HOUSTON, TX – The Astros Foundation and Minute Maid Park will host the second annual Cactus Jack HBCU Classic, a round-robin collegiate baseball tournament highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs, on opening weekend of Division I college baseball from Feb. 16-18.

The Cactus Jack HBCU Classic will highlight college baseball’s opening weekend in 2024. The six schools participating in the event include Texas Southern University (Houston, TX), Prairie View A&M (Prairie View, Texas), Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana), Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi) and Alcorn State University (Lorman, Mississippi).

A highlight of the tournament will be traditional HBCU in-state rivalry games between Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M, Southern University and Grambling State, and Jackson State and Alcorn State on Saturday, Feb. 17.

The Cactus Jack HBCU Classic will include ancillary events at Minute Maid Park throughout the weekend aside from the nine games.

Below are the highlights of those ancillary events.

THURSDAY, FEB. 15
The head baseball coaches of all six participating universities will be available to the media in the Astros Press Conference Room at 5:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 16
Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Alcorn State and Southern University game at 11:05 a.m. to kick off the tournament. The Travis Scott-Webster family will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Prairie View and Grambling State game at 7:05 p.m.

The Divine 9/HBCU Alum Happy Hour hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Houston will take place from 5:00 p.m. until the end of the final game on Friday in the Diamond Club.

SATURDAY, FEB. 17
The Astros Youth Academy will host the Conoco Phillips College Fair, featuring over 100 colleges, universities, military and career recruiters from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Hall of Fame Alley at Minute Maid Park.

Brad “Scarface” Jordan will host an HBCU “Old School” Party with a special guest appearance by Houston rapper Bun B from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Gallagher Club.

SUNDAY, FEB. 18
Comedian Marcus D. Wiley will host the Astros Foundation Gospel Breakfast in the Diamond Club from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Single day tickets and three-day tournament packages are on sale now at Astros.com/HBCUClassic.

ALL NINE GAMES TO BE TELEVISED AND STREAMED

All nine games of the tournament will be televised on Space City Home Network and available on the channel in the entirety of the Astros five-state viewing area. The games will also be streamed on Astros.com and on the Astros X, Facebook and YouTube social channels. Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum, Michael Bourn, Brian Bogusevic, Kevin Eschenfelder, Butch Alsandor, Enrique Vasquez and Gene Flores will be on the telecast for select games throughout the weekend.

TRAVIS SCOTT BOBBLEHEAD AVAILABLE

The partnership with the Cactus Jack Foundation for the tournament supports their longstanding commitment to raising funds and providing scholarship opportunities for students to attend HBCUs. It is a cause that is important to Travis Scott given his family’s longtime legacy supporting HBCUs.

To celebrate the Cactus Jack Foundation’s involvement in the tournament, the Astros Foundation will be distributing Travis Scott Exclusive Bobbleheads, which will be distributed to ticketed fans upon entry approximately one hour prior to each of the three games on each day. A total of 7,500 bobbleheads will be distributed throughout the weekend.

MEDIA CREDENTIALS AVAILABLE

Media credentials for the tournament are available to be applied for now at Credentials.MLB.com. For any questions on using MLB’s online credentialing system, please reach out to Shaq Sullivan in the Astros communications department at [email protected].

2024 CACTUS JACK HBCU CLASSIC SCHEDULE *

Friday, February 16, 2024

11:05 a.m. Alcorn St. vs. Southern University

3:05 p.m. Jackson St. vs. Texas Southern

7:05 p.m. Prairie View vs. Grambling

Saturday, February 17, 2024 (In-State Rivalry Games)

11:05 a.m. Jackson St. vs. Alcorn St.

3:05 p.m. Grambling St. vs. Southern University

7:05 p.m. Texas Southern vs. Prairie View

Sunday, February 18, 2024

11:05 a.m. Jackson St. vs. Grambling St.

3:05 p.m. Alcorn St. vs. Prairie View

7:05 p.m. Southern University vs. Texas Southern

*Game times are subject to change; home teams are listed second

ABOUT THE ASTROS FOUNDATION:

The Astros Foundation, the official 501(c)(3) team charity of the Houston Astros, seeks to harness the passion of baseball fans to support youth baseball and softball programs, the recognition and honor of our nation’s military, childhood cancer awareness, domestic violence awareness and efforts to reduce homelessness. Our cornerstone initiatives include the Community Leaders program, the Astros Youth Academy and the Astros RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Program. For more information on the Astros Foundation, please visit www.astros.com/foundation.

ABOUT THE ASTROS YOUTH ACADEMY:

The Astros Youth Academy (AYA), which officially opened in 2010, is run by the Astros Foundation and provides free year-round baseball and softball instruction, life skills training and academic support to Houston youth, with a focus on serving inner-city and at-risk children and teens. Baseball and softball camps, clinics, programs, and other activities are provided by experienced instructors, free of charge. The AYA also provides educational programs, leadership development and assistance with college readiness. For more information, visit astrosyouthacademy.com.

ABOUT THE CACTUS JACK FOUNDATION:

The Cactus Jack Foundation mission is to empower and enrich the lives of youth by providing access to education and creative resources to ensure long term success. The foundation believes the youth should not be prevented from attaining their lifetime goal and is committed to extending educational opportunities to all, regardless of their circumstances to achieve their dreams.

ABOUT PROJECT H.E.A.L.:

Project H.E.A.L. is a multi-tier initiative dedicated to addressing challenges facing today’s youth, especially those from marginalized and at-risk communities. In conjunction with the Cactus Jack Foundation, Project H.E.A.L. unites initiatives ranging from academic scholarships, free mental health resources, a creative design center and solutions for event safety. These efforts, independently and collectively, aim to solve challenges and overcome issues impacting the youth community. Learn more at heal-project.org.