The Black College World Series (BCWS), officially the HBCU Baseball national championship among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) small schools, is a tournament held each May. The BCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) HBCU championship series featuring 8 teams to determine the BCWS baseball champion. The eight participating teams split into two double-elimination brackets, with the winners of each bracket playing in a winner-take-all championship game.
History
The first edition of the Black College World Series was held in Montgomery, Alabama Riverwalk Stadium from 2021 through 2024. The next BCWS is scheduled for May 7-10, 2025. The tournament will be in Jackson, Tennessee, Rockabillys Stadium.
The name Black College World Series is derived from Michael Coker, the HBCU baseball guru and Lead Contemporary Writer/Reporter at Black College Nines (BCN), founder and executive director of the Black College World Series.
Coker saw the need and vision to stage a national title among HBCUs. Outside of conference tournaments, HBCUs had nothing to play for and went home. Coker Vision has HBCU baseball teams competing for the Black College World Series National Championship heading into its fifth year.
The national tournament’s official name was The Black College World Series event to stage small school HBCU NCAA DII and NAIA baseball programs championship series. The official logo was created to draw interest during the early planning stages, which dates back to 2015.
The BCWS logo was to appear in the initial BCWS in May of 2020. On March 13, 2020, the Black College World Series was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The logo since was revised for the inaugural 2021 in Montgomery.
As of December 2021, the logo appeared with a new look for the 2022 HBCU Baseball national tournament. Black College Championships added a new design to the event’s logo.
However, as of 2023, two logos were designed in preparations for, and celebration of the championship game.
The current logo is the official event logo and appears on the front page of the Black College World Series website by the nonprofit group that organizes the event until the Black College Championship committee commissions a new design in 2029.
