den Dekker Accepts Invite To 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials
Thursday, June 12, 2008 | Baseball
USA Baseball recently announced that University of Florida sophomore center fielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was among the eight additional collegiate players who have accepted invitations to participate in the 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials, to be held June 11-23 throughout the northeast and southeast United States. This eight-member list is composed of five sophomores and three freshmen, joining the 26-member invitee list announced over the past month. At the conclusion of the trials, on June 24, 22 players will be selected for the National Team roster.
On the strength of a .351 batting average in league play, den Dekker earned first-team All-SEC recognition after collecting All-Freshman kudos in 2007. He was 12-for-12 on stolen-base attempts and ranked second on the Gators with 24 RBI in the 30 league contests. The center fielder was also named to the league's All-Defensive Team after committing just one error in 161 overall chances, with five assists, over 55 games.
den Dekker hit .333 overall with career highs in runs (55), RBI (48), doubles (nine), homers (eight), and triples (two). He was a perfect 20-for-20 on stolen-base attempts and had a pair of 13-game hitting streaks during the spring. den Dekker was the lone Gator selected to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional All-Tournament squad after going 3-for-4 with three runs in UF's 17-11 setback to Florida State.
Other sophomores on the list are Shaver Hansen (3B/SS, Baylor), Tyler Lyons (LHP, Oklahoma State), Justin Marks (LHP, Louisville) and Blake Smith (OF/RHP, California). The freshmen invitees are Brian Fletcher (OF/INF, Auburn), Micah Gibbs (C, LSU) and Rick Hague (SS, Rice).
USA Baseball's 2008 National Team schedule includes a six-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei and a month-long trip to Europe, where the team will compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and the IV FISU World Collegiate Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.
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).
The following players have accepted invitations to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials:
| Last | First | School | Pos. | B/T | Height | Weight | Class | Hometown |
| Ackley | Dustin | North Carolina | LF/1B | L/R | 6-1 | 184 | Fr. | Walnut Cove, N.C. |
| Bellamy | Kyle | Miami (Fla.) | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 220 | So. | Davie, Fla. |
| Berry | Ryan | Rice | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 195 | So. | Humble, Texas |
| Coleman | Dustin | Wichita State | INF/RHP | R/R | 6-2 | 185 | So. | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| Colon | Christian | Cal State-Fullerton | INF | R/R | 6-0 | 180 | Fr. | Corona, Calif. |
| Davis | Kentrail | Tennessee | OF | L/R | 5-9 | 198 | Fr. | Theadore, Ala. |
| den Dekker | Matt | Florida | OF | L/L | 6-1 | 205 | So. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| Dietrich | Derek | Georgia Tech | SS/RHP | L/R | 6-1 | 195 | Fr. | Parma, Ohio |
| Fellhauer | Josh | CS-Fullerton | OF | L/L | 5-11 | 175 | So. | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Fletcher | Brian | Auburn | OF/INF | R/R | 6-1 | 190 | Fr. | Fayetteville, Ga. |
| Gibbs | Micah | LSU | C | B/R | 5-11 | 223 | Fr. | Pflugerville, Texas |
| Gibson | Kyle | Missouri | RHP | R/R | 6-6 | 195 | So. | Greenfield, Ind. |
| Griffin | A.J. | San Diego | RHP | R/R | 6-5 | 215 | So. | El Cajon, Calif. |
| Hague | Rick | Rice | SS | R/R | 6-2 | 185 | Fr. | Spring, Texas |
| Hansen | Shaver | Baylor | 3B/SS | B/R | 6-0 | 185 | So. | Grand Junction, Colo. |
| Hernandez | Chris | Miami (Fla.) | LHP | L/L | 6-1 | 195 | Fr. | Miami, Fla. |
| Jackson | Ryan | Miami | SS | R/R | 6-3 | 180 | So. | Miami Springs, Fla. |
| Leake | Mike | Arizona State | RHP/UTL | R/R | 6-0 | 190 | So. | Fallbrook, Calif. |
| Lyons | Tyler | Oklahoma State | LHP | B/L | 6-2 | 195 | So. | Lubbock, Texas |
| Marks | Justin | Louisville | LHP | L/L | 6-2 | 180 | So. | Owensboro, Ky. |
| Medica | Tommy | Santa Clara | C/RF | R/R | 6-1 | 190 | So. | San Jose, Calif. |
| Minor | Mike | Vanderbilt | LHP | L/L | 6-3 | 175 | So. | Chapel Hill, Tenn. |
| Morgado | Bryan | Tennessee | LHP | L/L | 6-2 | 195 | Fr. | Miami, Fla. |
| Morris | Hunter | Auburn | 1B | L/R | 6-4 | 215 | Fr. | Huntsville, Ala. |
| Oliver | Andrew | Oklahoma State | LHP | L/L | 6-3 | 209 | So. | Vermillion, Ohio |
| Ortiz | Ryan | Oregon State | C/1B | R/R | 6-3 | 285 | So. | San Diego, Calif. |
| Petralli | Ben | Oral Roberts | C/INF | B/R | 6-2 | 200 | So. | Weatherford, Texas |
| Phegley | Josh | Indiana | C/1B | R/R | 5-11 | 215 | So. | Terre Haute, Ind. |
| Pomeranz | Drew | Mississippi | LHP | L/L | 6-5 | 220 | Fr. | Collerville, Tenn. |
| Raley | Brooks | Texas A&M | LHP/OF | L/L | 6-0 | 170 | Fr. | Uvalde, Texas |
| Rhoderick | Kevin | Oregon State | RHP | R/R | 6-0 | 190 | Fr. | Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Ruffin | Chance | Texas | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 185 | Fr. | Austin, Texas |
| Seager | Kyle | North Carolina | INF | L/R | 6-1 | 194 | So. | Kannapolis, N.C. |
| Senne | Aaron | Missouri | OF | L/L | 6-2 | 201 | So. | Rochester, Minn. |
| Smith | Blake | California | OF/RHP | L/R | 6-2 | 220 | So. | Modesto, Calif. |
| Stoffel | Jason | Arizona | RHP | R/R | 6-1 | 217 | So. | Agoura, Calif. |
| Strasburg | Stephen | San Diego State | RHP | R/R | 6-5 | 215 | So. | San Diego, Calif. |
| Volz | Kendal | Baylor | RHP | R/R | 6-4 | 225 | So. | Bulverde, Texas |
-UF-
