GRAMBLING — Grambling’s baseball team will be represented in this year’s HBCU Swingman Classic, which takes place on July 10 at 6 p.m. CST during All-Star Weekend at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The MLB Network announced Wednesday that Grambling catcher Chris Marcellus and outfielder Cameron Hill will be on the National League roster. Former Tigers baseball player Courtney Duncan is on the American League coaching staff, which is led by Southern alumnus Rickie Weeks Jr. One of the HBCU’s most decorated players, Grambling alum Ralph Garr Sr., is one of the three Swingman Classic’s VIPs, along with Ken Griffey Sr. and Andre Dawson.
Hill batted .300 with team-high 10 home runs and 54 RBIs and added seven doubles, two triples and 16 stolen bases this past spring for Grambling. Marcellus (.256 average, five home runs, 30 RBIs, six doubles) will not be playing in the Swingman Classic due to his military service.
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This year’s Swingman Classic rosters were constructed by a committee that includes Griffey, MLB representatives, and professional scouts and evaluators. A total of 19 HBCUs will be represented in the Classic.
Twenty-two of the 50 players on the rosters previously participated in MLB elite-development events. Eleven athletes will also play in the Swingman Classic multiple times.
Through the Swingman Classic, Griffey wants to continue elevating the exposure of HBCU baseball while giving its players opportunities.
“There (were) kids that I played with who had no opportunity like this,” Griffey said in an MLB Network interview. “My parents always gave back, and this is my way of giving back to the game that I love. Giving these kids an opportunity to be seen and heard is important.”
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Grambling State University represented in 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic
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