JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The past 10 days at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. has been busy as the USA Baseball National Team prepares for their competitive schedule starting on June 25.
For recent UNF graduate John Frawley and Assistant Coach Bob Shepherd the last 10 days have provided a unique and memorable opportunity to suit up for the Red, White and Blue.
Frawley, a right-handed pitcher, was invited to the trials because of the holes left by pitchers still in the College World Series and has been able to showcase his talent on the mound. Frawley, has been able to pitch in two Red vs. Blue intrasquad games.
“I wouldn’t have had this opportunity without the help of Coach [Dusty] Rhodes,” Frawley said. Rhodes, head coach of UNF’s baseball team, has his connections with the National Team by assisting the 1993, 1994 and 2001 teams.
“One of the main points the coaches told us when I got there was that there would be no messing around during the National Anthem. We need to honor and remember what our flag stands for,” Frawley said. “Me being able to suit up and play against these kinds of players from all across the country was great because they were all here representing their country.”
In his two outings, Frawley has shown the kind of results he has produced all season. On June 17, facing some of the best players in the nation, he went five strong innings only giving up one hit and last night continued the performance going four innings allowing one hit.
Shepherd on the other hand had the pleasure of doing mostly behind the scenes administrative work. Shepherd helped with the evaluation process of finalizing the 22-man roster and overseeing the youth development camp.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Shepherd. “Listening to the Anthem wearing the USA uniform really meant something. Working with the best of the best in the U.S. was a great opportunity and humbling.”
Once the official rosters are announced (June 24), the National team will compete in two international series against Canada and Guatemala from June 25-29 and July 1-4. Team USA will then travel to Japan for the 37th annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championship.
Because the National Team is made up of non draft-eligible collegiate players Frawley’s chances of making the team are slim.
“One of the reasons I wanted to do this was for the amount of exposure I could gain by pitching. There are a lot of pro-scouts who come out and watch these games,” said Frawley.
Never throwing less than five innings, Frawley finished the 2009 season with the second-most wins in the conference at seven and posted a 3.20 ERA, ranking him in the top 75 in the nation and fourth in the nation among reclassifying schools.