CARY, N.C. – University of Louisville right-handed pitcher Tony Zych was named to the 2009 USA Baseball National Team on Wednesday night following the completion of the 10-day team trials, which included eight intrasquad games and practices at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
A native of Hazelcrest, Ill., near Chicago who just completed his freshman season with the Cardinals, Zych is among the 22 members of the 2009 USA Baseball National Team, which is comprised of the top non-draft-eligible college players in the United States. He is the first Louisville player to earn a spot on the USA National Team since former Cards' outfielder Mark Jurich was a member of the 2002 USA Baseball National Team, winning a silver medal at the 2002 FISU World University Baseball Championship and capturing the 2002 Haarlem Baseball Week Championship.
In 2009, the USA National Team will play in two international friendship series in North Carolina against the Canadian National Team and the Guatemalan National Team before heading to Japan for the 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series and the World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
Zych was 6-2 overall with two saves, a 3.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched in 2009 and opposing batters hit just .235 against him. After spending most of the season in the Cards' bullpen, he moved into the Cards' starting rotation in May with wins in all three of his career starts. After winning starts against Ohio State on May 6 and Connecticut on May 24 in the BIG EAST Tournament title game, he pitched six strong innings against Vanderbilt to earn the victory in the Cards' NCAA Regional title game win over the `Dores.
Last December, McDonnell was selected to serve as an assistant coach for the 2009 USA National Team. He is joined by USA Baseball head coach Rick Jones (Tulane head coach) and assistant coaches Rob Cooper (Wright State head coach) and Mike Kennedy (Elon head coach). In three seasons as the Cards’ head coach, McDonnell is 135-63 overall with three straight NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances, one NCAA College World Series appearance, two BIG EAST Tournament titles and one BIG EAST regular season title.
The Cardinals closed out their 2009 season on June 6 with an NCAA Super Regional loss at No. 2 Cal State Fullerton. Louisville finished with a 47-18 record overall after sweeping the BIG EAST Conference regular season and tournament titles. U of L advanced to its second Super Regional in three years after earning a 5-3 win over Vanderbilt in the title game of the NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium, the first ever NCAA Baseball Regional in Louisville.
The National Team begins its summer season Thursday, opening a five-game series against the Canadian National Team in Cary, N.C. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET at the National Training Complex.
