LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The summer tour for the 2016 USA Baseball Collegiate Team, which includes rising Louisville juniors Devin Hairston and Brendan McKay, officially kicked off Monday with day one of training camp at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.
Hairston and McKay are among 29 of the nation’s top collegiate underclassmen in Southern California for this week’s team trials, which began with an afternoon practice session on Monday. Team USA will play five games against teams from the California Collegiate League, starting today (Tuesday) at 1:30 p.m., PT against the Santa Barbara Foresters at Dodger Stadium. The USA Collegiate National Team and the Foresters will also play on Wednesday (June 29) at 5 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium on the campus of UC-Santa Barbara.
Team USA will then play a pair of games at Angels Stadium of Anaheim at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday (June 30) and 3:30 p.m., on Friday (July 1) against the Urban Youth Academy Barons and Conejo Oaks, respectively. The Collegiate National Team closes out trials with a return to the Urban Youth Academy in Compton versus the Barons at 1 p.m. on Saturday (July 2).
Led by field manager George Horton of Oregon, the Collegiate National Team coaching staff will be charged with the task of putting together a 26-man roster which will travel to Taichung, Taiwan for a five-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei, July 5-9. From there, the team will cut down to its final 24-man roster for a five-game series against Japan with contests being held in Niigata, Tokyo and Shizuoka from July 12-17. The Collegiate National Team will conclude its summer tour by traveling to the Caribbean for the continuation of its annual series against Cuba, July 23-27 in Ciego de Avila, Havana and Pinar del Rio.
Cape Cod League Notes
• In his first start of the summer for the Brewster Whitecaps, righty Kade McClure had eight strikeouts and surrendered just one walk and two hits in six shutout innings in a no-decision against Chatham on June 25.
• Through five games with Brewster, catcherColby Fitch is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with two RBI, two runs scored and two walks.
New England Collegiate League Notes
• Righty Sam Bordner earned his first win of the summer for the Vermont Mountaineers on June 27 allowing only one run on two hits in five dominant innings in a victorious start against New Bedford.
• In his three appearances on the mound this summer for the Newport Gulls, lefthanderAdam Wolf has delivered six innings of shutout relief registering eight strikeouts and scattering just five hits.
Northwoods League Notes
• In nine games with the Green Bay Bullfrogs,Austin Clemons is hitting .344 with five RBI and five walks. On June 27, he was 3-for-4 with a double and scored once in a 4-2 win over Eau Claire.
Louisville Baseball Summer Overview
The Cardinals have 18 underclassmen assigned to five different wooden bat leagues as well as the USA Collegiate National Team this summer. Following the completion of the collegiate summer season, Louisville players will return to campus for the fall semester in late August to continue preparations for 2017. The Cardinals closed the 2016 season with a 50-14 record overall having reached the 50-win plateau for the fourth time in school history.
Following the Cardinals on Social Media
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) athttp://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
2016 University of Louisville Summer Baseball Assignments
USA Collegiate National Team
• SS Devin Hairston
• LHP/1B Brendan McKay
Cape Cod League
• C Colby Fitch, Brewster Whitecaps
• RHP Lincoln Henzman, Chatham Anglers
• OF Colin Lyman, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
• RHP Kade McClure, Brewster Whitecaps
• OF Logan Taylor, Orleans Firebirds
New England Collegiate League
• RHP Sam Bordner, Vermont Mountaineers
• INF Daniel Little, Vermont Mountaineers
• INF Devin Mann, Newport Gulls
• C Zeke Pinkham, Vermont Mountaineers
• LHP Adam Wolf, Newport Gulls
Northwoods League
• OF Chris Botsoe, Green Bay Bullfrogs
• OF/C Austin Clemons, Green Bay Bullfrogs
• INF Drew Ellis, Rochester Honkers
• OF Josh Stowers, Madison Mallards
California Collegiate League
• RHP Chandler Dale, SoCal Catch
Perfect Game Collegiate League
• LHP J.D. Mundt, Albany Dutchmen
