Courtesy of NC A&T Athletics
CARY, NC — North Carolina A&T right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem took the mound Tuesday night for USA Baseball in a historic moment for A&T Athletics and the baseball program.
The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team’s Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series continued Tuesday with Game 3 of the series. Meachem got the start for the Stripes, becoming the first Aggie to pitch for Team USA in any capacity.
It was not a good night for the Stripes, as the Stars won the game 16-0, but it was an incredible opportunity for Meachem and a positive moment for HBCU sports. Meachem is one of four players from an HBCU on the Stripes team, joining Bethune-Cookman’s Pablo Torres, Alabama State’s Omar Melendez and Southern’s Nicholas Wilson. He is one of two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) players on the Stripes, with Northeastern’s Aiven Cabral being the other.
Xavier Meachem pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up a one-out walk in the first that led to a run, and he gave up a leadoff homer in the second that led to a big inning for the Stars. Cabral followed Meachem on the mound and pitched 2 2/3 innings. Meachem could get another appearance this weekend when Team USA faces Chinese Taipei.
The following week, Meachem will join teammate Camden Jackson in Seattle to participate in the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile and powered by MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. The game is at 10:35 p.m., eastern standard time (EST), on Friday, July 7, at T-Mobile Park.
MLB Network will air the HBCU Swingman Classic game beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST with the broadcast team of MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, and HBCU sports journalist Symone Stanley. Hall of Famer and MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation Ambassador Ken Griffey Jr. will join the broadcast from each dugout throughout the game.
Fifty HBCU student-athletes were selected to participate in the game by a committee that included Griffey Jr. and representatives from MLB, the MLBPA, and the baseball scouting community. “The HBCU Swingman Classic is another long overdue game that should have been there long ago to showcase HBCU talent,” said Meachem, who was also acknowledging the outstanding recognition the Miniorty Baseball Prospects HBCU All-Star Game has given HBCU players over the past three years.
Meachem is also preparing for the July 9-11 MLB Draft after recently showcasing his talents at the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix. During the 2023 season, Meachem went 2-1 with five saves and a 5.59 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched. He ranked fourth in the conference in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.82) and seventh in saves. He finished the season with a career-high 47 strikeouts.
What a great opportunity for these young athletes from HBCUs as they are given time to shine and network among themselves, interact with scouts from other ML ball clubs and come to realize that their baseball careers can advance farther after college.