Recognized by the Higher Education Act of 1965, HBCUs have offered quality educational and athletic programs for African-American youth for more than a century. HBCUs have a proud baseball tradition, and have produced Hall of Famers such as Lou Brock (Southern University) and Andre Dawson (Florida A&M University).
The Urban Invitational was first launched in 2008 at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., and was hosted there until 2012 when the tournament relocated to Houston. The Houston Astros hosted the event at Minute Maid Park in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 and 2015 the tournament relocated to New Orleans, and those two years included participation by NCAA Division I programs LSU and University of New Orleans.
Since 2008, the year of the inaugural Invitational, more than 25 HBCU athletes who have played in the tournament have been selected in the MLB Draft.
| Date | Time | Matchup | Location | Gameday Link | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Feb. 23 | 12 p.m. | Prairie View A&M 7, North Carolina A&T 5 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | -- |
| Friday, Feb. 23 | 4 p.m. | Southern 7, Alabama State 1 | Holman Stadium (TV-MLBN) | Gameday | Watch |
| Friday, Feb. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Florida A&M 7, Grambling 6 | Holman Stadium (TV-MLBN) | Gameday | Watch |
| Saturday, Feb. 24 | 12 p.m. | North Carolina A&T 8, Southern 2 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | Watch |
| Saturday, Feb. 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Prairie View A&M 5, Florida A&M 4 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | Watch |
| Saturday, Feb. 24 | 7 p.m. | Alabama State 5, Grambling 4 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | Watch |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 | 10 a.m. | North Carolina A&T 14, Grambling 5 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | Watch |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 | 11 a.m. | Prairie View A&M 13, Alabama State 12 | Field Determination | Gameday | Watch |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 | 2 p.m. | Florida A&M 16, Southern 1 | Holman Stadium | Gameday | -- |
Home team listed second. Schedule is subject to change.
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The Andre Dawson Classic is an annual, round-robin collegiate baseball tournament designed by Major League Baseball to highlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their baseball programs. Continuing its goal of highlighting the grand tradition of Black college baseball, the 16th iteration of the tournament (originally known as the...
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- If you were present at The Jackie Robinson Training Complex this weekend, there was a definite buzz around the historic Holman Stadium, buoyed by the competitive play between the six historically Black colleges and universities at the 16th Andre Dawson Classic. But away from the action,...
VERO BEACH, Fla. -- If you stick around long enough, it begins to feel like the universe is playing tricks on you -- especially as a baseball fan. History tends to repeat itself between the lines, giving you random bouts of déjà vu, ensuring that the beautiful legacies of the...
From a very young age, Andre Dawson knew he wanted to be a Florida A&M Rattler. In elementary school, the future member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame attended the Orange Blossom Classic, where the Rattlers football team played annually in his hometown of Miami. The games were intoxicating...
Early season college baseball is always tinged with an enhanced level of excitement, with the eagerness to show that months of hard work have proved to be fruitful, right out the gate. But ahead of the Andre Dawson Classic this weekend, hosted by MLB at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex...
NEW ORLEANS -- Competitive baseball is the centerpiece of the Andre Dawson Classic each year, but take a closer look at the atmosphere at the event, and it’s clear there’s much more going on than just the games on the field. The annual gathering of baseball teams from Historically Black...
MLB Network features Khyle and Jacoby Radcliffe as they discuss playing in the Andre Dawson Classic and playing on the same team
Trenton Bush hits an RBI single to right field to extend Prairie View A&M's lead to 13-11 in the top of the 10th inning
Lee Allen Jr. grounds a go-ahead sacrifice bunt to pull Prairie View A&M ahead of Alabama State University in the top of the 10th inning
Isaiah Landry drives a single to left-center field, scoring Jamal George to tie the game at 11 in the 9th inning
Tatsunori Negishi laces an RBI double to left field, increasing North Carolina A&T's lead to 13-4 in the bottom of the 8th inning
Michael Logan hits an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th inning to score Canyon Brown and make it 11-1
TJ Ash is out on a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the 6th inning, allowing Tatsunori Negishi to score and make it 9-1
Tatsunori Negishi lines an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the 6th inning to score Shermar Dalton and make it 8-1
Tiger Borom cracks an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the 4th inning, plating Daylon Ardoin to make the score 7-1
