Howard University’s Baseball Club Fights for NCAA Recognition in a Predominantly White Sport

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Howard University’s baseball team doesn’t play under the bright lights of the NCAA competition yet. As a club team, they grind through games with little funding, no scholarships, and no guarantees. But for the players, the dream is bigger than just playing ball. They want Howard Baseball to return to NCAA competition and prove that an HBCU can thrive in a sport long dominated by predominantly white institutions.

Howard’s baseball program was discontinued in 2002 due to budget constraints, leaving a void in both the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and HBCU baseball. For over two decades, student-athletes have carried the torch through club-level play, but now, a movement is growing to push the university toward full NCAA recognition.

“We’re playing for more than just ourselves,” said third baseman John Arnold, a senior. “We’re playing to prove that Black athletes belong in baseball and that Howard deserves a seat at the NCAA table.”

Unlike their Division I counterparts, Howard’s club baseball players don’t have full-time coaches, major sponsorships, or state-of-the-art facilities. Instead, they piece together their season through alumni donations, student dues, and whatever resources they can find. Still, their passion for the game remains unwavering.

The push for NCAA status has been gaining momentum in recent years, particularly as Major League Baseball (MLB) has taken steps to increase Black participation in the sport. With programs like the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) initiative and the MLB-HBCU Swingman Classic, there’s a growing awareness of the need to support Black baseball players at every level.

For Howard sophomore pitcher Frank Barrow, a the lack of an NCAA program at Howard is frustrating but also motivating.

“We play against schools with way more resources, and we still compete,” Barrow said. “We just need the chance to do it at a higher level. We have the talent.”

University officials have acknowledged the growing demand for a return to NCAA baseball, but hurdles remain. Funding, Title IX compliance and securing a long-term field are key issues that need to be resolved before Howard can make the jump. 

HBCUs have long been underrepresented in college baseball. While powerhouse programs like Vanderbilt, LSU and Texas dominate national headlines, only a handful of HBCUs field Division I teams—North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman among them. A reinstated Howard baseball team would not only add to that list but also provide more opportunities for Black athletes in a sport where they make up less than 10% of NCAA rosters.

Outfielder Trey Bennett, a Howard senior,  believes having an HBCU program in the nation’s capital could make a major impact.

“You look at the history of baseball, and it’s full of Black pioneers,” Bennett said. “But today, young Black kids don’t see themselves in the sport as much. Having Howard baseball at the NCAA level would change that. It would show that there’s a place for us here.”

The players, coaches and alumni continue to advocate for Howard’s baseball team to be reinstated at the NCAA level. Fundraising campaigns have been launched, and discussions with university leadership are ongoing. The dream, however, is far from guaranteed.

But if the current players have anything to say about it, they won’t stop fighting.

“I’m tired of explaining to people why we don’t have an NCAA team,” Arnold said. “Every time I tell someone I play baseball at Howard, they ask what conference we’re in. And I have to say, ‘We’re just a club team.’ I don’t want to have to say that anymore.”

For now, Howard’s baseball team remains a club. But with the growing push for change, their return to NCAA competition may be just around the corner.