The Astros surprised Houston-based HBCU Texas Southern on Saturday during the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic held at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros organization announced a $1 million donation to the university in order for the school to build its first-ever baseball and softball fields on campus. The teams currently play their games at local parks.
“We started our partnership with Texas Southern last year, and this is just another big step,” Paula Harris, vice president of community affairs and director of the Astros Foundation, said during an on-field ceremony. “Texas Southern has never had their own baseball field. They play at a city park! We are the World Series-winning Houston Astros, and we’re here to do our part to make sure that our kids have the same equality across this city and access to good baseball.”
Texas Southern announced that it plans to break ground toward the end of the year.
“This partnership is a game-changer for our student-athletes,” Dr. said Kevin Granger, vice president of intercollegiate athletics at Texas Southern. “Now they will get the facilities they deserve. I would like to thank Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane and his executive team for their generosity and commitment to help make this project a reality for our campus and the surrounding community.”
The partnership between the Astros and Texas Southern is just one of many that the Houston organization has with HBCUs in the area. The team organized the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic, which featured nine games in three days, with six HBCU teams playing in a major league ballpark for the first time. The event was hosted by the Astros Foundation and rapper Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation.
All the proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships at Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, Southern University, Grambling State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State.
