Baseball may have recently been eliminated from the Olympic lineup, but there are still opportunities for American ballplayers to represent their nation in international competition.
For the second consecutive year, a Virginia baseball player has been selected to play for the Team USA baseball squad. Following in a path taken by Ryan Zimmerman last summer, rising sophomore Sean Doolittle has been chosen to traverse the globe this summer with 21 other of America's top collegiate ballplayers.
"It's a great accomplishment," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "He had a great freshman year here and anytime you can wear the USA uniform it is a tremendous honor."
Doolittle was chosen following four days of tryouts at N.C. State in late June. Thirty-nine players competed for 22 roster spots. With the roster set, the team played three tune-up games on U.S. soil before setting off across the Pacific to the land of the rising sun for the 34th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series. Team USA could only salvage one victory in the four game series, a 13-2 win in the finale held Tuesday at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo. Today, Team USA starts a five-game friendly series against Chinese Taipei in Taiwan.
O'Connor sees this summer as a great chance for Doolittle to continue to develop as a player.
"This will give him some international experience and a chance to play with some of the top players from around the country and the world," he said. "It should be a great experience for Sean."
Doolittle is leading Team USA in hitting with a .462 batting average. Over six games he has driven in four runs and has scored four runs. Doolittle also pitched an inning of scoreless relief in he struck out two and retired the side in order. Throughout his freshman campaign at Virginia, Doolittle led the Cavaliers in home runs and developed in a reliable set-up role out of the bullpen.
"He's a great collegiate baseball player and has become a leader on our team," O'Connor said. "And he's only going to continue to get better."
Last summer, U.Va. alumnus Ryan Zimmerman -- now a minor leaguer in the Washington Nationals organization -- excelled for Team USA. He notched a .468 batting average, hit four home runs, and drove in 27 runs. Zimmerman's play helped lead the 2004 Team USA to victory in the FISU II World University Baseball championship in Taiwan.The success of Doolittle and Zimmerman on the international stage are just a few more of the indications that the Virginia baseball program under Coach O'Connor has reached a new tier of accomplishment. As with any other collegiate sport, continued success requires a constant influx of talented recruits."It shows the consistent level of talent we have in this program," O'Connor said. "Maintaining that consistent high level of talent is very important for the continued development of this program."
When speaking of Doolittle's potential, O'Connor was enthusiastic and optimistic.
"Sean has a bright future as a ballplayer," O'Connor said. "In many ways, the sky is the limit for him."
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