Xavier Meachem and Camden Jackson will play in the first annual HBCU Swingman Classic.
from www.ncataggies.com
EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T baseball will add another chapter to its illustrious history on Friday. Designated hitter Camden Jackson and right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem will play in the first annual HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile and powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation on Friday, July 7.
The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 p.m., eastern standard time (EST) at T-Mobile Park, home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Seattle Mariners. MLB Network will air the HBCU Swingman Classic live at 10:30 p.m. EST.
A&T baseball is a program with a rich history of sending players to what was commonly known as the Negro Leagues. The program has also had 20 players drafted in the MLB Draft, and recently Meachem was selected to play for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, making him the first player in program history to represent a USA national team.
Now, Jackson and Meachem will play on a national stage that includes 50 HBCU student-athletes from 18 different HBCUs selected by a committee that included Hall of Famer and MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Ambassador Ken Griffey Jr., a player known for one of the purest, sweetest left-hand swings in MLB history.
“We are going to be playing in a significant event,” said Jackson. “I know they want this to be a really big thing going forward, and we are the first ones to be selected to do it. I think that we need to put on a good show and show everyone on a national stage that there are a lot of talented players at HBCUs that people don’t get a chance to see.”
Jackson transferred to A&T from Pitt Community College in 2021. In two seasons, Jackson has played 87 games for A&T and batted .290 with seven home runs, 49 RBI, 49 runs scored, 10 doubles, five triples, and 22 extra-base hits with a .420 slugging percentage.
In A&T’s first year in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in 2023, Jackson batted .309 with a .443 slugging percentage, including three homers, five doubles, three triples and 22 RBI. He disagreed that transitioning from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to the Big South Conference to the CAA has been easy for A&T baseball.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say baseball is baseball,” said Jackson. “I definitely felt a big difference in changing conferences this year. There are a lot of great teams in our league, so our level of competition was raised. I thought it made us step up and play better because you can get run over if you don’t.”
Meachem’s journey this summer has been documented. Meachem has sported a Team USA uniform since ending the 2023 A&T baseball season with a 2-1 record with 47 strikeouts, five saves and a 5.59 ERA. Meachem pitched a perfect ninth for Team USA against Chinese Taipei on July 2 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Friday will not be Meachem’s first appearance at an HBCU all-star game. Meachem has played in all three Minority Baseball Prospects HBCU All-Star Games. He said playing in the game helped him and his 97 miles per hour fastball get noticed by MLB scouts.
Meachem could get drafted in next week’s MLB Draft (July 9-11).
“It’s good that they are starting to have these types of events,” said Meachem. “It brings the spotlight to HBCU players because we definitely deserve it. We can definitely ball. I’m glad the HBCU Swingman exists to showcase our talent.”
Proceeds from the sale of each $10 ticket for general admission seating will benefit the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint initiative by MLB and MLBPA to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness, and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and Internationally.
The teams will be managed by former MLB managers Jerry Manuel and Bo Porter, with coaching staffs including Hall of Famer and HBCU alumnus Andre Dawson, two-time World Series Championship manager Cito Gaston, three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Ken Griffey, Sr., and former MLB players and HBCU alumni Rickie Weaks Jr., Marquis Grissom, Marvin Freeman, Vince Coleman, Lenny Webster and Trenidad Hubbard.
Additional coaches include HBCU alumni James Cooper, Troy Morrow and Lester Strode. Cooper and Morrow are coaches in the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles organizations.