NORMAL — A pair of Bulldogs will join the nation’s best HBCU baseball players in next month’s HBCU Swingman Classic.
Alabama A&M University student-athletes Kylan Duncan and Trey Rutledge were selected for the annual all-star game that will be held during MLB All-Star Week in Atlanta.
The HBCU Swingman Classic is an annual All-Star experience for baseball student-athletes from Division I programs at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU).
Centered around an HBCU All-Star Game, the philanthropic and educational event will be July 11 at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.
Duncan, a graduate of Sparkman High School, ranked second on the team this season in batting averaging, hitting .359, with 55 doubles, seven doubles and one home run. He drove in a team-high 44 runs and scored 33 times. The Huntsville senior native was 10-for-10 in stolen bases and drew 16 walks.
Rutledge, who ranks tops in the country in on-base percentage (.573) and fifth in stolen bases per game, led the Bulldogs in batting, with a .397 average. He registered 40 hits, including seven doubles, three triples and one home run. An Irondale native, he was 34-of-37 in stolen bases, drawing 37 walks and scored 56 times.
The HBCU Swingman Classic will highlight the history and legacy of HBCU baseball programs while also providing 50 HBCU players with the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.
The student-athletes will be selected by a committee that will include YDF Ambassador & Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. alongside representatives from MLB and MLBPA, as well as scouts.
