COLUMBIA, S.C. - This past December, Allen University senior softball player Daeshonna Beckham-Timmons received an invitation to be a part of the Winter 2023 MLB On Deck Sales Training Program.

"I'm very excited. This will open up huge doors for Allen University as there are only a few HBCU students in the program," commented Beckham-Timmons, a Sports Management Major.

DaeShonna is from Reston, VA and South Lakes HS. In high school, she was named to the President's Education Awards Program in 2015 and the Alpha Phi Alpha Mertorious Achievement Award as well as a 2x All-District Team.

While at Allen, Daeshonna has been named to the Dean's List, and the SIAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team in 2020.

Here is some more insight about the MLB On Deck Program:

Overview

MLB On Deck is an 8-week, 13-session long sales training program aimed at providing candidates with the required sales tools that they will need to obtain a ticket sales job within Major League Baseball. Sessions will be led by folks from MLB with guest speakers from around the sports industry and instructors from various MLB clubs leading discussions on specific topics each week. There will also be a program-long group project that will be evaluated by MLB executives at the conclusion of the program. 

the Completion of MLB On Deck does not guarantee position placement within Major League Baseball or any club. After completion of the program, each candidate will be set up with a profile within their internal portal, MLB Select, where clubs will have access to review a profile and consider a candidate for open positions. 

MLB On Deck is not a paid position, but instead is an unpaid internship or one-credit college course.