LORMAN, Miss. – Alcorn Baseball will be represented at the fourth annual HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball, as former Braves student-athlete
Kanious Davis heads to the event taking place Friday, July 10, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and will take place at Citizens Bank Park.
The 50-man roster comprises the top players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from around the country.
Players were selected by a committee that includes Ken Griffey Jr., representatives from Major League Baseball (MLB) and professional scouts and evaluators. In total, 22 athletes on the roster have previously participated in Major League Baseball's elite-development events (MLB Develops).
Last season for Alcorn,
Kanious Davis, better known as "Spanky", finished the year with a .314 batting average, using a team-high 36 runs, 43 hits and a .401 slugging percentage to boot. Davis played in 48 games for the Purple and Gold, making 46 starts in the process.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Davis was also a pitcher for Head Coach
Carlton Hardy, ending the campaign with a 3-5 overall record on the bump and a 7.96 ERA in 31.2 innings of action. He started eight games on the hill, appearing in 12 overall, respectfully. He logged a team second-most 36 strikeouts with opponents batting just .277 against him.
Led by 2007 National League MVP and Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Famer Jimmy Rollins and HBCU legend and 14-year MLB veteran Rickie Weeks, the Swingman Classic roster will be broken up into two teams: National League (Rollins) and American League (Weeks). Rollins will be joined on staff by Wes Chamberlain, Wayne Gomes, Jason Maxwell, Milt Thompson and Lenny Webster. Weeks' staff will feature Marlon Anderson, Courtney Duncan, Derrick Lewis, Jemile Weeks and Corey Wimberly.
For the fourth consecutive year, MLB Network will exclusively broadcast the game with Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Harold Reynolds (analyst) on the call. Ken Griffey Jr. and Emily Haydel, granddaughter of Hank Aaron, will also contribute to the broadcast.
The HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball will feature special pregame activities designed to honor and celebrate HBCU culture. Pregame festivities, which will be announced at a later date, are set to feature an in-ballpark DJ, an in-game "Divine Nine" recognition and much more.
Tickets for the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball are on sale now at
AllStarGame.com.
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (
@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (
@AlcornSports) and YouTube (
Braves Sports Network)
for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.
