|
|
|
Schlossnagle provides journal entry on summer travels with USA National Team
Horned Frogs also represented on Team USA by Arrieta
July 10, 2006 DURHAM, N.C. -- TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle is serving as an assistant coach for the USA National Team this summer.
Team USA also includes Horned Frog pitcher Jake Arrieta. Included below is the first journal entry from Schlossnagle: I hope all is well back in Fort Worth. We just finished our first week of tour play here with Team USA. We are currently 5-0 versus the Chinese Tapei after our 5-2 win on Sunday. Playing or coaching for your country is quite an experience. Usually, when you go into a ballpark, you have someone rooting for you and someone rooting against you. In this situation, everyone is for Team USA and we get the U...S...A...chant every day. Of course, that will change in August when we get to Havanna, Cuba, for the World Championship Tournament. The USA Trial period was a tiring one. We began with 36 players and had to cut it down to 22 after one week. We began in Pittsfield, Mass., and then moved on to Keen, N.H., Torrington, Conn., and Newport, R.I., over the next few days. As one can imagine, it was a tough time. Cutting 14 of the best college players in the country is not easy. There is no doubt we cut some future big league players. After selecting the 22, we moved on to Pawtucket, R.I., which was amazing!Playing on the 4th of July in front of 10,000 fans vs. Chinese Tapei was a memory for a lifetime...especially winning 1-0 on a walk-off single in the ninth. For me, being a lifelong Red Sox fan, playing in Pawtucket (AAA home for Boston) was neat...knowing how many former Red Sox greats came through there. We are now in Durham, N.C., after a short trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. TCU's own Jake Arrieta pitched Saturday night, getting the win after throwing five innings. Jake did well after a wild first inning. Everyone is impressed by him and you should all feel proud to have Jake representing TCU and our country! The travel on the tour is tough and you definitely gain an appreciation for what minor league players have to go through. However, when you walk into the park, wearing the red, white and blue, your adrenaline seems to pick up fast. We have a few more games here in North Carolina before heading off to Joplin, Mo., on Thursday. All of this touring is in preparation for the World Championships in Havanna where we hope to win a gold medal. This is an exciting time for Jake and I. However, TCU is never far from our mind. Coach (Todd) Whitting and (Randy) Mazey are busy finalizing our recruiting for this upcoming year as well as beginning the process for the 2007 class. I am in constant contact with our current players across the country in their summer ball leagues and everyone seems to be doing well. Hope all is well in Fort Worth and I'm sure you are all gearing up for a great fall sports season. Take Care...Go Frogs...and...Team USA!!!
|
|
