HOUSTON -- From Friday through Sunday at Minute Maid Park, the Astros Foundation is hosting the inaugural Cactus Jack HBCU Classic, a round-robin collegiate baseball tournament highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs.

Featuring three games per day, the Classic is welcoming local programs Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M, as well as Southern University and A&M College, Grambling State University, Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University. Each is beginning its 2023 season as part of college baseball’s opening weekend across the country.

For Reggie Jackson, a Baseball Hall of Famer and special advisor to Astros owner Jim Crane, it clearly brings joy to see players, coaches and fans from HBCUs soaking in the moment.

“I’ve been around 50 years in the big leagues, and I’ve never seen this many young African American players together,” Jackson said from the ballpark, where he actively engaged with many fans. “I’m so excited. I’ve been looking forward to this for the last couple months, ever since I found out. To see all the young, talented baseball players this weekend, it really is something special, and I’m enjoying it.”

To “Mr. October,” as he’s known from his legendary postseason runs with the Yankees in the 1970s, the tournament being held during Black History Month brings personal significance.

“I have a significant focus on diversity,” Jackson said. “Major League Baseball’s African American population has gone downhill. When I played baseball 40-something years ago, the population of African Americans in the game was 16 or 17 percent. That number is now down in the 5 to 6 percent range.”

Jackson attributes the steadily rising costs of club baseball and associated travel as a key factor, since many families may not have enough time or money to support their child’s baseball dreams.

“When I was kid in my neighborhood, the next town over had a team, the town in between had a team, and the town behind me had one,” recalled Jackson, whose iconic “Reggie!” chocolate bar from decades ago is making a comeback as part of the event.

By putting the spotlight on six HBCU programs under one roof -- with nine games over three days, including three televised games Saturday and one on MLB Network (see full schedule here) -- the hope is to broaden baseball’s reach within one singular location.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time six HBCUs are playing in a big league ballpark,” said Daryl Wade, director of the Astros Youth Academy.

The tournament, hosted in partnership with rapper Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, is also showcasing other events such as a college fair, gospel breakfast and Thursday’s celebrity softball classic and home run derby. Proceeds will provide scholarship opportunities for students to attend HBCUs.

As Jackson sees it, the Classic -- which kicked off with the Black national anthem prior to its first pitch -- reinforces the franchise’s ongoing commitment to diversity efforts.

“I am honored to be associated with the Houston Astros,” Jackson said. “Our owner, Jim Crane, is a spectacular person when it comes to equality and representing all different types of people. Our general manager [Dana Brown] is African American, our manager [Dusty Baker] is African American, and of the five or six people we interviewed recently for the GM job, three were African American.

“For me, it warms my heart that those opportunities are now starting to come. Teams and people like Jim, and a few other owners, are making an effort to make sure that everyone has a fair chance.”

When the Classic opened with Friday’s early game between Prairie View A&M and Grambling State, each team’s dugout still featured the 2022 World Series branding of the Phillies and Astros, respectively, with the on-field action taking place exactly where Houston celebrated its title three months ago. 

In comments to players, Jackson and Wade urged them to take it all in. 

“The field out there is pristine,” Wade said. “This is yours. It took a little effort, but we believe in you, and we believe in your programs.” 

“When you’re on the field, you have a chance to show who you are,” Jackson said. “Always remember that someone is watching you. You get this chance to show what you can do."