FROM TEAM USA RELEASE
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(DURHAM, N.C.) – USA Baseball announced Friday the 41 invitees to the 2009 USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) Trials to be held at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. from June 14-24.
Players will participate in daily practices and drills at the trials, as well as in modified intrasquad Blue vs. Red games. The final 22-man roster will be announced on June 24.
The 2009 National Team Trials roster features 41 players from colleges across the country, including three members of the 2008 National Team that went unbeaten (24-0) and won a gold medal at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and at the FISU World University Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.
Christian Colon (Cal State Fullerton) and Micah Gibbs (LSU) highlight the trials roster as veterans from 2008, but they will not immediately report to Cary as their quest for a NCAA National Championship continues with their respective teams in Omaha this weekend. Additionally, they will be joined by 22 other sophomores, 16 freshmen and one junior at the trials.
Tulane leads all schools with three players on the trials roster, while Cal State Fullerton, Clemson, Louisville, LSU, Rice, UCLA, and Virginia each have two players represented.
“USA Baseball is very excited to begin our 2009 National Team Trials,” said Eric Campbell, General Manager of USA Baseball National Teams. “We look forward to building off of the success of last season by welcoming these players to the National Training Complex.”
The USA Baseball National Training Complex will host the National Team Trials for the first time in 2009. In previous seasons the trials were spread throughout the United States.
“Having our trials in one designated place is extremely beneficial to our overall goal,” Campbell said. “Not only do we constantly strive for excellence on the field, but USA Baseball is also dedicated to continuing the overall athletic development of all of our players. Having our trials in one central location will only strengthen our ability to teach the game of baseball.”
Once the official roster has been announced, the National Team will stay in Durham and Cary, N.C. as it competes in two international friendship series against Canada and Guatemala from June 25-29 and July 1-4, respectively.
Team USA will then travel to Japan to participate in the 37th annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships before traveling to Prince George, British Columbia, Canada for the 2009 Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline World Baseball Challenge.
The 2009 team will be coached by Tulane University head coach Rick Jones, who previously served as an assistant coach for Team USA on the 1989 Presidential Cup Team and 1990 Collegiate National Team. Jones is joined by pitching coach Mike Kennedy (head coach, Elon University) and assistant coaches Dan McDonnell (head coach, Louisville University) and Rob Cooper (head coach, Wright State University; 2007 National Team assistant coach).
See below for a complete list of the 2009 USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) Trials invitees.
| Name | Pos. | B/T | Ht. | Wt. | Birthplace | Year | College |
| Bauer, Trevor | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 175 | Valencia, Calif. | Fr. | UCLA |
| Bettis, Chad | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 193 | Lubbock, Texas | So. | Texas Tech |
| Brentz, Bryce | RHP/OF | R/R | 6-0 | 180 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Fr. | Middle Tennessee State |
| Choice, Michael | OF | R/R | 6-0 | 215 | Fort Worth, Texas | So. | UT-Arlington |
