HBCU Baseball Pitchers Added To USA Collegiate National Team
USA Baseball released its 31-man roster that will participate in a friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Japan, and three pitchers will represent HBCUs.
Xavier Meachem became the first North Carolina A&T pitcher to make the Collegiate National Team roster after completing his third season for the Aggies. Meachem made 16 appearances last season, including seven starts, where he finished with a 5.59 ERA, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 48 and 1/3 innings pitched.
Meachem also gave up the least amount of hits (42) and the fifth-least runs allowed (32) in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Southern University's Nicholas Wilson is the second player to make the team. Last season, Wilson pitched 86 and 2/3 innings, including 13 starts, where he finished with the second-best ERA (3.22) and the third-most strikeouts (101) in the SWAC. Wilson is the third Southern Jaguar in program history to make the Collegiate National Team.
Alabama State University pitcher Omar Melendez is the final HBCU player to make the roster. The first Hornet to make the roster, Melendez is coming off a successful season where he won several awards, including SWAC Pitcher of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Second Team All-America selection.
Melendez also led the SWAC in ERA (2.52) and wins (12) while tying for the lead with four complete games and being the only SWAC pitcher with multiple shutouts.
Black college baseball will also be represented on the coaching staff as Alabama State head coach José Vázquez will be the first base coach. Although Vázquez and the Hornets did not win the 2023 SWAC Tournament, his team became the fifth in conference history to win 40 or more games and the first in 20 years. He also eclipsed 200 wins as Alabama State's head coach.
The Collegiate National Team will represent Team USA in a pair of five-game series with Chinese Taipei and Japan from June 30-July 12 at various venues across the Carolinas. The schedule can be found here.