Tyeler Hawkins of Southern University stands as one of the top baseball players in the nation. over the weekend, Hawkins participated in the HBCU Swingman Classic. The annual event held during MLB All-Star week, provides 50 HBCU players with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.
The student-athletes were be selected by a committee that included YDF Ambassador & Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. alongside representatives from MLB and MLBPA, as well as scouts.
“The fact that I was invited is a blessing,” Hawkins said. “It’s great to be here and just really meet the people.”
But while the HBCU Swingman Classic seeks to provide more opportunities, currently there is a lack of Black American players in the MLB. In 2024, only 6 percent of MLB players are Black American.
Hawkins sheds light on why disparities may exists.
“One, baseball is an expensive sport and a very skillful sport,” Hawkins said. “And it’s a very hard sport. I would say it’s probably the hardest sport. And then there are sports icons. You see kids look up to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. So you can see why kids would want to be like them. And then there’s a gap because most Black athletes will play multiple sports, compared to other baseball players who will play the game all year. And so some of the guys who are good enough to play baseball may choose another sport like football or basketball.”
But when given the opportunities, Black baseball players are proven that they can find success on any field. In April, Hawkins’ Southern University team upset the No. 1 ranked LSU, the defending National Champions.
“Being an HBCU and playing a team like a LSU, a national champion team, and walking away is victorious, you don’t really see that in other sports,” Hawkins said. “You rarely see a team like that get upset unless its March Madness (basketball). But it just shows you that once the game starts, it doesn’t matter what school you play for, where you come from, what your background is. The talent is going to supersede anything.”
Hawkins wants to use his platform to inspire the next generation of baseball players who can use the sport to learn more about the game of life.
“The game of baseball has really shown me a part of life and has taught me a lot of lessons in life,” Hawkins said. “Baseball is literally the game of failure. And if you can’t understand how to fail, you won’t be able to understand how to succeed. So going through all my failures is the reason I’m able to understand why I’m in the position now. And obviously, I still have a lot more to do and I’m not there yet, but I can say I’ve been through it. I’ve experienced it and I know how to learn from it. So I’m blessed to have played baseball. So even after baseball, I know the way of life to be honest, like it has grown me as a man like I’ve had plenty of coaches who have legit taught me manhood beyond baseball. I’ve got those lessons by playing this sport.”
