so it’s a dream come true to follow in that,” Meachem said.

Meachem aims to be the fourth pitcher from North Carolina A&T since 2017 to pursue a pro baseball careers, joining right-handed pitcher Gates, right-handed reliever Leon Hunter and former minor league pitcher Cutter Dyals.

“When we come in and we see a guy can make it, it gives all of us the ambition and possibility of making it as well. Every year, like, we need that guy to step up to be the next dude … that’s gonna carry the load,” said Gates, who is a pitcher for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

“So, I think that’s really what the legacy is about. Cutter passed it to Leon, and then Leon passed it to me and then I kind of passed it on to Meach, so it’s a legacy thing. Every year there’s that guy that everyone’s gonna look up to that they know they’re gonna get after it.”

North Carolina A&T baseball alumni frequently visit the program, and Meachem has relied on the former Aggies aces as a sounding board throughout the draft process. 

“I talked to Leon Hunter a lot and Evan Gates and just getting advice on what the minor league is like, the draft process and agents, just stuff like that and they will help me out a lot,” Meachem said.  “I’ve been told to enjoy it, this process, and not stress over what’s going on, just do what I can do. … [Scouts] like my stuff. You know, they just complimented my personality, getting to know me and stuff like that.”

According to Meachem, scouts and coaches project him to be a Day 2 draft pick, falling between the third and 10th rounds. If drafted on Day 2, Meachem would become the 21^st MLB pick in North Carolina A&T history and the Aggies’ highest drafted player since reliever Al Holland was selected in the fourth round of the 1975 MLB draft.

“One of my goals is to show people that they can take the HBCU route,” Meachem said. “Just getting more of us in the HBCU baseball world was one of my goals, and I just want to inspire people to go a different route, make your own path. You don’t always have to go to that big school to get noticed.”

Only three HBCU players were selected during the last two MLB drafts: Texas Southern pitcher Kamron Fields (2021 draft, 20th round); Texas Southern outfielder Johnathon Thomas (2022 draft, 19th round); and Grambling State catcher John Garcia (2022 draft, 19th round). However, Meachem is undeterred.

“I think [scouts] will start taking us more seriously. It’s a lot of talent that has been missed out in the past year,” Meachem said. “So I’m just glad that people are all noticing and giving us the opportunity to perform on a big stage.”

He pitched two innings as a closer with the Collegiate National Team, which has helped him show his pitching versatility to MLB teams.

“I showed that I can close. I can come in those high-intensity situations and get through them and I can also start to control the game,” Meachem said.

He isn’t shy about what he can bring to an MLB organization if drafted.

“They’re gonna get a hard worker. Someone who makes his teammates better, a team player. Someone who is willing to take on any role they’re given, whether that be a star reliever, closer [or] setup guy,” Meachem said. “Someone who’s going to leave it all out there every time he pitches.”

This level of baseball – where some teams can’t even afford a tarp to protect their fields from rain — is the seedling planted by the baseball gods to help recruit and develop a new generation of U.S.-born Black baseball players.

The seasons are over for Philander Smith in Arkansas and Wilberforce in Ohio but not without great fanfare: The Philander Panthers opened their inaugural season with a no-hitter, and Wilberforce might have begun establishing the template for building an MLB partnership with an HBCU, with an eye toward integrating baseball on the field – and in the front offices. Meanwhile, Dillard, located in New Orleans, played in the NAIA regional championship tournament on Tuesday seeking a shot at a national title. The team lost in the opening round to McPherson College 9-1.

The success and continued growth of these HBCU teams is critical this year, as the MLB began spending its $150 million, 10-year investment in diversifying the game. The plan was already in place before the announcement in October 2022 that the World Series would be played without U.S.-born Black baseball players for the first time in 72 years. That sobering news followed a season in which Opening Day rosters in 2022 included only 7.2% U.S.-born Black players, down from 18% in 1991, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. That number dipped slightly, to 6.2% for Opening Day 2023, according to statistics MLB provided.

MLB chief baseball development officer Tony Reagins doesn’t have a magic number he wants to reach, but he believes the numbers will improve with programs MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) have implemented, and with new partnerships yet to be forged.

“I feel good about where we are headed,” Reagins said. “I’m fortunate to be able to see a lot of the Black players participating at a much higher level.”

