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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Cozart Invited To 2006 USA Baseball National Team Trials
5/17/2006 | Baseball
May 17, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss sophomore shortstop Zack Cozart has accepted an invitation to compete for a spot on the roster of the 2006 USA Baseball National Team. Cozart is one of 20 players invited in the first round of selections to participate in the trials.
The trials will feature 36 players, 16 of which will be invited at a later date, who will compete against teams from the New England Collegiate League in exhibition games from June 22 through July 1. The official 22-man roster will be announced on July 2.
"This is an honor for Zack Cozart and an honor of which he is very deserving," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "Zack was an outstanding player for us last season as a Freshman All-America, and has taken that performance and built on it with an even better season this year."
It marks the second year in a row that Cozart has been invited to participate in the USA Baseball National Team Trials.
Cozart is currently second on the Ole Miss squad in batting, hitting at a .343 clip with a team-leading 57 RBI and a second-best nine home runs. Most recently, Cozart came up with a three-run walk-off home run against Memphis on Tuesday night to move the Rebels to 34-19 on the season entering the final weekend of regular-season play. The shortstop also leads the Southeastern Conference in fielding with a .970 fielding percentage.
Eight other players from the SEC are among the initial group of 20 selected to participate in the trials. Other infielders include: Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez, Tennessee catcher J.P. Arencibia and Auburn third baseman Mike Bianucci.
"The National Team is defined by athlete performance in the college game," said USA Baseball General Manager of National Teams, Eric Campbell. "This short list of invitees to the trials represents non-draft eligible players whose 2006 performance on the field has warranted an invite to the trials. We will continue to watch the rest of the season to find those remaining invitees that demand consideration."
The second round of invitations will go out in late May, with the final roster of invitees being announced in June.
