USA Baseball and the Omaha Sports Commission announced today that the 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and Japan Collegiate All-Stars will play the fifth and concluding game of their 38th Collegiate All-Star Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., on July 8, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. CT.
The game marks the second year in a row that the two teams will meet in Omaha. In 2010, the U.S. defeated Japan, 4-1, in a one-game international friendship exhibition at Rosenblatt Stadium, the former and long-time home of the College World Series.
“We are pleased to announce the continuation of our partnership with the Omaha Sports Commission,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO. “Our players and organization had a wonderful experience in 2010 and we look forward to building on that this summer.”
The game will feature the best collegiate players from two of the top baseball-playing nations in the world, bringing some of sport’s brightest young stars to the new home of college baseball in the United States. Alumni of Collegiate National Team over the last five years include some of baseball top young players, such as, Pedro Alvarez, Christian Colon, Mike Leake, Brian Matusz, Mike Minor, Drew Pomeranz, David Price, Justin Smoak, and Stephen Strasburg.
“Last year’s game at Rosenblatt between USA Baseball and Japan was a great success, and we believe the 2011 game at TD Ameritrade Park will be even better,” said Harold Cliff, president of the Omaha Sports Commission. “This will be a great opportunity for sports fans to see exciting international competition featuring some of baseball’s rising stars.”
For the first time in the history of the collegiate program, there will be no trials period for the team. The final roster will be announced in late June and training and a series of exhibition games will follow. The 2011 club will be managed by Missouri head coach Tim Jamieson, who previously served as an assistant coach for the 2005 Collegiate National Team.
“Omaha is the pinnacle of college baseball, so it is fitting that the best college baseball players in the country will be given the opportunity to take on Japan’s best collegiate players at the new TD Amertrade Park,” said Jamieson. “I am excited to take Team USA to such a great baseball venue to share this game with college baseball’s best fans.”
Team USA will be looking for its first series win since 2003 when it swept Japan, 5-0, in games played across North and South Carolina. The two countries play every other year and alternate as the event host. In 2009, Japan took the series, three games to two, following five evenly-matched games held in Japanese collegiate and professional baseball stadiums across the country, including the Tokyo Dome. The U.S. leads the all-time series, 21-16, with an overall record of 117-93-1.
Prior to the series finale in Omaha, the U.S. and Japan will play four games in North Carolina. Games #1-2 will be in Durham at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Game #3 will be held in Cary at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, and Game #4 will be played at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis.
Tickets and game day information will be made available this spring.
