Georgia’s Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and long-time friend C.J. Stewart, co-founder of L.E.A.D. Inc. and L.E.A.D. Center for Youth, will co-host the inaugural Breaking Barriers Classic on July 13 at South Forsyth High School.

The baseball game will include players from the Georgia Bombers, which Duncan’s son plays for, and the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors.

The teams will play seven innings and will draft players and switch rosters to give players from different backgrounds the opportunity to expand their perspectives.

The players will also wear the jersey number “44” in honor of MLB Hall of Famer Hank Aaron who passed away earlier this year. According to a release, after first meeting, while playing baseball in college, Duncan and Stewart have long wanted to get back on the field together. They will use this opportunity to talk with the players about the importance of civic engagement and share valuable life lessons they learned while playing baseball.

“I have enjoyed getting to know C.J. over the years, and it’s been incredible to meet and work with his organization and the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors. I am thrilled we get to host a game that will bring young men together who have one major thing in common – they all love baseball,” Duncan said. 

“With the MLB All-Star Game being played later that day, July 13 is the perfect day to celebrate the game of baseball. And I cannot wait to watch the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors take on the Georgia Bombers, with my son on the field.”

"Geoff and I had the opportunity to play baseball at some of the sport's highest levels – even as collegiate opponents. This collaboration is arguably one of the most important games of both our lives,” Stewart said. 

“Bringing my L.E.A.D. Ambassador team together with the Georgia Bombers team in a setting that has a historically challenging racial context, demonstrates that baseball has the power to overcome difference. We have to do all we can to make the world better than how we found it – this game is mine and Geoff’s effort to do just that."