Eight added to National Teams Trial Roster

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

DURHAM, N.C. –- USA Baseball announced on Monday its third round of invitations for the 2008 National Team Trials held June 11-23 throughout the northeast and southeast United States. This eight-member list is composed of five sophomores and three freshmen, joining the 26-member invitee list announced over the past month. At the conclusion of the trials, on June 24, 22 players will be selected for the National Team roster.

Sophomores on the list are Matt den Dekker (OF/LHP, Florida), Shaver Hansen (3B/SS, Baylor), Tyler Lyons (LHP, Oklahoma State), Justin Marks (LHP, Louisville), and Blake Smith (OF/RHP, California).

The freshmen invitees are Brian Fletcher (OF/INF, Auburn), Micah Gibbs (C, LSU) and Rick Hague (SS, Rice).

USA Baseball’s 2008 National Team schedule includes a six-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei and a month-long trip to Europe where the team will compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and the IV FISU World Collegiate Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.

The 2008 USA Baseball National Team will be led by Oral Roberts University head coach Rob Walton, who served as an assistant coach for the 2005 National Team. Walton is joined on the 2008 staff by pitching coach Jerry Meyers (head coach, Old Dominion University), assistant coach Nino Giarratano (head coach, University of San Francisco), and assistant coach Ritch Price (head coach, University of Kansas).

2008 USA National Team Trials Roster