The spirit of Jackie Robinson was alive and well at his namesake Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla., over the weekend during the Andre Dawson Classic — a signature MLB event that marks the beginning of college baseball season.
The heart-and-hustle mindset that trademarked Robinson’s game flowed through each participating team — seven traditional HBCUs (Florida A&M, Southern, Alabama State, Bethune-Cookman, Grambling State, Jackson State and Texas Southern) and one newcomer: Yale University, the first Ivy League team to play in the Classic.
Yale’s roster featured one player who was more than familiar with the Jackie Robinson Training Complex: Freshman catcher Bryce Miller, an MLB Develops alum who’s dreamed of playing college baseball since he was in eighth grade.
After spending much of his youth honing his skills at every signature Develops event, appearing in the Dawson Classic was a bit of a full-circle moment for him.
“It feels great,” Miller said on returning to JRTC. “I’ve been here a few times with [the] Hank Aaron [Invitational] and some other tournaments, but I was talking to my mom about it, and she said, ‘You’ll be back someday.’ … I wouldn’t have imagined it [would be my] first year of college. So it’s just a great opportunity.”
Miller, who went 1-for-4 with a pair of walks in his collegiate debut Friday, is not only familiar with the field, but with a few faces at the tournament, including Alabama State’s Trey Callaway, Florida A&M’s Trey Craft, and Southern’s Alexavier Lebron — all Develops alums.
Miller’s pedigree is elite. The San Diego native was a Padres High School All-Star in 2025, a two-time First-Team All-League player and, as a kid, appeared in every signature MLB Develops event, including the DREAM Series, the Breakthrough Series and the Hank Aaron Invitational.
His mother, Sheri, views the latter as critical to his ascension into a Division I player.
“It’s really special,” Sheri Miller said during an interview with MLB Network. “Bryce was here ever since he was 13 for the Hank Aaron Invitational, so the Jackie Robinson Training Complex is like a homecoming for him.
“To be here now in a college uniform, and after all the lessons that he learned through MLB Develops — the different programs that he’s been in — I don’t think he would’ve been here without all that he’s learned through those programs.”
“Shout out to MLB Develops,” Bryce said, “for … pouring all they have into the players, and into the development, because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. They’ve done so much for the community and so much for the kids, and you can see through all of their games, they love the game, they love to complete — which are the things we emphasize at MLB Develops.”
Through its history, Yale’s had a slew of stars pass through its ranks. That list includes Mets Hall of Famer Ron Darling — who attended Saturday’s game between Yale and Jackson State — current Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and former U.S. president George H.W. Bush.
Bulldog ballplayers have been lacing up cleats for collegiate competition since 1865, and the reigning Ivy League champs have won the conference title four times since it began sponsoring baseball in 1993.
But this year marked Yale’s first appearance in the Andre Dawson Classic, an annual tournament hosted by MLB that showcases HBCU programs and their athletes. The Bulldogs fell, 7-5, to Bethune Cookman in their tournament opener Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., and lost to Jackson State on Saturday, 6-5.
The season is just getting started, and Yale head coach Brian Hamm expressed appreciation for the invitation to play in the Dawson Classic.
“To come down here and have the opportunity to do it up at Daytona, and obviously this historic ballpark — especially the opportunity to play in the Classic in honor of Andre, who’s one of my childhood favorites — is certainly something that we appreciate and is an honor to do,” Hamm said.
