DURHAM, N.C. - Three members of Rice's top-ranked baseball team have been invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials. Pitchers Philip Humber and Jeff Niemann, and shortstop Paul Janish will participate in the workouts to be held June 21-27 in Tucson, Ariz.
As heard Wednesday on the USA Baseball MLB Radio Selection Show, USA Baseball announced a list of the first eight collegiate players invited to participate in the trials. The USA National Team will be selected from a pool of 35 players, of which an additional 27 have yet to be determined. USA Baseball's final selection of the athletes that will comprise the team that will represent the USA at the 2003 Pan Am Games, is subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee. The official team roster will be determined and announced on June 27. For a full roster of the first eight invitees, log on to
www.usabaseball.com.
Humber, a sophomore from Carthage, was a member of the 2002 National Team which won a silver medal at the World University Games in Italy. For the Owls this season, he's currently 6-0 with a 2.68 earned run average and has won his last 15 decisions as an Owl.
Niemann, a sophomore from Houston (Lamar HS), is also 6-0 for the Owls this season with a 2.54 ERA, while Janish is hitting .326 with one home run and 13 runs batted in. He leads an Owl defense which has committed only eight errors in 26 games this season. Janish is a sophomore from Cypress (Cypress Creek HS).
The Owls are currently 25-1 on the season and winners of 22 consecutive games. Rice will return to Western Athletic Conference play this weekend when it hosts San Jose State in a three-game series at Reckling Park, beginning Friday night.
The 2003 USA Baseball National Team will open play on Wednesday evening, July 2 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 7 pm vs. Japan. Team USA will also play an additional seven games in Durham, along with several more domestic exhibition games, prior to representing the United States at the Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic in August.
The other five players invited to the 2003 USA Baseball National Team Trials are Tyler Lumsden, a left-handed pitcher from Clemson; Mike Nickeas, a catcher from Georgia Tech; Huston Street, a right-handed pitcher from Texas; Justin Verlander, a right-handed pitcher from Old Dominion; and Jared Weaver, a right-handed pitcher from Long Beach State.
South Carolina's Ray Tanner will serve as the head coach for Team USA. He will be assisted by Dick Cooke of Davidson, Mark Scalf of UNC Wilmington, and Mike Weathers of Long Beach State. In addition, USA Baseball announced Wednesday that Andrew Kitick of the University of South Carolina sports information department, will serve as the USA Baseball National Team press officer this summer.