Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and the MLB have partnered up to introduce the baseball world to the inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic, with the hopes of highlighting 50 of the best talents enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The event will jump start the All-Star festivities and showcase some future stars who might have been sliding under the radar during the regular season. With the MLB Draft around the corner, this will not just be a celebration of HBCU sports but also a massive opportunity to impress scouts on a big stage.

We're going to tell you everything you need to know before the first pitch is thrown at the first ever HBCU Swingman Classic.

How to Watch

The league is giving this inaugural HBCU All-Star Game a sizable national audience by airing it on MLB Network. It will appropriately be contested in Seattle Mariners' T-Mobile Park, the place Griffey Jr. established himself as one of the best that baseball has ever seen. It is only right that this potential longstanding tradition starts here.

Both of the Classic's commentators are black and well-revered by the Seattle community. The Mariners' always excitable play-by-play man Dave Sims will be working the broadcast booth alongside two-time All-Star and perennial MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds.

What time will HBCU Swingman Classic start?

The game will be played Friday night, July 7th at 10:30 p.m. ET. The unfortunate late start is a consequence of the West Coast venue. Hopefully, the history and splendor of the event, along with Ken Griffey Jr.'s prominent affiliation to it, will still attract plenty of eyeballs to the HBCU Swingman Classic.

What are the rosters?

Each roster, which can be seen below, per MLB Develops, will be comprised of 25 Division I players. HBCU athletes tend to reside in smaller NCAA conferences, which means they do not get an abundance of national exposure. Hence why Ken Griffey Jr. was determined to launch this showcase in the first place.

There will be a heavy MLB influence to the inaugural HBCU Classic. Former Chicago White Sox and New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel will lead one team and former Houston Astros skipper Bo Porter will head up another squad. Manuel quietly amassed more than 700 career victories, while Porter was saddled with a grueling rebuild in Houston- a couple years before the franchise catapulted into World Series form.

Fans will also recognize several members of the coaching staffs, which include Hall of Famer and elite outfielder Andre Dawson, two-time World Series champion and former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, two-time All-Star and renown base-stealer Vince Coleman and Milwaukee Brewers favorite Rickie Weeks Jr., to name a few. Almost all of the coaches are HBCU alumni, making their participation that more meaningful.

The HBCU Swingman Classic is being well-positioned to succeed and will ideally introduce the public to multiple budding stars and the programs they represent. Ken Griffey Jr. has helped set the stage, and now these 50 players will carry the mantle in this momentous All-Star game.