Hultzen, Parker Named to USA Baseball National Team Trials
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Virginia pitcher/first baseman Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.) and outfielder Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) have been invited to compete at the 2009 USA Baseball National Team Trials. Thirty-six college players have been invited to the trials.
“It is an honor for Jarrett and Danny to have the opportunity to try out to represent our country,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “USA Baseball is a great organization and I know Jarrett and Danny will be looking forward to the trials.”
The trials begin June 14 with a pre-trials training camp in Cary, N.C., and end June 24 with the final national team selection. A 22-man roster will be named June 24.
Hultzen has been a two-way standout for the Cavaliers all year. On the mound, he has a 7-1 record and 2.28 earned run average. He already has set the Virginia freshman record for strikeouts with 80. Hultzen also is batting .331 with three home runs and 32 runs batted in.
Parker has started all 52 games in center field for Virginia and has been sensational, with team highs in nearly every offensive category. He is hitting .380 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI this year. He already has shattered the UVa single-season runs scored record with 71 (previous record was 60) and also has posted 78 hits, including 18 doubles and six triples. Parker ranks among the ACC’s top 10 in every offensive category except walks and leads the league in triples (six) and slugging percentage (.746).
The 2009 National Team will compete in several exhibition games in the Triangle-area of North Carolina, including a friendly series against the Canadian National Team, June 25-29, which will be played across both the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Following its domestic exhibition schedule, the U.S. will travel to Japan to compete in the 37th Annual Japan vs. USA Collegiate Championships before closing out its summer in Canada at the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia.
Six previous Virginia players have represented the United States with USA Baseball National Teams: Bill Narleski (1985), Seth Greisinger (1996), Ryan Zimmerman (2004), Sean Doolittle (2005, 2006), Mark Reynolds (2006) and Jacob Thompson (2007).