Pompano Beach, FL – Black College Championships announced today an agreement with Visit Jackson, TN and Rockabillys Stadium to serve as host of the 2025 Baseball Black College World Series. The championship series is slated for May 7-10, with the top eight teams from Black College Nines small school Top 10 Ranking Poll qualifying.
The 2025 Series will be in its fifth year of staging a national baseball tournament featuring the best Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) small school collegiate baseball programs in the nation. The BCWS games will be played at the former Class AA Southern League stadium in Jackson in May ’25 under the current deal.
Riverwalk Stadium, in Montgomery, Alabama, hosted all four of the previous national tournaments. The BCWS was started in 2021 as an eight-team, double-elimination tournament with two brackets. The tournament games pit NCAA Division II HBCU bracket champion and the NAIA HBCU bracket champion as the final two teams advance to a single championship game to determine the BCWS national champion.
Rockabillys Stadium Jackson will continue to enhance the city’s reputation as one of America’s great collegiate sports communities.
Michael Coker, founder of the Black College World Series. stated: “The new contract with the Rockabillys and the city to host the event in Jackson was awarded through an open bid process. The process to determine a home for the baseball tournament beyond 2025 has been the goal.”
This series will continue to crown a national champion of black college baseball while showcasing its participation in the NCAA Division II and the NAIA.
The series will also showcase the rich heritage of historically black college and university students who played in the Negro Leagues and received a college education. Approximately 40 percent of Negro League players before 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the modern color barrier were college-educated at HBCUs.
The games will be broadcast live on the Urban Edge Network/HBCU+ Black College Sports Network.
Dates: May 7-10, 2025
Venue: Rockabillys Stadium
Location: Jackson, TN
Address: 4 Fun Place, Jackson, TN 38305
Tickets: TBA
Websites:
Jackson Rockabillys owner and president Dennis Bastien also expressed satisfaction over the new site and agreements.
“The Jackson Rockabillys and Rockabillys Stadium are proud to be a part of the Black College World Series coming to Jackson next May. This event enables more regions of the country to visit and be exposed to our amazing community by encouraging tourism and new visitors to spend several days here. A tip-of-the-Rockabillys cap to all of those teams that will achieve a berth in this prestigious series. It is a privilege and an honor to be the host,” stated Rockabillys Owner and President Dennis Bastien.
Scott Conger, Mayor City of Jackson, Tennessee delighted the series comes to Rockabillys Stadium.
“On behalf of the City of Jackson, TN and our over 68,000 residents, I would like to welcome to our great city all of the players, coaches, and families, and others who will be represented in the 2025 Baseball Black College World Series,” said Mayor Scott Conger. “We are honored to have the championship baseball tournament played at the Ballpark at Jackson, home of the Rockabilly’s.”
The Black College World Series was founded by Michael Coker, Executive Director of Black College Championships, the promoter of the event. Coker is a collegiate baseball writer and lead contemporary news reporter for Black College Nines. He is a member and sits on the Board of Directors of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), a member of the Black College Legends and Pioneers Committee for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, founding member of the HBCU-Pro Sports Media Association (HBCU-PSMA), Founder and Executive Director of the Black College Championships L.L.C. and HBCU baseball Black College World Series. Previously reported for blackcollegebaseball.com. Coker is a voter for the NCBWA NCAA Division I baseball Top 25 poll and Black College Nines’ HBCU baseball polls. Has more than twenty years of covering collegiate baseball. Played baseball for three years under coach Jeffery Lee Jr. at Edward Waters University.
About Black College Championships, L.L.C.
Black College Championships, L.L.C. was formed in 2021 to organize and run Historically Black College and University baseball World Series events. The goal of the alliance is to stage a national postseason baseball tournament featuring the best HBCU collegiate baseball teams from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II (NCAA DII) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members includes Michael Coker, HBCU baseball guru, Lead Contemporary Writer/Reporter at Black College Nines, and founder Black College World Series; Roger Cador, legendary former head baseball coach at Southern University; Texas Southern University Dean, Dr. Jafus Kenyatta Cavil, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Executive Director Bo Carter; Dr. John Winters, PhD, former NCAA Division I umpire and supervisor, associate professor and faculty advisor at Langston University, OK.; and Joel Worthington, Head Softball coach and Sports Information Director (SID) at Lane College. For Black College World Series updates, visit the Black College Championships website at https://blackcollegechampionships.com.
About Jackson Rockabillys
The Jackson Rockabillys are a proud member of the summer collegiate Prospect League in 2024. The Prospect League is a premier Midwestern wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league with 18 teams across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Jackson Rockabillys stadium is home to college players from across the country during the season that runs from late May to early August. The Rockabillys provide family friendly, affordable baseball entertainment for Jackson and the surrounding areas. In addition to baseball, the Rockabillys are committed to community efforts and programs on a year-long basis.
About Rockabillys Stadium
The Rockabillys Stadium is a 6,000-seat stadium in Jackson, Tenn. The stadium opened in 1998 and currently serves as home to the Jackson Rockabillys and previously was home to the Jackson Generals. The Rockabillys are a member of the summer Collegiate Prospect League. The stadium has served as host of the Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament and current host to the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Tournament.
About Jackson, Tennessee
Located halfway between Memphis’ Beale Street and Nashville ‘s Music Row, conveniently on Interstate 40, and in the heart of the Americana Music Triangle. Jackson is where country music connected to the blues and the sound of Rock-A-Billy was heard around the world. With over 40 locally inspired restaurants, unique shopping. and live music every day of the week, Jackson offers visitors a mix of amenities to enjoy.
About Black College Nines
Black College Nines is an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of HBCU baseball through current and historical news reporting. Coverage includes current and contemporary HBCU baseball news, black pioneers of college baseball, legends of HBCU baseball, the stories of black college baseball’s past, HBCU baseball top ten polls, Black College Nines podcasts, and other black college baseball history. For more information, contact Black College Nines at [email protected].
About Urban Edge Network/HBCU Plus
Urban Edge Network was curated to level the playing field and provide a platform for diverse voices. As part of the UEN family of brands, HBCU Plus is an ad-supported Black College Sports Network, delivering 24/7 access to live and on-demand Historically Black Colleges and Universities HBCUs.
For further information please contact:
Michael Coker
Telephone: 954 687 2095
Email: [email protected]