He noted four of the top five players drafted last year participated in MLB diversity programs, most of them since they were 13 or 14 years old.

“I get to see these kids year over year, and there are more of them,” Reagins said, “and they are getting better and better every year. … The opportunities are beginning to pay off.”

Some of baseball’s high-profile diversity initiatives are well known, such as Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), MLB Youth Academies and the Andre Dawson Classic, but others are new.

The inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, scheduled for July 7 during MLB All-Star Week in Seattle, will feature 50 HBCU Division I players showcasing their talents. MLB, the Players Association and Ken Griffey Jr., an ambassador for the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, announced the event in December. It will take place in T-Mobile Park, where Griffey played with the Mariners.

MLB’s role in the development of NAIA teams grew during the 2023 season. With U.S.-born Black baseball players already hard to find in Division I, even at HBCUs, it made sense to grow players at the NAIA level, where 80% to 90% of the players are U.S.-born and Black.

Those numbers describe the Dillard team, which is playing for its first championship, in its first season.

Dillard’s Bleu Devils earned their automatic bid to the NAIA regionals in late April by winning the inaugural Hope Credit Union GCAC Baseball Championship tournament, which was played at the Hank Aaron Sports Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.

“I told our guys that we’ve got to get to a regional, and the only way to get to a regional is by winning our conference tournament, and we did that,” said Bleu Devils head coach Trennis Grant. “Now that we’re in, I told my guys why not go ahead and win that as well.”

Two other GCAC members, No. 1 Rust College and No. 3 Wiley College, played in the Black College World Series at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama, last week, where NAIA bracket winner Florida Memorial University defeated NCAA Division II bracket winner Albany State 5-4 in a 19-inning marathon for the Black College National Championship. Riverwalk Stadium is home of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, and the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation served as the official game ball sponsor.

Dillard freshman left fielder Emmanuel Taveras and his teammates were undeterred after being left out of the BCWS. They had bigger plans: pursuing an NAIA national championship.

“We were instilled that we were brought here to make history,” said Tavares, who grew up in New Orleans playing travel ball with teams such as the NOLA Baseball Club and LTG (Love the Game). “It doesn’t matter that it was our first year.”

Dillard’s season earned GCAC coach of the year honors for Grant and pitcher of the year for Dallas native Jorge Guerra, who also was named the first team all-GCAC starting pitcher. Reliever Dylan Scott and third baseman Jalen Ayers also made first team all-conference.

One big help for the Bleu Devils is that they play home games at the MLB New Orleans Youth Academy (Wesley Barrow Stadium), about 10 minutes from Dillard’s campus and even closer to Southern University New Orleans, which will start playing baseball next season. The stadium is also the home field for Xavier University, which restarted baseball in the NAIA Red River Conference in 2021 after a 61-year absence.

At the academy, Grant and his players also get a practice field and coaching assistance.

Reagins and Eddie Davis, director of the New Orleans Youth Academy, said the league already had seen the start of an MLB-HBCU relationship by nurturing players through the academy, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and other youth initiatives and by continuing to develop them through college baseball.

“What we found in New Orleans is that a lot of the players who have gone through our programs have gone to these colleges,” Reagins said. “Dillard didn’t have a program, and Xavier was struggling.”

Davis said he had to convince Xavier officials, who were concerned there were not enough New Orleans youths available to support baseball, that their program could be seeded by players from MLB youth programs in cities such as Houston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and other areas.

“This is something that was very deliberate,” Davis said. “It not only benefits the schools, it benefits us, too.”

Grant said despite diversity initiatives such as RBI, Black baseball player growth and development continues to be stymied by peewee and high school football coaches luring away the best athletes. 

He also said money is not available for youth baseball coaches and “that time has gone and passed where guys wanted to volunteer” to coach neighborhood baseball.

“People are very busy now,” Grant said. “That’s what’s missing — those African American youth coaches that you had back in the day.”

Jean Lee Batrus, executive director of the joint Youth Development Foundation, said communities, municipalities and grassroots organizations can apply for a plethora of funds by connecting through the foundation’s website, baseballydf.com.

Alvin Franklin, director of revenue for the GCAC, hopes to connect with MLB-MLBPA officials to seek assistance for teams that don’t have long-term or geographic connections to pro baseball.

“Most of those [GCAC] teams still play on dirt fields,” Franklin said.

