FAMU and Grambling Baseball Teams to Play in the Inaugural Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic Hosted by the Braves
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Posted By: Kennedy Williams on February 19, 2021 From March 12-14, the Atlanta Braves will be hosting the Inaugural Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic in honor of former Braves players Ralph Garr and Bill Lucas. The annual weekend series will consist of three games played between FAMU and Grambling State, which are the alma maters of Lucas and Garr respectively. HBCU alumni Ralph Garr and Bill Lucas both played pivotal roles within the Braves organization. Known as ‘The Road Runner’ for his speed and agility, Garr posted a career .317 batting average over eight seasons with the Braves. After his playing career, Garr joined the Braves Scouting department in 1984 under the direction of Hank Aaron, the director of player development at the time. Garr has spent more than 25 years with the organization and was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2006. Lucas spent over 20 years with the Braves and in 1976 he became the first African American to oversee a player personnel department in baseball and the highest-ranking African-American in baseball at the time. He helped draft key players such as Dale Murphy and Bob Horner and hired eventual Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox. Lucas was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2006 for his immeasurable impact on the Braves organization and on the game. Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller expressed his excitement about the series saying, “We are excited to introduce this annual HBCU series to honor two great men while focusing a spotlight on HBCU baseball programs.HBCUs have been developing outstanding baseball talent and we are proud to facilitate the connection between college programs and the major leagues.” The series will take place at the Coolray field. Games on March 12 and 13 will begin at 7 p.m. and the game on March 14 will begin at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available for purchase online at https://www.ticketmaster.com/coolray-field... or at the Gwinnett Stripers Ticket Office the day of each game starting at 5 p.m. and at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Tickets are limited and will be socially distant. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
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