Who’s Hot in HBCU baseball returns for another season. This past weekend, “small school” HBCU baseball programs officially opened their 2024 seasons with quite a bit of action on the diamond. Home runs, outstanding defensive plays, lights-out pitching, and extra base hits were some of the highlights to the weekend’s play.
We continue to look at the players who stood out in their weekend series. There was a ton of action on the field. We present this past weekend noise makers, power bats and pitching dominance…
Kentucky State University
The Thorobreds swept Morehouse College to open the 2024 season. In the three-game series…
Parker White was 4-for-7, 2 home runs, and 10 runs batted in.
Isaiah Zepeda-Felix went 7-for-12, 2 home runs, and 10 runs driven home.
Solomon Reed threw 5 innings allowed 1 hit, 1 walk, recorded 9 strikeouts.
Savannah State University
In the three-game opening series of two ranked HBCU Baseball “small school” teams, No. 5 Savannah State swept No. 7 Bluefield State University. Scores include Saturdays Game #1 17-3, Sunday’s doubleheader Game #2 5-2, and Game # 3 9-8 in extra innings.
Addrian McNeal, 6-for-12 at the plate batting average .500, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 singles, 6 hits, 3 runs batted in, 5 runs, and 2 stolen bases.
Kendal Spencer, 4 hits, 3 runs, 4 runs batted in, 1 stolen base, 4-for-8 .500 batting average, 3 hit by pitch, and earned 3 walks.
D’Sean Prinkleton, 2 home runs, walk-off home run in game 3, 2 doubles, 5 runs driven home, 3 stolen base, scoring 5 runs.
Paine College
Paine went 2-1 against Trinity Baptist. Paine’s Emmanuel Martinez pitched five remarkable innings of one-run ball to earn one of the wins.
Emmanuel Martinez, 5.0 innings pitched, allowed 4 hits, 1 runs, 1 earned run, and 7 strike outs. His only blemish was a home run, Trinity’s only run for the game.
Freshman Kaiden Wilcox batted .750, 9-for-12 on the weekend with 6 runs batted in.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier swept Tougaloo College in an HBCU baseball nonconference series. Xavier claimed all three contests by the score of 10-7, 7-1, and the series finale slugfest 18-11.
Deionte Norris was 4-for-9 at the plate, 2 home runs and 6 runs batted during the series.
RHP Kimani Davis in 4.0 innings, recored 7 strikeouts in the season opening win.
Edward Waters University
No. 6 Edward Waters University (2-1) opened its season by upsetting the top ranked preseason No.1 Florida Memorial (1-2). In game one 15-14 extra inning walk off win.
Daquarius Thompkins, 2-for-6, 2 hits, 2 doubles, 5 runs batted in.
Jarvis Christian University
Jarvis Christian defeated Dillard University 7-1 to start its 2024 campaign.
Alejandro Gonzalez Moreno threw a gem. in 7.0 innings on the hill, he allowed just 4 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, and struck out 8 batters for the win.