DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced on Tuesday its Collegiate National Team roster for the upcoming series against Chinese Taipei, which included University of Oklahoma outfielder Steele Walker (Prosper, Texas). The roster is made up of 17 pitchers and 14 position players, and features five USA Baseball alumni.
The final 24-man roster will also be announced on July 2 prior to the sixth USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series from July 3-7. Team USA will complete its 2017 tour with its 41st USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series, July 12-17.
Walker, a training camp invitee last week, started each of Team USA's first four games of exhibitions against Coastal Plain League competition. His spot on the roster moving forward was not guaranteed, but he hit .385 (5-for-13) with four runs and three RBI with two doubles.
USA Baseball's Collegiate National team will open international play with its 17th USA vs. Chinese Taipei Collegiate All-Star Series on Tuesday, June 27 at 5 p.m. CT from Bill Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Each game of the Chinese Taipei and Cuba series will be streamed live on USABaseball.com.
All three series against Chinese Taipei, Cuba and Japan are sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Oklahoma was last represented on Team USA by Brian Shackelford in 1995.
Walker's OU teammate Jake Irvin (Bloomington, Minn.) was also a training camp invitee, but did not make the roster for the Chinese Taipei series. Irvin started for Team USA last Friday and tossed three-shutout innings with five strikeouts.
