Gresham Park Baseball Field New home of Morehouse College Maroon Tigers
This past July a ribbon cutting ceremony took place in the neighborhood near the city of Atlanta for two new baseball fields. The fields where part of a renovation project from Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves Foundation Legacy Project. The sports fields as well as the entire park in DeKalb County were in much need of a restoration.
DeKalb Community leaders partnered with the Atlanta Braves to restore Gresham Park Baseball Fields to provide youth in the Atlanta area opportunities to play baseball.
The Gresham Park ribbon cutting ceremony for the baseball diamond last July 30 is now the new home field for the Morehouse College baseball team. In observance of the Gresham Park field rehabilitation, Morehouse, Tuskegee University, and the Atlanta Braves Foundation have partnered with the Braves after winning this past Fall Classic as the 2021 World Series champions. The Braves are taking the 2021 World Series trophy on a sightseeing exploration through six southern states.
The Trophy will be on showcase at the Gresham Park Baseball Complex when Morehouse host its SIAC conference rival Tuskegee Golden Tigers for a three-game weekend series this weekend starting Saturday February 19-20, with Sunday’s game scheduled as a doubleheader.
The Braves after defeating the Houston Astros, the 2021 World Series trophy will travel through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina. The stop in Atlanta is an opportunity for the Atlanta community and the Braves organization to engage with both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) baseball programs.
The Braves recently formed a new Henry Aaron Fellowship partnering with Truist Bank to create more diversity for HBCUs at all levels within the Braves organization.
The Braves have committed five years to the Henry Louis Aaron Fellowship Fund. For every home run hit by the Atlanta Braves, Truist will donate $755 to the fund, with a minimum total donation of $1 million.” The fund will support educational and career development programs for students from HBCUs.
Henry Aaron was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 through 1976. Widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Atlanta Braves in the National League and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League. He finished his major league career with 755 home runs.
The Atlanta Braves are also hosting the annual weekend series between HBCU large school NCAA Division I baseball programs, while honoring Braves Hall of Famers and HBCU graduates in the Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic presented by Truist.
The 2022 weekend series will take place February 25-27, 2022, at Coolray Field, home of the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers.
The three-game series features Grambling State University and new SWAC member Florida A&M University, the alma maters of Braves Hall of Famers, Ralph Garr and Bill Lucas.
The event is to emphasize baseball programs at HBCUs in the Southeast, and the Braves efforts of diverse baseball players. The classic serves as an opportunity to expose student-athletes, support staff, and coaches to a Major League setting. Both teams participated in the inaugural series last year won by Florida A&M.