Minor League Opening Day is less than two months away, but those itching to watch a baseball game are in luck. College baseball is back and there is plenty to take in this weekend.
Fans will be able to tune in to a pair of games today from the Andre Dawson Classic in New Orleans, an annual round-robin tournament that was launched in 2008 to showcase Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Jackson State is set to take on Southern at 2 p.m. ET and Florida A&M, Dawson’s alma mater, takes on Alabama State in the nightcap at 7 p.m. ET. Both of those contests will also be live on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB app.
In addition, Urban Edge Network will co-stream MLB Network’s broadcast of the Dawson Classic on Saturday via its HBCU League Pass+, a free streaming service for HBCU sports fans.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Urban Edge Network to further highlight the Andre Dawson Classic,” said Del Matthews, vice president of baseball development at MLB. “Their reach across the student body and alumni of the entire HBCU network will bring much needed attention to the programs in our tournament and HBCU baseball overall. As a proud HBCU alumnus, I am excited for the potential around this effort.”
The third edition of the MLB4 tournament got underway in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Friday, too, with a pair of games broadcast on MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com and the MLB app. The action started with Cal’s 4-2 victory vs. Houston and was followed by Texas Christian rallying to beat San Diego State 5-3.
The remaining schedule of each tournament is as follows (all times ET):
MLB4
Saturday:
TCU vs. Cal at 3 p.m.
Houston vs. San Diego State at 7 p.m.
Sunday:
Houston vs. TCU at 12 p.m.
San Diego State vs. Cal at 4 p.m.
Andre Dawson Classic
Saturday:
Jackson State vs. Southern at 2 p.m. (MLB Network)
Prairie View A&M vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff at 2 p.m.
Grambling State vs. UNO at 5 p.m.
Florida A&M vs. Alabama State at 7 p.m. (MLB Network)
Sunday:
Southern vs. Florida A&M at 12 p.m.
Prairie View A&M vs. Jackson State at 1 p.m.
Alabama State vs. UNO at 3 p.m.
Grambling State vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff at 4 p.m.