Ortiz, Rhoderick Invited To USA Baseball National Team Trials
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State sophomore catcher Ryan Ortiz and freshman closer Kevin Rhoderick have been invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials, it was announced Tuesday.
The trials will be held June 11-23, with 32 players eventually invited to try out. Fourteen of the 32 players were announced on Tuesday, joining an initial 12 that were invited in early May. Of the 32 players eventually invited, 22 will be selected to the National Team, which begins play June 25 when the club takes on Chinese Taipei in Greenville, S.C. In all, the team will play at least 15 games, including exhibitions, through the end of July.
Ortiz, who hails from San Diego, had a big season for the Beavers in 2008. He played in all 52 games, appearing mainly at catcher. He batted a team-leading .351 with 16 doubles and five home runs. Ortiz drove in 55 runs, which led OSU and was just one shy of tying him for 10th-most in an Oregon State single season. His 10-game hit streak from March 9-29 not only helped him earn Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Week honors, but it was also Oregon State’s longest of the season.
Defensively, Ortiz maintained a .988 fielding percentage at both catcher and first base. As a catcher, he threw out 14 of the 40 stolen base attempts against him for a 35-percent clip.
Rhoderick held on to the closer spot from day one for Oregon State in 2008, and certainly impressed, going 0-1 with a 2.39 earned run average and 12 saves. The 12 saves are tied for third-best in an Oregon State single season and Rhoderick is already tied for second on the OSU career list.
The right-hander allowed opponents to hit just .131 against him in 2008; he did not allow a hit until his seventh appearance of the season. Rhoderick allowed multiple hits in a game just twice.
Rhoderick, from Scottsdale, Ariz., was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List in April. He is just one of nine freshmen on the list of 26 players invited thus far.
Ortiz and Rhoderick will be vying to continue Oregon State’s connection with USA Baseball. Kevin Gunderson and Jonah Nickerson participated on the team in 2005 while Darwin Barney was on the club in 2006.
For more information on Oregon State baseball, visit www.osubeavers.com.
