Clark Atlanta University
Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
Head Coach: Kentaus “KC” Carter 6th Season
2023 Record: 14-29 (.326)
Black College Nines (BCN) 2023 HBCU Baseball Final Poll: Unranked
Top Returning Players:
Andrew Garner, OF
Kentavious Veal, INF
Top Freshman Recruits:
Jason Jones, OF
Alijah Robinson, LHP/1B
Top JUCO Transfer
Dylan Diaz, OF (East Hampton)
Top Transfer/Portal
Xavier Hall, LHP, (Southern Nazarene University)
Mario Cuevas, OF/RHP (Coppin State University)
Gabe Williams, C, (University of Maryland Eastern Shore)
Preseason Overview:
The Clark Atlanta baseball program looks to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 campaign where they finished one game out of qualifying for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) tournament. The Panthers graduated eight seniors and returned 21 players from last season. With an experienced team, the Panthers are focused to compete with the upper echelon teams in SIAC.
As the league strengthens with great coaches and exceptional athletes, the Panthers welcome the challenge of competing each week with pitching, defense and timely hitting. Coach Carter believes if his team can decrease the walks from a year ago and keep the improvement of having quality at bats and make the routine plays, he feels they can vie for an SIAC Championship.
The Panthers have some stout freshmen. Jason Jones from Decatur HS will compete for an outfield position and possibly eat up innings out the bullpen. Jones took advantage of the fall season to improve arm strength and work to have consistent quality at bats to improve on base percentage.
Left handed pitcher/first baseman Alijah Robinson, from Jacksonville, Florida’s Wolfson High School, will see time at both positions. Robinson, a former offensive lineman, had an opportunity to just focus on baseball for the first time in his career. This 6’3 240 lb student/athlete showed tremendous upside at the plate working on driving the ball to the opposite field. If he can improve his plate discipline and improve defensively, he will become a staple in the Panther line-up.
The Panthers have used the transfer portal really well heading into the 2024 season. Top players include Mario Cuevas from Stony Point, NY. The transfer from Coppin State University will start in the outfield and will add depth to the pitching staff as a reliever and spot starter. Cuevas brought energy every practice to the team in the fall season. He is a solid defender and looks to become consistent at the plate to provide depth in the line-up for the Panthers.
Dylan Diaz, from East Hampton, CT will compete for one of the outfield positions. Diaz impressed the coaches with his speed and ability to track down balls. He improved throughout the fall at the plate with quality at bats and consistently.
Xavier Hall, from Crowley, TX, transferred in from Southern Nazarene University. The lefty looks to become a starter on the pitching staff. Hall rehabbed in the fall and wants to be a consistent arm for the Panthers.
Gabe Williams, from Baltimore, MD, is a transfer from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore who will start behind the plate and hit in the middle of the Panther line-up. Williams had a solid fall consistently making loud contact and driving balls in the gap. He’s finally having the opportunity to play every day and he could carry the offense.
A top returning impact player for CAU is junior Andrew Garner from Lanham, MD. The HBCU all-star had two walk-off hits for the Panthers and several other big hits during the 2023 season. Garner hit .316/.427/.519 in conference play last season.
Asa Waites, a junior from Chicago, hopes to improve from a subpar 2023 campaign on the mound and in the field. Coming off surgery that interrupted his fall, Waiters will bring experience to an otherwise inexperienced pitching staff. He started 12 games on the mound with 14 appearances and will continue to get the ball every weekend for the Panthers. Waites looks to get back to the season he had his freshman year where he led the pitching staff in wins.
Another key returnee is junior Kentavious Veal who led the team in almost every offensive category (batting average, hits, stolen bases, on base percentage, base on balls and runs). Another HBCU all-star, Veal will move to shortstop replacing four-year starter Justice Page who graduated.
Ranking Recruiting Class
Carter believes this could be his best recruiting class since he arrived at CAU (Clark Atlanta University).
Black College Nines Grade : (A)
The Panthers should make the SIAC conference tournament this spring.