Words by abrothanamedCed – Photos via @GtownBaseball
At the start of spring training, the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles each boasted six Black players on their respective 40-man rosters. A certain someone (Cheats) pondered if these two clubs could lead the way in the resurgence of baseball in Black communities.
Only three Black players made the Nationals’ Opening Day roster. The Orioles’ lone Black player was long-time centerfielder Cedric Mullins; he’s in a contract year.
But take a closer look at the DMV area and you’ll see signs of the long overdue resurgence.
I’ll give you a hint: it’s at the college on the side of town with a steep history of segregation from Chocolate City.
The Georgetown Hoyas may be the Blackest D-I baseball team east of the Vandy Boys. Led by head coach Edwin Thompson, this season’s Hoyas boast 12(!!!) Black players, including Jaden Sheffield; and yes, he has the bat wiggle to match his father’s.
I went up to Capital One Park to take in a game on Friday, May 16. The Hoyas took on the Big East-leading Creighton Bluejays for their last home series of the year. And what I saw was eye-opening.
Black faces littered the crowd of 277 fans that day. Perhaps many were there for Senior Day to see their loved ones play their final collegiate game. But the Black faces weren’t just in the stands wearing navy blue and gray.
That day, the Hoyas had four Black starters in the field: Kavi Caster in left field, Keith Savoy, Jr. in right field, Jeremy Sheffield (not related to Gary) at second base, and Ashton Seymore at first base. Jaden Sheffield slotted in as the designated hitter, giving the Hoyas five Black players in the lineup.
Blackness bleeds into the rest of the Hoyas’ coaching staff, too. Coaching the first base line opposite of Coach Thompson at third was baserunning coordinator Charles Bolden. Behind the scenes, Maurice Bankston serves as the director of player development.
(As an aside, four or five other Black men were accompanying the team who I can’t identify on Georgetown’s baseball pages. One of them said they liked my Homestead Grays jersey as we were walking to our cars during the rain delay.)
While the Black Hoyas made the game interesting, they ultimately fell to Creighton 8-6. Creighton would go on to sweep the series and share the Big East regular season crown with the UConn Huskies.
(The only other thing to ruin the day was an odd rock n’ country rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch.)
Things didn’t quite go the Hoyas’ way this season. They head into this weekend’s Big East tournament as the last seed with a 3-18 conference record in conference and 16-40 record overall. That said, the Hoyas recorded 30 or more wins in each of the past three seasons.
In a year where only 2.9% of Division I baseball players are Black, the Hoyas offer a glimpse at what’s possible. Here’s to hoping Georgetown continues to support the strides made by Coach Thompson and his staff.
As long as they do, the Hoyas have a fan in me.
Just don’t tell my fellow Syracuse alums.
(For what it’s worth: Syracuse doesn’t field varsity baseball anyway.)
Other Notes for the Week:
- It’s conference tournament week in DI baseball. While you might have your eyes on the Southeastern Conference, I’m keeping tabs on the Michigan Wolverines. Detroit’s own Greg Pace, Jr. is having one hell of a turnaround this season and the Wolverines’ performance could make or break their chances to hear their names called on Selection Monday.
- The Dodgers have lost four in a row, largely due to the lack of quality starting pitching. Dem Bums have relied on their bullpen more than any other team in the majors and now the exhaustion is starting to hit home—and the injured list.
- Good for Angels Manager Ron Washington for getting the weekend sweep, I guess.
- Watch out for Will Benson! The Cincinnati Reds rookie outfielder was named the NL Player of the Week. His performance is crucial for the Reds to stay in the thick of things in an interesting NL Central.
Words by abrothanamedCed – Photos via @GtownBaseball – Cover Photo: Keith Savoy Jr. via @GTownAnalytics
