Update on Tony Zych and Team USA - July 6
July 06, 2009 | Baseball
July 6, 2009
HOLYOKE, Mass. - University of Louisville right-handed pitcher Tony Zych continued his impressive play in the Team USA uniform with three more scoreless innings on the mound and his first hit at the plate as the USA National Team (Collegiate) remained undefeated this summer.
Zych, who was named to the 2009 USA Baseball National Team on June 24, most recently pitched 3.0 perfect innings of relief with one strikeout in Team USA's 4-1 win over the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars on July 5 in Manchester, N.H. Two days earlier, Zych singled in his only plate appearance while playing two innings in right field in an 18-0 win over Guatemala in Cary, N.C.
Overall, Zych has not allowed an earned run and only two total hits in his three appearances on the mound with eight strikeouts and only one walk in 6.1 innings of work. He is also 1-for-2 at the plate with two appearances as a rightfielder.
With Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell serving as an assistant coach, the USA National Team is 11-0 this summer following a 5-2 win over the Holyoke Blue Sox on Monday night in Holyoke, Mass. Overall, the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate) has won 35 consecutive games dating back to last summer.
Up next, the USA National Team will play the North Shore Navigators on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, in Lynn, Mass., in its final game in the US this summer. Team USA will then travel to Japan, where it will play Kokusai Budo University on July 10 in Tokyo in preparation for the 37th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship, a five-game series set for July 11-16 in five different ballparks in Japan. The summer schedule will conclude for the USA National Team with the World Baseball Challenge on July 18-26 in Prince George, British Columbia.
More information on the USA National Baseball Team, including a full summer schedule and updated results and stats, can be accessed online at USABaseball.com.
About Louisville RHP Tony Zych
A native of Hazelcrest, Ill., near Chicago who just completed his freshman season with the Cardinals, Zych is among the 22 members of the 2009 USA Baseball National Team, which is comprised of the top non-draft-eligible college players in the United States. He is the first Louisville player to earn a spot on the USA National Team since former Cards' outfielder Mark Jurich was a member of the 2002 USA Baseball National Team, winning a silver medal at the 2002 FISU World University Baseball Championship and capturing the 2002 Haarlem Baseball Week Championship.
Zych was 6-2 overall with two saves, a 3.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched in 2009 and opposing batters hit just .235 against him. After spending most of the season in the Cards' bullpen, he moved into the Cards' starting rotation in May with wins in all three of his career starts. After winning starts against Ohio State on May 6 and Connecticut on May 24 in the BIG EAST Tournament title game, he pitched six strong innings against Vanderbilt to earn the victory in the Cards' NCAA Regional title game win over the Commodores.
About Louisville Baseball
Last December, Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell was selected to serve as an assistant coach for the 2009 USA National Team. He is joined by USA Baseball head coach Rick Jones (Tulane head coach) and assistant coaches Rob Cooper (Wright State head coach) and Mike Kennedy (Elon head coach). In three seasons as the Cards' head coach, McDonnell is 135-63 overall with three straight NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances, one NCAA College World Series appearance, two BIG EAST Tournament titles and one BIG EAST regular season title.
The Cardinals closed out their 2009 season on June 6 with an NCAA Super Regional loss at No. 2 Cal State Fullerton. Louisville finished with a 47-18 record overall after sweeping the BIG EAST Conference regular season and tournament titles. U of L advanced to its second Super Regional in three years after earning a 5-3 win over Vanderbilt in the title game of the NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium, the first ever NCAA Baseball Regional in Louisville.
