Its official....Jake made the JO team!
CONGRATULATIONS!
16U National Team roster announced
Team will compete in Mexico starting Sept. 12
Recap | Box | Log
MIAMI -- USA Baseball announced the final 19-man roster for the 16U National Team on Friday. The team will travel to Veracruz, Mexico, to participate in the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships from Sept. 12 to Sept. 22.
The team was chosen after a one-week trials period consisting of multiple workouts and four intrasquad games that took place in Miami.
"In spite of all the adversity our players faced this week, as well as the weeks leading up to these Trials, the process was very competitive," said LeFevers. "These players made it hard for our coaches to come up with the final makeup of this team."
Of the nineteen players selected, eight are from California and five are from Florida. The infielders selected include Jake Rodriguez (Elk Grove, Calif.), Marcus Littlewood (St. George, Utah), Tony Wolters (Vista, Calif.) and Nicky Delmonico (Knoxville, Tenn.).
Philip Pfeifer (Knoxville, Tenn.), Delmonico's teammate at Farragut High School, will be part of the pitching staff for the 16U National Team. Joining Pfeifer on the mound will be Cody Buckel (Simi Valley, Calif.), Daniel Camarena (Bonita, Calif.), Dan Child (Rocklin, Calif.), Michael Kelly (Boynton Beach, Fla.), Bryan Radziewski (Miami, Fla.), Peter Tago (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Kyle Van Alstine (Merritt Island, Fla.)
The three outfielders selected include Bryce Harper (Las Vegas, Nev.), who will see some time behind the plate, as well, Michael Lorenzen (Anaheim, Calif.) and Matt Lipka (Frisco, Texas). Lipka will also join the pitching staff when called upon. Two catchers were selected to the team: Ladson Montgomery (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Will Allen (Gainesville, Fla.)
Connor Mason (Suwanee, Ga.) and Christian Lopes (Canyon Country, Calif.) were selected as utility players. Mason will be called upon to pitch in certain situations as well as patrol the outfield. Lopes will play the infield and throw off the mound when needed.
"We've got a lot of players who can help us win in a lot of different ways," LaFevers said. "We have a lot of versatility in certain players and we have strong players who will fit into specific roles."
Joining LaFevers on the 16U National Team staff will be Ernie Padron (Miami, Fla.), Charlie Spivey (Sanford, N.C.) and Darrel Don (Windermere, Fla.).
"The assistants on the National Team staff did an outstanding job of working with players and evaluating talent. Additionally, they worked very well with Trials coaches during training and the games themselves," said LaFevers.
The 2008 16U National Team will look to defend its 2006 gold medal at the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships in Veracruz, Mexico, and add to their fifteen game international winning streak. Says LaFevers, "We have the best mixture of players to win a gold medal in Veracruz."
Before the 16U National Team was selected, the fourth game of the 16U National Team Trials series was played on Friday afternoon. Rodriguez knocked in two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Red Team came from behind on Friday afternoon to defeat the Blue Team, 4-1. The Red Team's victory over the Blue Team ensured a series split at two games apiece.
It was a low-scoring affair for most of the afternoon, with only one run being scored by either team before the seventh inning. The Blue Team scored its only run of the contest in the top half of the second inning when Littlewood scored on a passed ball after hitting a one-out double to right field.
The Red Team had yet to score a run when Mitchell Shifflett (Midlothian, Va.) and Angelo Gumbs (Torrance, Calif.) hit back-to-back singles to leadoff the bottom of the seventh inning. After a pinch-hit sacrifice fly by Eric Snyder (Huntington Beach, Calif.) scored Gumbs to tie the game, Rodriguez doubled to deep center field, scoring Lorenzen and Giovanny Alfonzo (Port St. Lucie, Fla.). Lopes then doubled to right-center field, scoring Rodriguez to give the Red Team a 4-1 lead. Harper came on in the top half of the eighth and earned the save for the Red Team.
Log on to 16u.mlblogs.com to follow the 16U National Team from the Trials in Miami to the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships in Veracruz, Mexico (Sept. 12-22).