| Cole, Gerrit | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 215 | Newport Beach, Calif. | Fr. | UCLA |
| Colon, Christian | IF | R/R | 6-0 | 185 | Capey, Puerto Rico | So. | Cal State Fullerton |
| Eldemire, Gauntlett | OF | R/R | 6-3 | 195 | Shaker Heights, Ohio | So. | Ohio University |
| Forsythe, Blake | C | R/R | 6-2 | 220 | Memphis, Tenn. | So. | Tennessee |
| Gibbs, Micah | C | S/R | 5-11 | 214 | Houston, Texas | So. | LSU |
| Girdwood, Tom | RHP | R/R | 6-2 | 200 | Charlotte, N.C. | So. | Elon |
| Grandal, Yasmani | C | S/R | 6-2 | 210 | Miami, Fla. | So. | Miami |
| Gray, Sonny | RHP | R/R | 5-11 | 180 | Smyrna, Tenn. | Fr. | Vanderbilt |
| Gyorko, Jedd | IF | R/R | 5-10 | 190 | Morgantown, W.Va. | So. | West Virginia |
| Hague, Rick | IF | R/R | 6-2 | 190 | Spring, Texas | So. | Rice |
| Harman, Casey | LHP | L/L | 6-2 | 200 | Fort Myers, Fla. | So. | Clemson |
| Holt, Tyler | OF | R/R | 6-0 | 190 | Gainesville, Fla. | So. | Florida State |
| Hultzen, Danny | LHP/IF | L/L | 6-2 | 190 | Bethesda, Md. | Fr. | Virginia |
| Jensen, Matt | IF | R/R | 5-10 | 190 | Fresno, Calif. | Fr. | Cal Poly |
| McGrew, Casey | OF | L/R | 6-0 | 175 | Delaware, Ohio | Jr. | Wright State |
| Miller, Brad | IF | R/R | 6-0 | 175 | Orlando, Fla. | Fr. | Clemson |
| Morris, Hunter | 1B | L/R | 6-2 | 220 | Huntsville, Ala. | So. | Auburn |
| Newman, Matt | OF/LHP | L/L | 5-10 | 170 | Phoenix, Ariz. | So. | Arizona State |
| Parker, Jarrett | OF | L/L | 6-4 | 205 | Stafford, Va. | Fr. | Virginia |
| Pepitone, Nick | RHP | R/R | 6-6 | 230 | Katy, Texas | So. | Tulane |
| Pomeranz, Drew | LHP | L/L | 6-5 | 231 | Collierville, Tenn. | So. | Mississippi |
| Ranaudo, Anthony | RHP | R/R | 6-7 | 231 | Freehold, N.J. | So. | LSU |
| Rendon, Anthony | IF | R/R | 5-11 | 180 | Houston, Texas | Fr. | Rice |
| Renken, Daniel | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 190 | Long Beach, Calif. | So. | Cal State Fullerton |
| Schaffer, Jeremy | C | R/R | 6-1 | 205 | Houston, Texas | Fr. | Tulane |
| Segedin, Rob | IF/RHP | R/R | 6-3 | 220 | Old Tappan, N.J. | So. | Tulane |
| Thompson, Tony | IF | R/R | 6-5 | 210 | Reno, Nev. | So. | Kansas |
| Tucker, Preston | IF | L/L | 6-0 | 205 | Tampa, Fla. | Fr. | Florida |
| Verrett, Logan | RHP | R/R | 6-2 | 170 | The Woodlands, Texas | Fr. | Baylor |
| Wheeler, Cody | LHP | L/L | 5-11 | 160 | Spotsylvania, Va. | So. | Coastal Carolina |
| Wilson, Ross | IF | R/R | 5-11 | 185 | Hoover, Ala. | Fr. | Alabama |
| Wimmers, Alex | RHP | L/R | 6-2 | 195 | Cincinnati, Ohio | So. | Ohio State |
| Winkler, Kyle | RHP | R/R | 5-11 | 190 | Sugar Land, Texas | Fr. | TCU |
| Wojciechowski, Asher | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 205 | Beaufort, S.C. | So. | The Citadel |
| Wong, Kolten | OF/C | L/R | 5-9 | 180 | Hilo, Hawaii | Fr. | Hawaii |
| Wunderlich, Phil | UT | L/R | 6-0 | 220 | Chicago, Ill. | So. | Louisville |
| Zych, Logan | RHP | R/R | 6-3 | 180 | Hazelcrest, Ill. | Fr. | Louisville |
BOLD: Players marked in bold are the players who will immediately report to Trials in Cary, N.C. on Monday, June 15, 2009. The other players listed are trials invitees but are unable to attend the beginning of trials due to injuries, school requirements, or representing their team at the 2009 College World Series in Omaha, Neb. These players will report to trials periodically.
About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The organization selects and trains the United States Olympic Baseball Team (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (Collegiate); the USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to top player in college baseball. For more information, please visit www.usabaseball.com and www.goldenspikesaward.com.
