{"id":417424,"date":"2026-07-30T02:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T02:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/417424\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T02:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T02:09:49","slug":"hbcu-family-celebrates-son-signed-by-oakland-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/417424\/","title":{"rendered":"HBCU family celebrates son signed by Oakland Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Southern University baseball standout KJ White is officially beginning his professional career after signing with the Oakland Athletics organization earlier this month, but recent messages from White and his family on social media have put the milestone into a more personal perspective.<\/p>\n<p>After wrapping up one of the most decorated seasons in recent Southern baseball history, White shared a heartfelt farewell to \u201cThe Bluff,\u201d thanking the university that helped shape both his career and his character.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years ago, I came to Southern University with a dream,\u201d White wrote. \u201cLooking back, I leave with so much more than I ever imagined. I found a family, built lifelong friendships, and created memories that I\u2019ll carry with me forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The message reflected on more than baseball, as White thanked his coaches, teammates and Jaguars fans for believing in him throughout his collegiate career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time I wore Southern across my chest, I played with pride because I knew who I was representing,\u201d White wrote.<\/p>\n<p>As he prepares to enter professional baseball, White made it clear he plans to continue carrying the HBCU banner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I begin this next chapter with the Athletics, I know this opportunity is about more than just me,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI\u2019ll proudly carry The Bluff wherever this game takes me, and I hope to continue showing the world what HBCU student-athletes are capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White\u2019s father <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Da260kuFgQ1\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">echoed that sentiment <\/a>while celebrating his son\u2019s accomplishment on social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was all a dream\u2026 Now it\u2019s a reality. KJ signs with the MLB Athletics Organization. Turning 10% into 1%. God is so amazing. Amateur ?? College ?? Pro ??\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The signing comes after a dominant 2026 campaign in which White established himself as one of the nation\u2019s top HBCU baseball players.<\/p>\n<p>The Jaguars infielder earned SWAC Hitter of the Year honors, First-Team All-SWAC recognition and was named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award, presented annually to the nation\u2019s top collegiate baseball player.<\/p>\n<p>White finished his senior season batting .421 while collecting 81 hits, eight doubles, one home run and 33 RBIs. He also scored 46 runs and posted a .486 on-base percentage while serving as Southern\u2019s table-setter atop the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>His breakout season helped lead Southern to a 29-23 overall record and a 20-7 mark in SWAC play. The 29 victories were the program\u2019s most under head coach Chris Crenshaw and the Jaguars\u2019 highest win total since 2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKJ came to work every day with a professional mindset and earned this opportunity through his dedication, consistency and commitment to becoming the best player he could be,\u201d Crenshaw said following White\u2019s signing.<\/p>\n<p>Now, after completing the journey from standout recruit to SWAC Player of the Year, White begins the next chapter of his baseball career with the Athletics organization. But if his farewell message is any indication, Southern University will remain part of that journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Bluff will always be home,\u201d White wrote, \u201cand I\u2019ll forever be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Southern University baseball standout KJ White is officially beginning his professional career after signing with the Oakland Athletics&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[2135,93,11200,44801,166953,50405,166954,3834,1334,84234,143,14827,145,144,166955,166956],"class_list":["post-417424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-baseball","tag-featured","tag-free-agent","tag-hbcu","tag-hbcu-baseball","tag-hbcu-sports","tag-kj-white","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-draft","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-athletics","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-southern-university","tag-swac"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}