WINONA LAKE – Grace College baseball outfielder Xavier Harris has committed to play baseball this summer in the prestigious Jayhawk League.

The Jayhawk League is one of the most competitive and well-scouted summer leagues in the United States. Dozens of current stars in Major League Baseball have gotten their start from the Jayhawk League, including Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Ozzie Smith among others.

Harris will play this summer with the Dodge City A’s, based in southwest Kansas.

“I want to thank God for presenting me with this great opportunity. I am very excited to play against some of the best prospects in the country this summer,” Harris said. “My parents and the coaching staff at Grace have developed me as a player and as a person off the field. Thanks to my teammates for being supportive and pushing me to improve. I am extremely blessed to play with such great men, and I am excited for the upcoming season.”

Harris, an outfielder who is entering his junior season, erupted at the plate in 2017. He broke Grace’s single-season record for home runs, smashing 11 homers with 31 RBIs on a team-best .285 batting average.

The eight-member Jayhawk League is recognized as a premier baseball league and has an automatic berth into the National Baseball Congress World Series that is played in Wichita, Kan.

“We are very excited for Xavier. He is a great example of hard work paying off. From changing his swing as well as his dedication to the weight room, Xavier earned this opportunity,” said Grace head coach Cam Screeton. “Very few NAIA players get the chance to play at this high level of competition, and I know he will represent his family, coaches, teammates and Grace College very well this summer.”