INDIANAPOLIS – For the 11 th time in the last 13 years, the Benedict College baseball team has been named the NCAA statistical champion for stolen bases per game. The NCAA recently announced the statistical champions for the 2024 season. Columbia, South Carolina HBCU Benedict College stole 160 bases in 39 games, for an average of 4.10 stolen bases per game.
Under head coach Selwyn Young, the Tigers have stolen 3,075 bases during his 16 seasons, an average of more than 192 per season.
In 2024, the Tigers had seven HBCU baseball players reach double figures in stolen bases, led by Jamell Mitchell Jr., who had 34 total stolen bases. His 0.89 stolen bases per game ranked fourth in Division II last season and led the SIAC. Justin Murray finished with 19 stolen bases out of 21 attempts.
The Tigers went 14-25 during the 2024 season.
The 2025 season will open on Feb. 15 with a SIAC doubleheader against Miles College. Miles finished third in the nation in stolen bases per game, while another SIAC school – Savannah State – was second.
About Benedict College baseball coach Selwyn Young
Selwyn Young begins his 15th season as head baseball coach for the Benedict Tigers.
He is Benedict’s all-time winningest baseball coach with 251 wins His record over eight seasons is 251-226 for a .526 winning percentage. He won his 100th game in 2013 and became a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Century Club. He won his 200 th game in 2017 and was honored by the Benedict Booster Club with their Annual Outstanding Achievement Award.
He built the baseball field that the Tigers play on, competing their 5th year playing there, and has now added a brand new completed construction of an outfield wall, with school colors built, financed and donated by Coach Young.
No school in NCAA history has put up the stolen base numbers that Benedict College has under Young. During his 10 years with the Tigers, they have stolen a total of 2,147 bases. The South Carolina HBCU holds the top five spots in the NCAA Division II record book for season stolen bases. They all took place during a 5-year period from 2009-2013 when the Tigers stole 1,371 bases. The Tigers swiped 334 bases in 403 attempts over 41 games during the 2013 season to rank No. 1 in NCAA Div. 2 history. During the 2022 season, Benedict once again led the NCAA in stolen bases with 272. Bradon O’Connor broke the NCAA single season record for stolen bases with 97.
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