HBCU Athletic Conference Communications
NEW ORLEANS – Hank Aaron Sports Academy and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) announced that the Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship will not be held at Smith Wills Stadium in 2025. The HBCUAC has begun an immediate search for an alternate host.
The original three-year agreement included a potential two-year extension; however, ongoing litigation between the State of Mississippi and the City of Jackson has forced the two organizations to make the tough decision of finding an alternate host site. The decision comes as the State of Mississippi requested for the City of Jackson to turn over the deed to the oldest professional baseball stadium in the State and the former home of the N.Y. Mets and Houston Astros (AA) clubs, as well as Belhaven University, Tougaloo College, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in prior years.
“This is unfortunate for all those involved and certainly a financial loss and casts undeserved aspersions on our organization” said Kusche Sports Group CEO Tim Bennett. “The impending litigation has forced us to take a step back and do what is best for the students, faculty, and fans of the HBCUAC, while regrouping to see how to move forward in such a litigious climate between entities outside our own.”
Smith Wills Stadium is home to Braves Country Baseball, Braves RBI, the Legacy League, Jackson Public Schools high school baseball, USSA Youth Tournaments, Perfect Game Youth Tournaments, Wow Factor Youth Tournaments, and Clint Johnson, who holds regular baseball clinics and instructions for area youth.
“It is unfortunate we will not be in Jackson in 2025,” said HBCUAC Commissioner Kiki Baker Barnes, PhD. “Tim and his team are very knowledgeable, and it was great working with a team that understood our needs.”
Commissioner Baker Barnes and her team have begun the search for a new home for the Hope Credit Union 2025 Baseball Championship.
“We have a shortlist of potential host sites,” Baker Barnes said. “It’s important that we not only find a location conducive for team travel but a place that can enhance and build upon the vibrancy of our baseball championship.”
Baseball returned as a conference-sponsored sport in 2023 after a decade-long hiatus. The 2025 championship is set for April 29-May 4. The HBCUAC has 11 schools in the league with baseball programs, affording the conference two automatic berths to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Baseball Tournament.
“Our championships are first-class experiences, and we appreciate the role Hank Aaron Sports Academy and KSG played in bringing baseball back to our conference. We are excited to continue what has been established and show fans why we are the place Where Winners Thrive,” Baker Barnes said.