DURHAM, N.C. -- Baylor sophomore pitcher Kendal Volz has accepted an invitation to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials, the nation's governing body of amateur baseball announced Tuesday. Volz was among 14 players named Tuesday in the second wave of invitees, joining the 12 initial invitees named earlier this month. In all, 32 players will attend trials and vie for 22 spots on the National Team roster.
The 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials will be held June 11-23 throughout the northeast and southeast United States. The National Team schedule includes a six-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei in late-June and a month-long trip to Europe wherein the team will compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and the IV FISU World Collegiate Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.
A product of Smithson Valley [Texas] High School, Volz is one of six Big 12 Conference players and five pitchers from the league on the trials roster. He joins Missouri pitcher Kyle Gibson, Oklahoma State pitcher Andrew Oliver, Texas A&M pitcher Brooks Raley, Texas pitcher Chance Ruffin and Missouri outfielder Aaron Senne. Of the 26 players currently on the trials roster, 15 are pitchers.
Volz was Baylor's Friday-night starter throughout the 2008 campaign, missing one start due to injury. Despite finishing third on the Bears' staff with a 4.20 ERA, Volz was 3-6 on the campaign and was granted the lowest run support of any Baylor pitcher with at least four starts.
A Bulverde, Texas, native, Volz led the team with 85 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. He averaged 10.83 strikeouts per nine innings, a school record and currently 19th nationally. His 58 strikeouts in Big 12 play tied for the eighth-best season total in school history and were the third-most by a Baylor pitcher since the league schedule was reduced to 27 games in 2002. Volz averaged a school-record 11.77 strikeouts per nine innings in Big 12 play. Both strikeouts-per-nine-innings records previously were held by Jason Jennings from the 1999 season.
Last season, Volz became only the ninth freshman in Baylor history to record at least six victories. He was a 2007 honorable mention All-Big 12 selection and was named all-tournament at the Big 12 Championship after setting an event record with 13 strikeouts against Oklahoma.
Volz is the first Baylor player to earn a National Team Trials invitation since 2005 when pitchers Jeff Mandel and Cory VanAllen both participated in the trials. Six Baylor players have earned spots on the National Team roster: pitcher Pat Combs (1988), Jennings (1998, 1999), catcher Bryan Loeb (1999), outfielder Jon Topolski (1999), pitcher Zane Carlson (2000) and outfielder Michael Griffin (2003).
The 2008 USA Baseball National Team will be led by Oral Roberts University head coach Rob Walton, who served as an assistant coach for the 2005 National Team. Walton is joined on the 2008 staff by pitching coach Jerry Meyers (head coach, Old Dominion University), assistant coach Nino Giarratano (head coach, University of San Francisco), and assistant coach Ritch Price (head coach, University of Kansas).
