Xavier University of Louisiana baseball started the season last week and went 1-1 against Bryant & Stratton College-Albany. After a 61 year hiatus, the Gold Rush welcomed back baseball splitting a season-opening doubleheader. The historic event was played at Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans.
Xavier did it in gritty fashion with strong performances from outfielder Co Co Simoneaux and pitcher Blair Frederick to open the season. The jitters were there for the first game, while the pitching stepped up in the second game of the doubleheader.
On opening day, Xavier lost 5-3 and picked up a pivotal 4-1 win in game two. Nigel Mayfield got the call on the mound and had a strong performance.
Mayfield pitched a complete game four hitter and allowed one earned run.
Both Frederick and Mayfield have both recovered from past Tommy John surgery on their elbows.
Xavier wasted no time in delivering all the things that make the sport special. In the second game, Co Co Simoneaux led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple, scored on the next batter Antonio Rodriguez’ sacrifice fly for the first run and a 1-0 lead.
Bryan & Stratton tied the game in the second inning. The Gold Rush took the lead in the fourth inning. Rodriguez reached second, Jeremy Moore singled to left field between shortstop and third base scoring Rodriguez for the go ahead run.
Beyond that, there were some outstanding individual performances.
Xavier’s starter, RHP, Nigel Mayfield who had successful Tommy John surgery in 2018 threw a gem complete game in his season debut in game two.
Xavier game one starter Blair Frederick, started his collegiate baseball career at LSU before transferring to San Jacinto Community College, had successful Tommy John surgery in 2019.
Simoneaux led off each game in the first inning with a triple.
What is really the story to tell here is the head coach and the support from Major League Baseball (MLB).
Former Selma University baseball coach Andrian Holloway returned for his second stint as a head coach tasked with turning a baseball program into a powerhouse.
Before orchestrating Xavier’s baseball return, Holloway spent six years in Selma as the head coach.
He led the team to six postseason appearances. The only coach to lead a HBCU baseball team to six consecutive playoff appearances.
Selecting the right coach is the first step in building a winner. This was a no-brainer to start with Holloway in ushering in a new era of Gold Rush baseball.
The athletic department was confident that with his leadership and eye for baseball talent and academics, he was going to put together a team that will compete on day one and every day thereafter.
Holloway was born and raised in Selma, Alabama and graduated from Selma High School. While there, he was a Baseball Factory All-American in 2001.
After high school, Holloway attended Alabama State University on a baseball scholarship and was named Rookie of the Year and was a 3-year letterman. He stayed focused on his academics as well and received a bachelor degree in 2007 in social work.
Beginning in 2010, his first season at Selma University, Holloway built the baseball program into a baseball powerhouse. The program made six straight playoff appearances, a program that had only three prior postseason tournament appearances in its history before Holloway arrived.
Holloway was named National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Region Coach of The Year in 2017. The announcement came at the site of the NCCAA South Regional Tournament.
Holloway was hired by Xavier University of Louisiana in January of 2020, and spent more than a year preparing for the debut season in 2021.
Over the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure to get to know Holloway both on and off the diamond.
His passion for the game is evident; whether it’s his collegiate baseball program or being the manager of a college summer team. He has a heart for the players around him.
That says a great deal about him and how he treats others and I believe his XULA ballplayers will enjoy playing for him.
The program has support from Major League Baseball, which has provided Xavier’s baseball team full access to Wesley Barrow Stadium for practice and for all home games. It is doing its part to help Xavier get back out on the field with full access and use of equipment.
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Wesley Barrow Stadium is located in New Orleans and named in memory of Negro League baseball manager Wesley Barrow, a longtime prominent figure in the New Orleans baseball community.
The stadium includes a 200-square-foot climate-controlled press box, a public address system and LED scoreboard. The baseball field features professional-sized artificial turf with a clay pitcher’s mound and two fenced bullpens.
The facility also includes grass tee-ball fields, a three-lane outdoor batting practice cage and a two-lane indoor batting practice building. It also includes administration facilities and two 300-square-foot conference rooms.
Major League Baseball was popular among many black institutions because of its history as being a success story for minority groups.
African Americans have played baseball-like games dating back to the very late eighteenth century, and have contributed to the sport over the last two centuries.
Like most sports, baseball was segregated until the mid-20th century. After Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball included HBCU alumni.
There were a number of HBCU alumni to go pro, like New York Mets’ center fielder Tommie Agee (Grambling State), San Diego Padres’ first baseman Tom Alston (NC A&T), Pittsburgh Pirates’ Donn Clendenon (Morehouse), Cincinnati Reds’ Hal McRae (Florida A&M), St. Louis Cardinals’ left fielder Lou Brock (Southern), Montreal Expos’ outfielder Andre Dawson (Florida A&M), and Tampa Bay Rays’ first baseman Rickie Weeks, Jr. (Southern), just to name a few.
Major League Baseball has donated millions of dollars in communities around the country. Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities is designed to reintroduce baseball in urban areas.
Statistics show a steady decline of Blacks in Major League baseball in the last 30 years, from 18 percent in 1991 to 7.7 percent at the beginning of the 2017 season. There are various opinions on why the numbers have tumbled so low, from interest in other sports that have ties to rap and hip hop music to the expense of participating.
Major League Baseball tried to address the issue when it launched the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in 1989, but the numbers still remain low.
RBI offers boys ages 7 to 18 the opportunity to participate in baseball and travel baseball, even academic tutoring and vocational training, all free of charge. Players buy gloves and cleats at a discount or are often provided donated equipment.
HBCU baseball can help revive the once beloved pastime of baseball that Blacks abandoned for the more glamours football and basketball.
Today, the MLB continues the emphasis on developing talent and interest at HBCUs by funding and supporting projects that provide opportunities for a career meant to increase diversity in the leadership of sports organizations, coaching and management roles. So funding the return of baseball at Xavier makes sense. ‘
HBCUs were once a pipeline of baseball talent for professional baseball. We at Black College Nines will continue to do our little part in promoting its happenings and preserving its legacy.