The Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski Invited to Team USA Baseball National Team Tryouts

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball has announced that The Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski has been invited to the Team USA National Team tryouts at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Wojciechowski is one of 41 invitees vying for a spot on the 22-man roster during the tryouts from June 14-24.

Players will participate in daily practices and drills at the trials, as well as in modified intrasquad Blue vs. Red games. The final 22-man roster will be announced on June 24.

Wojciechowski finished the 2009 season with a 3-3 record and a 4.39 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched. Wojciechowski held opposing batters to a .235 average and walked 34 while striking out 75 in 12 appearances on the mound. He was out for nearly a month with a strained back before returning in the Southern Conference Tournament to pitch a complete game win over top-seeded Elon, becoming the first Bulldog pitcher in over a decade to strike out 15 batters in a game.

The 2009 National Team Trials roster features 41 players from colleges across the country, including three members of the 2008 National Team that went unbeaten (24-0) and won a gold medal at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and at the FISU World University Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.

“USA Baseball is very excited to begin our 2009 National Team Trials,“ said Eric Campbell, General Manager of USA Baseball National Teams. “We look forward to building off of the success of last season by welcoming these players to the National Training Complex.“

The USA Baseball National Training Complex will host the National Team Trials for the first time in 2009. In previous seasons the trials were spread throughout the United States.

“Having our trials in one designated place is extremely beneficial to our overall goal,“ Campbell said. “Not only do we constantly strive for excellence on the field, but USA Baseball is also dedicated to continuing the overall athletic development of all of our players. Having our trials in one central location will only strengthen our ability to teach the game of baseball.“

Once the official roster has been announced, the National Team will stay in Durham and Cary, N.C. as it competes in two international friendship series against Canada and Guatemala from June 25-29 and July 1-4, respectively.

Team USA will then travel to Japan to participate in the 37th annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships before traveling to Prince George, British Columbia, Canada for the 2009 Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline World Baseball Challenge.

The 2009 team will be coached by Tulane University head coach Rick Jones, who previously served as an assistant coach for Team USA on the 1989 Presidential Cup Team and 1990 Collegiate National Team. Jones is joined by pitching coach Mike Kennedy (head coach, Elon University) and assistant coaches Dan McDonnell (head coach, University of Louisville and former assistant coach from The Citadel, as well as a graduate of The Citadel) and Rob Cooper (head coach, Wright State University; 2007 National Team assistant coach).

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.