May 28, 2008
Texas A&M freshman Brooks Raley (Uvalde, Texas) was one of 14 additional players named to the USA Baseball National Team Trials roster, the organization announced Tuesday.
Raley is one of five freshmen added to the roster this week and joins outfielder Aaron Senne of Missouri and pitchers Kyle Gibson of Mizzou, Andrew Oliver of Oklahoma State, Chance Ruffin of Texas and Kendal Volz of Baylor as Big 12 representatives on the squad. The 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials will be held June 11-23 throughout the northeast and southeast United States.
This 14-member list joins the 12-member initial invitee list announced earlier this month. In all, 32 players will be invited to the National Team Trials with 22 of those players being selected for the National Team roster, which will be announced on June 24.
Raley has been the Aggies?â„¢ Friday-night starter for much of the season, and brings a 6-2 record and 4.76 ERA into this weekend?â„¢s NCAA Regional. An Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection, he has fanned 62 batters in 81 1/3 innings of work on the season. Raley has also made 14 starts in the outfield, coming at all three positions, and is hitting .259 with nine RBI and 12 runs scored.
USA Baseball?â„¢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).
USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the United States Olympic Baseball Team (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball National Team (collegiate); the USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women?â„¢s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. For more information on USA Baseball please visit usabaseball.com.