CARY, N.C. — USA Baseball today announced the 45-man 2021 Collegiate National Team roster that will be split into two teams to compete in an 11-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series starting on July 2. The team will be led in 2021 by Manager Elliott Avent (NC State).
“We are thrilled to have such a strong group representing the U.S. on the 2021 Collegiate National Team as we tour through the cities of the Appalachian League this summer,” said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball Collegiate National Team General Manager. “This year’s team offers a unique experience to play with, and against, some of the best collegiate baseball talent in the country in some of the best baseball communities, and we are looking forward to an incredible series.”
The roster is highlighted by eight USA Baseball alumni, including three that have played for Team USA multiple times. Justin Campbell (Oklahoma State), Dylan Crews (LSU), and Robert Moore (Arkansas) have all suited up for the red, white, and blue twice. Campbell helped the 2013 12U National Team win the program’s first-ever gold medal at the International Baseball Federation “A” World Cup, and Crews and Moore were teammates, along with Tanner Witt (Texas), on the 2017 15U National Team that won gold at the COPABE Pan Am “AA” Championships.
Moore will also reunite with his 2014 12U National Team teammate Paul Skenes (Air Force) on the 2021 Collegiate National Team, while Crews was part of the 2018 18U National Team that won the program’s eighth consecutive gold medal in international competition at the COPABE U-18 Pan American Championships.
Additionally, Nate Savino (Virginia) was a member of the 18U National Team program in 2019, and Campbell, Ethan Long (Arizona State), and Landon Sims (Mississippi State) will play together on Team USA for the second time in their careers in 2021 after participating with the 15U National Team in 2016.
Eight of the athletes on the 2021 roster also participated in the USA Baseball National Team Development Program (NTDP), including two-time participants of the program Moore and Aaron Nixon (Texas). Moore was a member of the 2016 14U NTDP along with Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) and Crews, and was joined by Witt at the 2018 16U NTDP, while Nixon participated in the 2015 14U NTDP with Brooks Lee (Cal Poly), Long, and Sims. In addition, Nixon was also part of the 17U NTDP in 2018.
Thirty different schools are represented on the 2021 Collegiate National Team roster, with 12 boasting multiple athletes. Mississippi State and Virginia lead the way with three players each, while Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal Poly, California, Florida, NC State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas all claim two.
The Collegiate National Team will not play an international opponent in 2021; instead, the Stars and Stripes will play an intrasquad series with 10 of their 11 games in the cities of the Appalachian League which is currently in its first season as a summer collegiate league as part of the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP). The Appalachian League also serves as a national team pathway and identification event for the Collegiate National Team and other USA Baseball national teams.
Team USA will kick-off its tour on Friday, July 2, in Danville, Virginia, and will finish the series on Thursday, July 15, in Bluefield, West Virginia. The U.S. will also play on the Fourth of July at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. For the team’s full summer schedule, click here.
Avent, who just finished his 25th season as the head coach at NC State with an appearance in the 2021 College World Series, was named the manager of Team USA in April. He will be joined on staff by pitching coach Kevin O’Sullivan (Florida), as well as Bobby Austin (Mississippi State), Dan Hartleb (Illinois), Kobe Phillips (NC Central), Josh Pike (NC State), Alex Sogard (Wright State), Troy Tulowitzki (Texas), and Jerry Weinstein (Colorado Rockies).
Sogard and Weinstein will manage the Stars and Stripes teams, respectively, and Josh Pike of NC State will assist O’Sullivan as Team USA’s pitching coach technician.
The full 45-man 2021 Collegiate National Team Roster is as follows:
2021 Collegiate National Team Roster
(Name; Position; Hometown; School)
Hunter Barco; LHP; Jacksonville, Fla.; Florida
Dylan Beavers; OF; Paso Robles, Calif.; California
Jacob Berry; INF; Queen Creek, Ariz.; Arizona
Justin Campbell; RHP; Simi Valley, Calif.; Oklahoma State
Reggie Crawford; LHP/INF; Frackville, Pa.; UCONN
Dylan Crews; OF; Longwood, Fla.; LSU
Gavin Cross; OF; Bristol, Tenn.; Virginia Tech
Hayden Dunhurst; C; Carriere, Miss.; Ole Miss
Jackson Fristoe; RHP; Paducah, Ky.; Mississippi State
Drew Gilbert; LHP/OF; Stillwater, Minn.; Tennessee
Jacob Gonzalez; INF; Glendora, Calif.; Ole Miss
Caden Grice; 1B/LHP; Greer, S.C.; Clemson
Devereaux Harrison; OF/RHP; Vacaville, Calif.; Long Beach State
Sam Highfill; RHP/INF; Apex, N.C.; NC State
Gabe Hughes; RHP; Eagle, Idaho; Gonzaga
Brock Jones; OF; Fresno, Calif.; Stanford
Jace Jung; INF; Flower Mound, Texas; Texas Tech
Brooks Lee; INF; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Cal Poly
Ethan Long; INF/RHP; Gilbert, Ariz.; Arizona State
Sean McLain; INF; Tustin, Calif.; Arizona State
Parker Messick; LHP; Plant City, Fla.; Florida State
Robert Moore; INF; Leawood, Kan.; Arkansas
Aaron Nixon; RHP/INF; McAllen, Texas; Texas
Carson Palmquist; LHP; Fort Myers, Fla.; Miami
Kevin Parada; C; Pasadena, Calif.; Georgia Tech
Will Sanders; RHP; Atlanta, Ga.; South Carolina
Nate Savino; LHP; Sterling, Va.; Virginia
Landon Sims; RHP; Cumming, Ga.; Mississippi State
Paul Skenes; C/RHP; Lake Forest, Calif.; Air Force
Jordan Sprinkle; INF; Palm Springs, Calif.; UC Santa Barbara
Brandon Sproat; RHP; Pace, Fla.; Florida
Adam Stone; RHP; Stamford, Conn.; Harvard
Daniel Susac; C; Roseville, Calif.; Arizona
Logan Tanner; C; Lucedale, Miss.; Mississippi State
Kyle Teel; C/INF; Mahwah, N.J.; Virginia
Drew Thorpe; RHP; Washington, Utah; Cal Poly
Blade Tidwell; RHP; Loretto, Tenn.; Tennessee
Carter Trice; INF; Mechanicsville, Va.; Old Dominion
Chris Villaman; LHP/INF; High Point, N.C.; NC State
Jack Washburn; RHP; Webster, Wisc.
Carson Whisenhunt; LHP; Mocksville, N.C.; East Carolina
Josh White; RHP; Danville, Calif.; California
Jaxon Wiggins; RHP; Roland, Okla.; Arkansas
Tanner Witt; RHP/INF; Houston, Texas; Texas
Matthew Wyatt; RHP; Towson, Md.; Virginia