Those teams include Philander Smith, another GCAC team celebrating after a year of baseball. The college, founded in 1877 in Little Rock, Arkansas, brought the sport back after a 45-year absence.

Though the Panthers finished fourth in the GCAC, the team’s biggest feat was simply getting on the field. 

Coach Noah Suarez, who was hired in late August, signed 21 players in 14 days, from Pakistan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Utah, Florida and Maryland.

One of the team’s accomplishments was “just winning Game 1,” he said.

“We are giving opportunities to all different sorts of kids, regardless of their backgrounds,” Suarez said.

Suarez said teams at the NAIA level provide opportunities to minority players who might want to continue playing baseball, as well as for those who want to go into coaching, work in front offices or “go into the business field.”

“Since day one, when we had our first team meeting, the kids know I’m trying to help them wherever they need to go,” Suarez said, “whether it’s baseball or the real world.”

Another GCAC team that started playing baseball this year had a rough time: Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, went winless in its inaugural season.

Franklin, the GCAC’s revenue director, said such growing pains are inevitable as the league reshapes itself as an HBCU conference. 

“We are in the infant stages,” Franklin said. “There is a huge funding issue.”

Franklin said most GCAC schools’ athletic budgets are less than $1 million, adding that some schools cannot even afford a $3,000 tarp to protect their fields from rain, forcing the cancellation of some games. The league dodged a bullet during its recent tournament at the Hank Aaron Sports Academy, experiencing only a two-hour rain and lightning delay the day before the conference championship.

The schools’ major commodity, though, is U.S.-born Black baseball players, who are in high demand.

“Tougaloo [College] has 24 of 29 kids that are Mississippi kids, all Black,” Franklin said.

The University of the Virgin Islands, the only historically Black college outside of the continental United States, also will join the conference in the fall with a baseball team.

If Franklin needs guidance and support, perhaps he should look north to Ohio, where Wilberforce University revived its baseball program after an 80-year absence with a big assist from MLB’s Cincinnati Reds, just an hour away.

The athletics staff and players did not let a 5-36 record dampen the excitement of a six-year journey – delayed by the coronavirus pandemic – to field a team.

Grade issues and stalled player transfers thwarted Wilberforce’s efforts to field the talent it desired.

“We just fought hard to do what we needed to do to finish the season,” said freshman second baseman Joe Mendy, who played in the Reds’ Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program for three years before playing in college.

“I played with the most amount of Black players ever,” Mendy said. “On previous teams, I was the only Black player. It’s good to play around your brothers.”

The Wilberforce team is coached by Roosevelt Barnes, a Reds scout who is also the Reds’ RBI coach. His current players are all U.S. born, including three white players. The Bulldogs, who play in the Mid-South Conference, have players from RBI programs in Cincinnati, Chicago and Detroit. Barnes said RBI players from Tampa, Florida, will join his next freshman class.

Barnes, a scout for the Reds for the last five years, has spent the last 21 years with the team’s RBI program. He said he tries to instill the program’s principles in his players. 

“We try to represent everything that [RBI founder] John Young stands for,” Barnes said. “We’re committed to making sure we provide opportunities for kids of color to be able to play this game, and we are thankful for kids to be able to come to HBCUs to play this game. I believe that’s a strategy we can win with.”

He said other HBCUs have contacted him about his “blueprint,” as have predominantly white institutions.

“We didn’t have the record we wanted this year, but we were a young team, and we’ll get better next year,” he added.

The Reds’ support to Wilberforce players extends beyond the playing field, with five players working in paid internships this summer through the parent ballclub.

Barnes, who has owned a real estate company for 25 years and has worked in asset management, said the origin of the relationship was a 10-year financial statement he presented to Reds leadership. Wilberforce’s athletic director, Derek Williams, presented it to the university’s board of directors, and the rest is history.

Barnes said the financial commitment for Wilberforce baseball exceeds more than $200,000 a year, adding, “No way is that possible without the Reds.” 

Jerome Wright, director of the Reds Urban Youth Academy, said more programs like the Wilberforce model are needed, particularly with less than 5% U.S.-born Black players in the college game.

Wright said the work can and will be done through the baseball academies already set up in cities such as Compton, California; Kansas City, Missouri; New Orleans; Houston; Philadelphia; Cincinnati; and Washington.

