By Dorothy J. Gentry
Photos: Dorothy J. Gentry
Blessed. Excited. Great Opportunity. A Dream.
These are just some of the words and emotions emanating from the hearts and minds of many of the college baseball players competing in the HBCU Swingman Classic Friday night during MLB All Star Week at Globe Life Field.
“It’s a great opportunity for us and those young kids looking up to us,” said Michael Burroughs, an outfielder from Prairie View A&M University. “All of us being here as HBCU athletes, it’s a blessing.
“We always get overlooked sometimes when it comes to higher level baseball, but this event right here and all the other HBCU All Star games is a testament to what we can do and how much we deserve to get those accolades and chances. It’s a blessing to be here.”
The HBCU Swingman Classic is a special All-Star contest featuring the top 50 college baseball players from Division-I Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Athletes were selected by a committee that included Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and representatives from Major League Baseball (MLB), the MLBPA, (Players Association) and representatives across the league’s baseball scouting community.
The game, which will air LIVE on the MLB Network, will highlight the history and legacy of HBCU baseball programs, while also providing 50 HBCU players with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.
Players spent Thursday during various community service activities then held an evening practice session and scrimmage at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy in West Dallas.
“I think its important for any kid to have some exposure. I was fortunate to paly the game that I loved and to have a dad that played so I didn’t have to fight, crawl and scratch to be seen,” said Griffey, son of the 2-time Word Series Champion Ken Griffey Sr. Griffey Jr., the MLB/MLBPA Youth Development Foundation Ambassador and a Hall of Famer, is the brainchild of the Swingman Classic
“It’s an opportunity for us (MLB, MLBPA, YDA) to all get together and make it so these kids can be seen. Last year we had 3 kids get drafted. We want them to be in this same situation as us. We want them to live their dream.”
Ali LaPread, an outfielder from Alabama State University who has been playing baseball his whole life, said what inspired him growing up was “seeing guys like me playing the game at a high level.
“It’s a great thing that we can have little kids look up to us as well and say, ‘Hey, this guy looks like me. I can get to that point too.”
LaPread, the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year, played several sports growing up including baseball, basketball, football and even a little bit of golf.
But it was baseball that rose to the top.
“I wasn’t that good at baseball to begin with, so I wanted to get better, my friends were good at it and it was a competitive thing for me at first,” he said. “Then afterward, I kind of fell in love with it.
He’s thankful for the Swingman Classic showcase and knows – no matter what happens – his faith will get him through.
“He (God) has put a talent in me that can’t go unnoticed so I will just continue to glorify him in everything I do.”
Ty Jackson, an outfielder from Florida A&M University – who helped FAMU win the SWAC Baseball Championship last year – was invited to play in the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic which was held in Seattle last year.
“I got invited and it was way more than I expected. Playing in front of 10000 people, getting to hang with people that look like me…growing up, not many kids that look like me played baseball,” he said.
“All the kids that look up to us I want to say keep going, keep pursuing what you love, follow your dreams. You can either stand in or stand out and being a black or brown kid in this sport, you’re going to stand out obviously,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to sustain yourself, know how to keep you head straight, keep looking forward and dream big.”
Tatsunori Negishi, a first baseman from North Carolina AT&T, came from Japan as an international student.
“I grew up in Japan – baseball is big in Japan too – and have just always loved the game. In high school I played in a national tournament then went to junior college in California.
He landed at North Carolina AT&T as a graduate international student on the recommendation of his hitting coach from junior college.
“It, the experience of it (attending an HBCU) was great,” Negishi said. “I love the coaches, my teammates.”
Of the Swingman Classic, he said “it’s cool. I didn’t expect to come here before (playing at AT&T) last year. It’s a good opportunity for me.”
When players step on the baseball field at Globe Life Field on Friday night, all eyes will be on them – near and far. It’s an opportunity for them to have their talent on display and possibly be the next big player in the Major Baseball League. For many, they’ve waited their whole life for this chance.
Burroughs, the outfielder from PVAMU has been playing baseball since he was 3-years-old after his dad introduced it to him.
“Once I got older, the love for it just grew. The feeling of succeeding in baseball, especially being a black athlete, it’s just amazing. It’s something you can’t get anywhere else.
“We are all so talented and we are able to compete at high levels. It’s just a blessing. I thank God for it. It’s been an amazing journey.”
The HBCU Swingman Classic will also feature a special pregame ceremony with Kirk Franklin, the “Grandmother” of Juneteenth, Opal Lee, a Divine Nine reception, an HBCU college fair, a sports career panel, and a special band performance by the Texas Southern “Ocean of Soul.”
Tickets for the HBCU Swingman Classic are still available and on-sale at allstargame.com/swingman.
On Saturday, the players will give back to the community with several activities including a youth baseball clinic at PlayBall Village. Later that afternoon they will head to the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center to participate in The Suit Up Experience. With assistance from local male mentors, the players will be decked out in new or gently used suits, complete with shirts, belts, shoes and socks, pocket handkerchiefs and new haircuts.
The HBCU athletes will also receive a wealth of information and mentoring, covering everything from etiquette and grooming tips, wardrobe styling, and shoeshine and tie-tying tutorials, to financial literacy, healthy living, mental health, and more.
These events are part of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation’s outreach efforts.
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