Team USA Schedule / Tickets
For the sixth consecutive summer, USA Baseball will compete at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for six exciting games. The action in 2008 promises to capture the attention of baseball fans in the Triangle when the National Team (collegiate team) arrives in July and the Road to Beijing pre-Olympic Tour (professional team) comes through in August.
First, in July, fans will have the opportunity to catch a part of the 6th Annual USA Baseball National Team vs. Chinese Taipei Friendship Series, as Team USA prepares to take on the world’s best at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and at the FISU World Collegiate Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic. Featuring the game's premier players from collegiate programs across the United States since the mid-1970s, USA Baseball has annually selected and trained the USA Baseball National Team to represent the United States in international competitions including: the Olympic Games (1984-96), the Pan American Games and the World Championships. During that time, the USA Baseball National Team has captured three Olympic medals (one gold [‘88], one silver [‘84] and one bronze [‘96]) and eight World Championship medals.
Players who recently appeared at the DBAP while playing for the USA Baseball National Team include #1 Overall Pick in the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft David Price, 2006 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Alex Gordon, Washington Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman, and NC State alum Joey Devine. Other notable USA Baseball alums with North Carolina ties include Evan Longoria (Durham Bulls), Carl Crawford (Durham Bulls), Scott Bankhead (UNC), Tyrell Godwin (UNC), B.J. Surhoff (UNC), Daniel Bard (UNC), and Andrew Brackman (N.C. State). Additional USA Baseball alumni include major league stars such as Todd Helton, Mark Prior, Mark Mulder, Chase Utley, Alex Rodriguez, and Derek Jeter.
Later, in August, the Road to Beijing travels through Durham and Cary, N.C., as the U.S. will square off against Canada in a four-game pre-Olympic series. Managed by former World Series Champion manager Davey Johnson, the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team will take the field in Cary at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Aug. 1, and then the action moves to Durham where the USA will face Team Canada at the DBAP Aug. 2-4. Since 2000, the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team has been comprised of non-25 man roster professional players featuring some of Minor League Baseball’s top talent.
Past members of U.S. Olympic Baseball Teams include Will Clark (’84), Barry Larkin (’84), Tino Martinez (’88), Jim Abbott (’88), Nomar Garciparra (’92), Jason Giambi (’92), Jacque Jones (’96), Mark Kotsay (’96), Ben Sheets (’00), and Roy Oswalt (’00).
Headquartered at The Durham Bulls Athletic Park, USA Baseball is the National Governing Body for the sport and represents baseball in America as a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). USA Baseball is the sole organization responsible for selecting, training and supporting the USA Baseball Professional Teams (U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, World Baseball Classic Team, World Cup Team, etc.), the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate), the USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams, and the Women’s National Team. In addition, for the past 31 years USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. The award is presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship.
The organization’s fingerprint in the Triangle also extends to Cary, where the USA Baseball National Training Complex is located. One of the country’s premiere baseball facilities, the complex has held past and present USA Baseball events like the Tournament of Stars presented by Major League Baseball (18U), and it recently played host to the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels Baseball Team. UNC played its home schedule in the National Training Complex in 2008, and it finished the regular season with a consensus national #1 ranking.
For more information, please visit www.usabaseball.com.
| Date | Time | Location | Opponent | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 27, 2008 | 7:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Chinese-Taipei | Buy Now! |
| Saturday, June 28, 2008 | 7:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Chinese-Taipei | Buy Now! |
| Sunday, June 29, 2008 | 5:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Chinese-Taipei | Buy Now! |
| Saturday, August 02, 2008 | 7:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Canada | Buy Now! |
| Sunday, August 03, 2008 | 5:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Canada | Buy Now! |
| Monday, August 04, 2008 | 7:05 pm | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | Canada | Buy Now! |
***Update*** You can catch Team USA play it's first game against Canada at the National Training Center in Cary on Friday, August 1st. TICKETS