While no other program is as solidly linked to an HBCU as the Reds-Wilberforce partnership is, the New Orleans Youth Academy is renowned for its work with Dillard and Xavier, he added.

“It’s bigger than baseball,” Wright said. “Opportunities like Wilberforce are helping to break that cycle.”

For Ken Griffey Jr., the look of elation on his face after knocking out the New York Yankees and sending his squad to the American League Championship Series in 1995, is etched in the baseball memories of a generation. Next year, at the All-Star Game in Seattle, MLB, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Griffey will launch the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, the league announced Tuesday. Fifty Division I athletes will take part in the All-Star experience as part of a program that will also showcase the history of baseball programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Short version: It’s the closest thing we’re going to get to a Black college baseball all-star game. The best part? It was Griffey’s idea to bring it to the All-Star Game, where he first broke many old-school baseball brains by wearing his hat backward in the Home Run Derby.

Now, that swag is something he’s bringing back.

“I am excited to help these kids get the national attention that they don’t receive compared to other college baseball programs. Over the years, we have seen the decline of African American players, not because they don’t want to play, but rather because they haven’t been seen,” Griffey said in a statement with MLB and the MLB Youth Foundation. “College scholarships for baseball are not comparative to other sports, and a lot of families cannot afford to pay the difference. So, this effort is the industry coming together to give these kids an opportunity to play the game they love on the national stage. Financial restrictions prevent them from going to schools that give more exposure. The HBCU Swingman Classic will try and close that gap.”

It’s not only a welcome addition to the showcase events of the week besides the Midsummer Classic, it makes sense developmentally for everything the league has tried to do with its youth development program. Once the bigs started taking at least small steps to identify, provide access to, develop and propel young talent in baseball and softball, their efforts bore fruit.

“We think it’s important to highlight the relationship that we want to establish with HBCUs,” said longtime MLB executive Tony Reagins. “We already do the Andre Dawson Classic in February at the start of the college season. But we wanted to make sure that we put these kids in a situation where, one, they can be seen by pro scouts. Two, give them an opportunity to be mentored, see opportunities within the industry if they don’t make it to professional baseball. There’s going to be a whole kind of platform for these kids to engage with Major League Baseball, whether it be on the field, playing the games at All-Star Week or interacting with the 30 clubs in terms of what opportunities are there for them in the club.”

It may be difficult for the average MLB fan to understand, but if you follow the unforgiving world of travel ball and showcase circuits, the chase for eyeballs is ever present. In many ways, the whole dream is sold based on the notion that you might get seen to play at the next level. That mentality filters down to every part of the game.

In practice, it means that the same systems of coaches, players, their pipelines and their favorites tend to win out, socially as much as anything competitively. The constant refrain of “where are the Black players” is often stuck at the big league level, but the damage or rather, the demoralization can happen way before. If nothing else, programs such as the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program, the Elite Development Invitational, the Dream Series, the Hank Aaron Invitational, etc., give us a chance to put real faces to names in the game.

Griffey never played college baseball. He didn’t need to. From his rise as Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year in 1987 to his first major league at-bat, a double, just a few short years later, the joie de vivre he brought to the game is legendary. He was a marketer’s dream. A gifted athlete who could both hit the ball out of the park and keep the ball in the park with his glove, his game and signature swing were unmistakable. His approach to the game could best be described by a word I almost never use because it’s too loaded: pure.

He’s got a hand in every part of this operation, from programming to uniforms. The guy who had his own Nike signature baseball shoe, never mind countless other endorsement deals, is picking the uniforms you get to wear at All-Star weekend where he was a mainstay for a decade? That’s about as cool as it gets.

“To come there with that experience, stay in a big league hotel, have a chance to do some philanthropic and educational activation, and then play the game on the biggest stage on the MLB Network,” said Del Matthews, vice president of baseball development for MLB, whose work in this particular case, like with many things, is fueled by his personal experience.

Matthews, the son of big leaguer Gary Matthews, did play at an HBCU. He remembers his time at Texas Southern University with pride. In an era in which the discussion about the importance of Black schools versus predominantly white institutions has people arguing all over the place, particular in the Southwestern Athletic Conference where he played, it was important for him to finally complete the task of showing kids who deserved it what it looks like at the top.

