AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn baseball sophomore right-hander Casey Mize has accepted an invitation to join the 2017 USA Baseball Collegiate National team this summer.
“This means a lot. This has been a goal of mine for some time now,” Mize said. “I’m really ready to go learn from and compete with these guys. This is the top players in the country and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to represent the United States. This is truly an honor.”
Mize is enjoying a stellar sophomore season. The Springville, Ala. native leads the Tigers and the Southeastern Conference with a 6-1 record and is first in the SEC and third nationally with 82 strikeouts on the year.
He became the first Auburn pitcher to record back-to-back games with 12 or more strikeouts since 1999 and his 1.23 ERA is third in the SEC and 18th nationally.
“I think every coach and player affiliated with Auburn baseball is excited for this opportunity for Casey to represent our country,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “I think Casey will be the first to tell you that several of his coaches and especially his teammates are a huge part of this. I think we are all thankful to be a part of Auburn University and the opportunities it presents us now and for the rest of our lives.”
Mize is the eighth Auburn player to be selected for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team joining Gregg Olson (1987), Mark Bellhorn (1993-94), John Powell (1993), Steven Register (2003), Hunter Morris (2008) and Anfernee Grier (2015).
The 2017 Collegiate National Team will train at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, and compete in a series of games with teams from the Coastal Plains League from June 20-25. The U.S. will then host international friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Cuba from June 27 – July 7, in Cary, Charlotte and Durham, North Carolina. Both series will be streamed live on USABaseball.com. Follow @USABaseball and @USABaseballCNT on Twitter for all of the latest news on USA Baseball and the Collegiate National Team.