Two Savannah State baseball players will represent the Tigers at the first-ever HBCU Baseball All-Star Game, hosted by Minority Baseball Prospects.
Savannah State pitcher Enrico Peele and outfielder Dwayne Franklin have been invited to the All-Star game, set for June 8 at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
Peele and Franklin will play on the Rickie Weeks’ team alongside student-athletes they compete against in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and from several HBCU’s in both NCAA Division I and Division II. Desmond Jennings is set to coach the other team.
Weeks is a graduate of Southern University, a Louisiana HBCU. Weeks is the only HBCU player to win a Golden Spikes Award for best amateur player. He holds NCAA records in batting average as well. He was the second overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2003 MLB draft and was named an MLB All-Star in 2011. Weeks currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It’s a blessing of course,” Peele said. “I am just glad my hard work is getting recognized. I am very excited to be coached by Weeks. It’s a great learning experience and a chance to meet other people in the baseball world and other HBCU athletes.”
Peele finished a strong sophomore year at Savannah State with a 3-0 record and a 1.80 ERA. He made eight appearances for the Tigers, pitching 20.0 innings. He allowed four earned runs on 10th hits with 14 strikeouts.
Franklin had an outstanding junior year for Savannah State. He led the team in runs scored (25), hits (25), stolen bases (14), doubles (8), and total bases (33). Franklin ended the season batting .410 with 19 RBI and a .541 slugging percentage.
Nationally, Franklin finished the season ranked 46th in batting average, 5th in on base percentage (.563), and 15th in stolen bases out of 274 NCAA Division II teams.
“I am glad I get the opportunity to represent Savannah State in the All-Star Game,” Franklin said. “I am looking forward to learning a lot and meeting some other players and going out there and making our school look great and let them know that there are some great players that come out of Savannah State.”
The first HBCU All-Star Game was designed to provide a platform for top-level talent coming out of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The teams were selected through an All-Star Vote lead by the guidance of current and former HBCU coaches and players according to the event’s web page.
Selected players will have the opportunity to compete against the best in the game, highlight the rich history of HBCU baseball while being put in a spotlight for Major League scouts.
Savannah State baseball concluded the 2021 season 14-7 overall, the first winning season since the 2013 team finished 33-23. They played in the first-ever Black College World Series in April, making it to the semifinals.