Four members of the FAMU baseball team --- Hunter Viets, Ty Hanchey, Janmikell Bastardo, and Jalen Niles --- have been invited to participate in the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic in Seattle, WA.
The Rattlers are among 50 D1 HBCU baseball players selected for this special HBCU All-Star experience which will take place during MLB All-Star Week. All participants were selected by a committee which included Hall of Famer and MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation Ambassador Ken Griffey Jr. as well as representatives from MLB, the MLBPA, and the baseball scouting community.
The teams will be managed by former Major League Managers Jerry Manuel and Bo Porter, with coaching staffs including Hall of Famer & HBCU alumnus Andre Dawson, two-time World Series Championship Manager Cito Gaston, three-time All-Star & two-time World Series Champion Ken Griffey Sr. and former Big Leaguers who are HBCU alumni (Rickie Weeks Jr., Marquis Grissom, Marvin Freeman, Vince Coleman, Lenny Webster and Trenidad Hubbard). Additional coaches include HBCU alumni James Cooper, Troy Morrow and Lester Strode. Cooper and Morrow are coaches in the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles organizations, respectively.
"I'm very excited for our four young men that made the HBCU Swingman Classic!" said Head Baseball Coach Jamey Shouppe. "Each one is very deserving, and they all played a large part in helping FAMU Baseball win the SWAC Championship! It will be fun to watch them perform on national television on July 7th!"