April 29, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State sophomore outfielder Travis Buck is one of 19 collegiate players that have been invited to participate in the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials - to be held June 20-26 in Durham, North Carolina. The USA Baseball National Team will be selected from a pool of 36 players, of which an additional 17 have yet to be determined. The official 20-man team roster will be determined and announced on June 27. For a full roster of the invitees, log on to the web at www.usabaseball.com.
The 2004 USA Baseball National Team will open play on Wednesday evening, June 23 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 7:00 pm vs. Canada. 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 2004 II FISU World University Baseball Championships in Chinese Taipei, July 23-August 1.
Buck (Richland, Wash.) was invited to the National Team Trials last summer with teammates Jeff Larish and Dustin Pedroia, but ended up playing in the Alaskan Summer League with the Peninsula Oilers. Through ASU's first 43 games (30-13), Buck is hitting .342 (55-for-161) while leading the Sun Devils with eight home runs and 49 RBI.
Arizona State has a strong tradition of providing player for the USA Baseball National Team, with at least one player on Team USA in five of the last six years.
"This group of invitees is very representative of the strength of today's college game," said USA Baseball General Manager of National Team Eric Campbell. "The National Team Selection Committee has produced a great start to our final trials roster. Our nation's top non-draft eligible players continue to post great numbers and lead their teams in their respective conference races."
The first group of 19 players invited to the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials is shown below: Bard, Daniel - RHP - Fr - North Carolina - Charlotte, N.C. Buck, Travis - OF - So - Arizona State - Richland, Wash. Clement, Jeff - C - So - USC - Marshalltown, Iowa Cox, J. Brent - RHP - So - Texas - Bay City, Texas Donald, Jason - IF - Fr - Arizona - Clovis, Calif. Ellsbury, Jacoby - OF - So - Oregon State - Madras, Ore. Erickson, Blair - RHP - Fr - UC Irvine - Fair Oaks, Calif. Gordon, Alex - IF - So - Nebraska - Lincoln, Neb. Greene, Tyler - IF - So - Georgia Tech - Plantation, Fla. Head, Stephen - LHP/IF - So - Mississippi - Raymond, Miss. Hollimon, Mark - RHP - So - Mississippi. - Germantown, Tenn. Kahn, Stephen - RHP - So - Loyola Marymount - Anaheim, Calif. Kennedy, Ian RHP - Fr - USC - Huntington Beach, Calif. Lowrie, Jed - IF - So - Stanford - Salem, Ore. Mayberry Jr., John - IF - So - Stanford - Kansas City, Mo. Pelfrey, Mike - RHP - So - Wichita State - Wichita, Kan. Ramos, Cesar - LHP - So - Long Beach State - Pico Rivera, Calif. Teagarden, Taylor - C - So - Texas - Carrollton, Texas Zimmerman, Ryan - IF - So - Virginia - Virginia Beach, Va.