FAMU baseball star Jay Campbell wins HBCU Swingman Classic MVP; first Rattler to do so

FAMU baseball rising sophomore and Tallahassee native Jay Campbell is the first Rattler to win the HBCU Swingman Classic’s Most Valuable Player honor.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 11: Jay Campbell #29 of Florida A&M University runs around the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning of the HBCU Swingman Classic during the 2025 MLB All-Star Week at Truist Park on July 11, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Have a day, Jay Campbell.

On Friday, July 11, the rising Florida A&M baseball sophomore was named the HBCU Swingman Classic’s Most Valuable Player after leading the National Team to a 7-4 victory over the American Team at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 11: Jay Campbell #29 of Florida A&M University is interviewed after his team won the HBCU Swingman Classic during the 2025 MLB All-Star Week at Truist Park on July 11, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jayden Mack/Getty Images)

The rising sophomore hit a two-run, game-tying homerun to left center in the seventh inning to spark the comeback for his team in the third annual Swingman Classic.

Campbell is the first Rattler to win MVP in the showcase game, part of MLB All-Star Weekend, three-year history.

FAMU’s Broedy Poppell of the National Team and Garrett Workman, American, also played in the Swingman Classic. Poppell, from Tallahassee, could get selected in the ongoing MLB Draft this week.

Campbell and Workman from Tallahassee will return to the FAMU Rattlers baseball team in 2026. Both will be sophomores.

This past season, Campbell and Workman were both Southwestern Athletic Conference honorees. Campbell was named to the All-SWAC First Team as a third baseman, while Workman, a left-handed pitcher, earned Freshman of the Year.

FAMU baseball finished 2025 as 33-25 and a SWAC Championship runner-up to Bethune-Cookman.

Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.

Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida A&M's Jay Campbell dazzles HBCU Swingman Classic, wins MVP

Category: General Sports