HOUSTON – Opening weekend for the Jackson State baseball program has arrived, as the Tigers will begin the season Friday in the Houston Astros Cactus Jack HBCU Classic at Minute Maid Park.
Jackson State will face Southern Friday at 7 p.m., Mississippi Valley St. Saturday at 11 a.m., and Prairie View A&M Sunday at 3 p.m. A live radio broadcast of all three games will be available online at
gojsutigers.com/live, with a 15-minute pregame show before each game. Saturday's game will be televised nationally on the MLB Network and simulcast regionally on AT&T SportsNet SW.
The Astros Cactus Jack HBCU Classic Week includes various events, highlighted by a college fair featuring over 100 colleges and universities hosted by the Astros Youth Academy at Minute Maid Park. The partnership for the tournament with the Cactus Jack Foundation, owned by rapper Travis Scott, supports their longstanding commitment to raising money and providing scholarship opportunities for students to attend HBCUs.
Jackson State battled through an injury-riddled 2022 season to post 29 wins, including 16 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The Tigers peaked at the right time, finishing the regular season with six consecutive victories and wins in 10 of 14 games heading into the postseason. However, the May Magic didn't quite follow the Tigers into the SWAC Tournament, as JSU lost a pair of close games to end the season.
The current dean of Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball coaches at one school in his 17th season,
Omar Johnson won his 500th game last season, joining former JSU head coach and former Athletics Director Robert "Bob" Braddy as the only coaches in program history to surpass 200, 300, 400, and 500 wins. Johnson's Tigers have averaged nearly 32 wins per season during his tenure, winning seven SWAC Eastern Division titles and two SWAC Championships, posting a winning season every year.
The Tigers will bring back four of their top five hitters based on average from 2022. INF
Ty Hill, a 2023 first-team Preseason All-SWAC selection, hit .388 (fifth in SWAC), scoring 60 runs (5
th/SWAC) with 80 hits (2
nd/SWAC), 20 doubles (2
nd/SWAC), four triples (t-9
th/SWAC), three home runs, and 41 RBI.
OF
Jatavis Melton, a 2023 second-team Preseason All-SWAC selection, hit .317 with two home runs and 32 RBI. Melton tied for 4th in SWAC in runs scored (62), tied for 9th in hits (69), and was 9th in stolen bases (23), along with 12 doubles and two triples. Another 2023 second-team Preseason All-SWAC selection, INF
Jaelen Williams, hit .319 last season with five home runs and 41 RBI in 50 games with 48 starts.
In addition to seniors Hill and Melton, and junior Williams, senior OF
Caleb Evans hit .340 in 37 games with two home runs and 27 RBI.
On the mound, RHPs
Erick Gonzales (6-5, 4.97 ERA) and
Colby Guy (3-1, 4.97 ERA, 1 SV) earned valuable experience as freshmen.
