HBCU Swingman Classic puts college stars in Philly spotlight

The HBCU Swingman Classic opened MLB All-Star Week at Citizens Bank Park on Friday, giving 50 HBCU players national exposure during the same Philadelphia week that draws stars like Yandy Diaz. The American League beat the National League 6-1, and Southern University outfielder Jacoby Radcliffe won MVP.

Key Takeaways

• The fourth annual HBCU Swingman Classic kicked off MLB All-Star Week on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, giving 50 HBCU standouts a national platform in front of scouts, executives, fans, and media.
• The American League defeated the National League 6-1, and Southern University center fielder Jacoby Radcliffe earned MVP honors after a speed-driven performance managed by Rickie Weeks.
• Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who founded the event in 2023 with his father Ken Griffey Sr. at his side, framed the classic as a way to make sure overlooked Black college players get seen.
• Since 2023, 150 players have participated and 10 have been drafted into Major League Baseball, while Black American representation on MLB rosters has fallen to roughly 6.8% this season.
• A video tribute to late Southern coach Roger Cador connected three generations of Jaguars baseball on a major league stage, from Cador through Weeks to Radcliffe.

What happened at the 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic?

MLB All-Star Week festivities in Philadelphia began with college players who rarely get prime-time attention. The HBCU Swingman Classic filled Citizens Bank Park on Friday night, and the scoreboard told one story while the crowd told another.

The American League topped the National League 6-1 on six runs and seven hits, according to MLB.com. But the game's larger purpose was exposure. Dozens of standout HBCU players performed in front of scouts, executives, fans, and media on one of baseball's biggest stages, as 6abc Philadelphia reported.

Southern University center fielder Jacoby Radcliffe stole the night. He reached base on a hit-by-pitch, stole two bases, scored a run, and took home MVP honors. Griffey presented him the trophy on the field, capping a showcase held just days before the MLB Draft.

For Radcliffe, the moment carried extra weight after a difficult sophomore season in which he lost his starting spot. American League manager Rickie Weeks, a Southern alumnus and former big leaguer, had urged him to stay mentally locked in and attack pitches away. The stadium also paused for Roger Cador, the longtime Southern head coach who died on June 30. Cador won 913 games and led Southern to the first NCAA tournament victory by an HBCU program in 1987, linking Cador, Weeks, and Radcliffe across three generations.

Why did Ken Griffey Jr. create the Swingman Classic?

Griffey founded the HBCU Swingman Classic in 2023 because he believed HBCU athletes needed a national platform, not just another summer game. "They love baseball like anybody else, and if I can get them to be seen, that's what I'm here for," Griffey told 6abc.

In The Philadelphia Inquirer, he went further: "This is very important to me. I feel that I'm helping the parenting of baseball and giving these young kids an opportunity to be seen." The sport that celebrates Jackie Robinson has seen Black American participation drop from roughly 18% in 1991 to about 6.8% this season, according to the Inquirer.

Griffey's event was born from a belief that baseball must recapture the hearts and minds of Black America. He works with Major League Baseball, the players' union, and other partners to rebuild that shrinking constituency, and the Swingman Classic puts the players where scouts and fans can finally see them.

Who stood out beyond the MVP on Friday night?

Rollins, the Phillies legend and 2007 National League MVP, managed the National League squad and told players to absorb the setting. "When you were a kid, this is where you wanted to be and now you're here," Rollins said.

Local ties ran through the rosters. Delaware State's Santino Harwood and Lincoln University's Solomon McKinney were among the 50 invited players. McKinney said he believed he was the only Division II athlete in the field. Ryan Hunter of Southern called the game the most competitive HBCU baseball fans would see all year.

Morgan State's Arjai Rivera, who is from South Jersey, told 6abc it was his first time attending any baseball game. Weeks praised Radcliffe afterward and pointed to Southern's tradition: "It's good to be from a school like that. Obviously having a long lineage of tradition and success at the same time."

How does the Griffey legacy connect past HBCU stars to today?

The Inquirer's Claire Smith framed Friday night as both pride and pressure. Ken Griffey Sr. stood beside Junior as living proof that opportunity can arrive late and still last. Drafted in the 29th and final round by Cincinnati, Griffey Sr. played 19 major league seasons because, as Junior put it, "somebody took a chance."

"Some of these kids here, going to these schools, they get lost in the shuffle," Griffey Jr. said. "The key is you look." After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, teams mined HBCUs for talent. Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Andre Dawson came through Southern and Florida A&M, while Morgan State produced Joe Black, one of Robinson's first Black teammates in Brooklyn.

The Inquirer notes that Hank Aaron Invitational graduates such as Michael Harris II, Jordan Walker, and Braden Montgomery now populate big league rosters. Ten participants from the first three classics have already been drafted. For more on how sports nostalgia frames today's headlines, explore our Nostalgia: Then & Now section.

What happens next for HBCU baseball after Philadelphia?

Since the classic began in 2023, 150 players have participated and 10 have reached the professional ranks, according to 6abc. With the MLB Draft following All-Star Week, Radcliffe and others left Philadelphia with fresh tape and a louder résumé.

Organizers say they hope that draft number keeps growing. Griffey Sr. insists the talent pool is still there: "Every year I go down to Vero Beach for the Hank Aaron Invitational. Over 200 kids show up. And these kids can play." The Swingman Classic is where some of those players hope the baseball world finally agrees.