PHILADELPHIA — Major League Baseball on Thursday unveiled the 50-player roster and coaching staffs for the fourth annual HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball, set for July 10 at Citizens Bank Park.
The showcase game, featuring many of the nation’s top baseball players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will begin at 7 p.m. ET during MLB All-Star Week festivities in Philadelphia.
The roster will be divided into American League and National League squads. Former National League MVP and Philadelphia Phillies great Jimmy Rollins will manage the National League team, while former major leaguer and HBCU standout Rickie Weeks will lead the American League squad.
Rollins’ coaching staff includes Wes Chamberlain, Wayne Gomes, Jason Maxwell, Milt Thompson and Lenny Webster. Weeks will be joined by Marlon Anderson, Courtney Duncan, Derrick Lewis, Jemile Weeks and Corey Wimberly.
For the fourth consecutive year, MLB Network will carry exclusive coverage of the game. Dave Sims will handle play-by-play duties alongside analyst Harold Reynolds. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and Emily Haydel, granddaughter of baseball legend Hank Aaron, will also contribute to the broadcast.
Three honorary VIPs will be recognized during the event: Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, former major leaguer Ralph Garr Sr. and Ken Griffey Sr. Dawson, a Florida A&M alumnus, and Garr, who played at Grambling State, are among the most accomplished players in HBCU baseball history. Griffey Sr. enjoyed a 19-year Major League career.
Players were selected by a committee that included Griffey Jr., Major League Baseball representatives, professional scouts and evaluators.
The roster highlights the success of MLB’s player-development initiatives. Twenty-two players previously participated in MLB Develops programs, while eight players — Trey Callaway, Thomas Ealey, Aaron Grant, Tervell Johnson, Chris Marcellus, Solomon McKinney, Eric Williams and Bruce Wyche — are alumni of Nike’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.
In addition, nine players previously attended the Hank Aaron Invitational, six participated in the DREAM Series and four are graduates of the Breakthrough Series.
Eleven players will return to the Swingman Classic after competing in previous editions of the event, including two-time participants Justin Journette, Robert Tate Jr. and KJ White. Philadelphia native Santino Harwood and Lincoln University standout Solomon McKinney were also selected to this year’s roster.
The 50-player roster represents 19 HBCUs from across the country, including Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, Lincoln University, Maryland Eastern Shore, Mississippi Valley State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, Prairie View A&M, Southern University, Southern University at New Orleans, Texas Southern and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Beyond the on-field competition, organizers said the HBCU Swingman Classic will feature several pregame activities celebrating HBCU culture and traditions. Planned festivities include an in-stadium DJ, recognition of members of the Divine Nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations and additional entertainment that will be announced later.
Tickets for the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball are available through MLB’s All-Star Game website.
