USA Baseball announced today its initial list of 12 collegiate players who have accepted invitations for the 2008 National Team Trials held June 11-23, and a pair of Cal State Fullerton players made the elite list - Josh Fellhauer and Christian Colon.
Fellhauer (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Colon (Corona, Calif.) are two of 12 collegiate players, comprised of eight sophomores and four freshmen, to be part of a 32-man roster of the nation’s best collegiate athletes vying for 22 sports on the final National Team roster. 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 excited about the return of the trials period," National Team General Manager Eric Campbell said. "Last year, we had to select the National Team by June 11 and without the aid of a trials period for the first time ever. This is a strong initial group of invitees, and we will continue to work with collegiate coaches to get the best 32 players available into this year's National Team Trials."
Cal State Fullerton has been one of USA Baseball's major suppliers of talent over the years, having produced five Olympians, while sending 17 players to the U.S. National Team. The last two Titans to don the red, white and blue were Wes Roemer and Kurt Suzuki in 2006.
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.
2008 National Team Trials Roster
Name, School
Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton
Kentrail Davis, Tennessee
Josh Fellhauer, Cal State Fullerton
Kyle Gibson, Missouri
AJ Griffin, San Diego
Mike Leake, Arizona State
Mike Minor, Vanderbilt
Bryan Morgado, Tennessee
Hunter Morris, Auburn
Andrew Oliver , Oklahoma State
Aaron Senne, Missouri
Jason Stoffel, Arizona