“There’s nothing like the SWAC, there’s nothing like that experience. [I] wonder what it was like in the Negro Leagues, and playing at an HBCU for me was probably the closest thing to what that was like,” Matthews said. “And the game was fast, a lot of pride, a lot of culture, a lot of style, a lot of flair, and a lot of talking smack, all right?

“And so, I got introduced to that early on, but at the end of the day, it either makes or breaks you and the singing of the songs and just the culture and the pride that comes with going to an HBCU, the fraternities, the sororities, homecoming, all of that. I mean, it’s all baked into that experience. And so, we’re going to get a little taste of it through this event, and we’re going to try and do it in true HBCU fashion, and bring some of that love and that flair to the big stage.”

On top of all that, there’s the main thing that comes with any HBCU-related experience: camaraderie. As an experience, things like this allow players a chance to not only potentially be seen by other scouts and coaches, but to meet each other, too. As lonely an experience as a baseball life can be, it’s especially tricky if you feel isolated.

“I think building camaraderie is a key theme that we do through all of the events. And so again, this takes it to the next level. A lot of these kids get a chance to compete against each other at different schools, but they don’t spend time with each other,” Matthews explained Monday afternoon at the MLB winter meetings. “It really just builds upon that friendship and that thread of being an HBCU student-athlete, something they all have in common. And these are lifelong friendships that some of these young student athletes will have. And that’s part of baseball, that’s part of what happens through the game and through different generations.”

Meeting a family who’s had the privilege of its kid attending one of the MLB Youth Foundation’s advanced experiences lets you know just how much it means to them and the kids who get an opportunity to participate. It’s quite a step forward in the fun department for a program that was focused on development for a good reason. But ultimately, it’s baseball — which is why these kinds of collaborations make sense. It’s possible to do the right thing and have a good time at the same time.

What’s ultimately most enjoyable about all of this is that we aren’t getting the usual historical tale around what we used to do. Just like when Griffey played, what’s happening now is plenty dope, as evidenced by everything from the logo to the promotion of this event. This is all very much happening in the now.

Just go have fun, be yourself and let people see you. It’s all Black athletes have asked of the game since forever.

“[Being a] Little more edgy, the Junior and Swingman brand is still kind of iconic in not only the Black community, but in baseball in general,” Reagins said. “So Kenny had a whole lot to do with the design of the brand, the design of the uniforms, and he put his stamp on it. Got Nike to jump on board and do what they do.

“Junior is at the forefront of this thing. He’s passionate about it and he knows how important that HBCUs are. There’s so many really talented players that have played the game when you talk about grit.”

The recent game was held to provide some of the top stars at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) with the platform to showcase their talent in front of dozens of Major League Baseball scouts and give them the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the game.

The highlight for many players during that week in June was the chance to meet and interact with one of the greatest college baseball players of all time: former Southern University and MLB All-Star Rickie Weeks.

Time with the players also delighted Weeks. 

“Participating in the event was a no-brainer,” Weeks said. “I’m just trying to pay it forward, and I’m behind groups like Minority Baseball Prospects, who are about action instead of just talking about how to bring more attention to HBCU baseball.”

As a player, Weeks was all about action on the field. The Altamonte Springs, Florida, native holds NCAA records for career batting average (.465) and career slugging percentage (.927) for seasons 2001-03. As a sophomore, he won the NCAA batting title with a .495 average. The following year, he won his second straight batting title (.479). Weeks played 14 years in the majors and made the All-Star team in 2011.

“We all look up to Rickie, basically as a god, really,” said all-star left-handed pitcher Jerome Bohannon, who attends Southern. “It seems unreal how I played with him in video games and I finally got to meet him.”

“You idolize guys like him growing up,” Jackson State outfielder Chandler Dillard said, “and don’t realize they’re human because you’ve watched him on TV and played with him in video games. I was so excited to meet him, especially since he went to an HBCU. That helps you realize you can do it, too.”

The trajectory of Weeks’ baseball career is the hallmark of what HBCUs were founded on, and what the HBCU All-Star Game attempted to provide – an opportunity for those overlooked. Not only did the event provide exposure, but it involved clinics and networking with Major League front-office employees. Weeks contributed as one of the coaches.

“Rickie’s presence showed the kids that it’s possible to flourish in the game coming from an HBCU,” Wyche said. “A lot of them said Rickie’s the reason why they started playing.”

