Lexington Christian Academy Taps Into Major League Baseball History

The annual LCA Sandlot Tournament paid homage to a historic moment in MLB history on Thursday, May 17 when Caroline Hughes threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Lexington Christian Academy baseball field.

Hughes is a granddaughter of the renowned Branch Rickey – the former Brooklyn Dodger general manager who ushered Jackie Robinson into MLB history. When Robinson took the field for the Dodgers in 1947, he broke the so-called color line in baseball.

Hughes’ granddaughter, Macy Hancock, is a senior at LCA and is serving as this year’s Sandlot Commissioner overseeing the two-week tournament.

The tournament is made up of teams from the senior class and coached by LCA faculty and members of the Eagles baseball team. Started in 2015, the tournament has grown in popularity – and complexity.

The event includes “tryouts” (all of the students get to play), a draft, a Sandlot Commissioner, and hitter-friendly rules to help get all of the players involved in the action.