The challenges and possibilities for Weeks began by chance late in his senior year when a Cincinnati Reds cross-checker traveled to Florida to scout a prospect. But the scout was impressed enough by a different player – Weeks – to make a phone call to his friend, then-Southern baseball coach Roger Cador.

“The scout said, ‘You better get on this guy, he’s real,’ ” said Cador, who was 913-597-1 over 33 years at Southern. That included 14 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles, 13 SWAC Coach of the Year awards, 12 30-win seasons and 11 NCAA tournament appearances.

“I hit a shot off the pitcher’s head in that game and ended up with a triple,” Weeks said. “After the scout made that call, the rest was history.”

That history involved Weeks signing with Southern late that summer. A historic college career would begin for a player who somehow slipped through the cracks except for one scout. Maybe Weeks was overlooked because of his size (5-foot-10, 170 pounds at the time) or that he hit in the middle of a lineup with future Major League players such as Felipe Lopez, who was drafted in 1998, two years before Weeks graduated from high school.

“I really don’t know why I only received one offer,” Weeks said. “I was a good kid, never got into trouble and I made good grades. But I do know when I went back home after my first year of college, an area scout told me every scout in the area got fired because no one turned my name in.”

Weeks, who played center field as a freshman, began to make noise before setting NCAA records. He hit .422 with 70 RBIs that first season. But it wasn’t loud enough, so Coach Cador spoke for him.

Cador began a campaign where Southern routinely sent stats to area newspapers and to some national baseball magazines such as Baseball America. The plan was to draw attention to Weeks from the media and Team USA, the national team that represents the United States in international competition. Cador forced the organization to allow Weeks to try out.

“There’s always negative talk about HBCUs and what we don’t have and that we weren’t worthy,” Cador said. “But we had a special kid in Rickie Weeks. And I went off on that director [of Team USA] because he was wrong to deny Rickie an opportunity. But once Rickie made the team, [that director] was apologetic.”

The experience with Team USA proved to Weeks and many doubters that he could play on a higher level and compete with some of the top amateur players in the game. So much so that after his first summer with Team USA, Weeks won his first batting title by nearly clipping .500. Despite his early success, Weeks didn’t start to imagine life as a pro until after his second straight stint with Team USA. He realized he held his own against many players projected as first-round picks.

But an email just before the start of his junior year amazed him.

“I received an email from a buddy back home with the picture of the Baseball America cover and its projections for the 2003 MLB draft,” Weeks said. “And it projected me at No. 1 or No. 2. I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, timeout.’ I’m thinking, ‘The top picks last year got $3 million, and you mean to tell me I’m about to be a millionaire?’ ”

With millions came more dreams and additional motivation. At 21, Weeks had last owned a car in high school, and it had lasted only six months before it was junked. Since then, he imagined owning a Mercedes-Benz and kept a poster of one in his dorm closet.

“I thought, if what they’re saying is true, I’m going to continue to work hard and get this car,” Weeks said. “It was my motivation. It may have been superficial, but it was my motivation to keep working hard and keep grinding.”

The hits kept coming, and Weeks closed out his junior year with another batting title and NCAA career records in batting average and slugging percentage. He also became the first HBCU player to win the Golden Spikes Award, as national collegiate player of the year in 2003.

Weeks was able to purchase that Mercedes-Benz as the second overall pick in the MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. His signing bonus was for $3.5 million. Weeks was the highest player selected from an HBCU since fellow alum Danny Goodwin was the first overall pick in 1975 by the California Angels.

Unfortunately, Weeks didn’t have the same dynamic Major League career as in college, but it was solid enough for him to play 14 years and start at second base in the 2011 All-Star Game. Weeks had a .246 career batting average, 161 home runs, 474 RBIs and 132 steals. His top seasons were in 2006, when he hit .279, and .274 in 2014. In 2010, he hit .269 with 29 homers and 83 RBIs.

“I’m proud of my career,” said Weeks, who runs baseball camps in Orlando, Florida, with his brother Jemile, who also played in the majors. “I could think about how things in the big leagues could’ve been different, but that’s not me. I’m mostly proud of how I wasn’t recruited, developed in college, got drafted as high as I did and became a big leaguer.”

And despite an unspectacular MLB career, Coach Cador said, Weeks is worthy of all the HBCU all-stars’ praise, because he didn’t look at what he didn’t have, he looked at what he had, and if he performed well on that stage, that good things would happen.

“The Golden Spikes Award is the Heisman Trophy of college baseball,” Cador said. “And for Rickie Weeks to win it, that should allow every kid from an HBCU to dream.”

Last year, the Urban Invitational, the annual collegiate tournament showcasing historically black college and university (HBCU) baseball programs, was renamed the Andre Dawson Classic. When Dawson heard about the name change, he was surprised.

Dawson had received many accolades over his 21-year career, including an MVP award and being voted a Hall of Famer, but this was unexpected. He didn’t realize that he and Lou Brock were the only baseball Hall of Famers who attended HBCUs.

“It never really even dawned on me. It amazed me more than anything, because there is a vast number of black Hall of Famers,” Dawson said.

Dawson’s journey started at Florida A&M University (FAMU), which three of his uncles had attended.

“For me, it was learning how to grow up away from home. That was the most challenging thing,” Dawson said.

Dawson’s dreams of going to the pros started in middle school.

“Baseball was the only thing I knew growing up and the only thing I wanted to do,” he said. Although he was motivated by his dreams, Dawson recalls making a promise with a high school friend that he would try out for FAMU’s baseball team. He did more than keep the promise by making the team as a freshman and being placed in the starting lineup right away.

Dawson, considered one of the top HBCU athletes of all time, was drafted in 1975 and went on to play for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins. He is on the list of 55 players who hit 400 career home runs.

He fought for his chance in the limelight and to be seen by scouts even though he attended an HBCU. This tournament is a chance for baseball players to strive, to be given their chance. “For a lot of them it’s an opportunity. It’s going to be their first time ever to get this type of national exposure,” Dawson said.

“The ultimate goal is for some of them — I know not the majority of them, but some of them — to just be able to aspire and get to the next level.”

FAMU will participate in this year’s tournament for the first time. Dawson will attend to see the Rattlers play.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting moment for me. The program suffered so much over the years, and now with [head coach] Jamey Shouppe at the helm, he has really changed that program around,” Dawson said.

Many people, especially Florida residents, have been happy about MLB renaming the tournament to honor Dawson.

“He’s such a household name in the Tallahassee area because of his connection to FAMU,” said Shouppe. “There’s only one guy that played college baseball [in Tallahassee] and made it to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame — and no one from Florida State has ever done that — and that’s, of course, Andre Dawson.”

On Shouppe’s team, some of his players look up to Dawson’s accomplishments and are excited he’s a product of FAMU. “He came here and did what he was supposed to and got better and went off to major league baseball and did great things there,” Shouppe said. “It just proves that anything can happen, even when you go to a smaller school.”

Shouppe’s players are motivated just from walking in the same hallways as Dawson. For Octavien Moyer, a junior majoring in sport occupational therapy who started playing baseball at 5 years old, Dawson is a role model.

“He’s definitely a person you aspire to be like, whether that’s on the baseball field or off,” Moyer said. “It’s an honor because he went to our school, and for us to participate in the Classic.”

Dawson’s name is prominent in HBCU baseball, and players at other schools are taking an interest in his success. Outfielder Isaiah Torres always looked up to former major league catcher Victor Martinez until he got to Grambling.

“Martinez is a Latino like me, and I like the way he goes about his business and his approach,” Torres said. “Going to an HBCU, I have learned more about him [Dawson]. I know he’s an African-American Hall of Famer.”

Learning about Dawson’s journey from college to the pros gives Torres hope of making it himself. “It’s tough to come out of an HBCU, especially in baseball,” he said.

As a person of color, Torres can relate to the adversity that Dawson had to experience. “At that time, it was [rare] to have African-American ballplayers to play in the big leagues, and then on top of that to become a Hall of Famer,” Torres said.

“He broke some walls down and paved the way for other guys too.”

The Andre Dawson Classic takes place from Friday through Sunday at the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy. Eight teams will participate: Alabama State, Alcorn State, Grambling, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M and non-HBCU Eastern Kentucky.

Dawson is confident that someone who is participating in the tournament can become the third Hall of Famer from an HBCU, but only when the player has the dedication and practices his craft relentlessly.

“Believe in your talent, believe in your ability,” Dawson said. “You’ve got to surround yourself, I think, with the right personnel, people who are going to encourage you, people who will work with you and support you.”