Schoeneweis invited to try out for USA Baseball Team

Although the baseball season has not come to a conclusion yet, senior pitcher Scott Schoeneweis received a tremendous honor on Friday-an invitation to tryout for the 1996 USA Baseball Team. The bids given to Schoeneweis and Providence outfielder Peter Tucci brought the total number of invites thus far to 32.

When tryouts actually begin May 29 at USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn., there will be a total of 40 prospects vying for the 25 official spots on the team. The lefthanded Schoeneweis has been extremely strong this year, leading the young Blue Devils by anchoring the pitching staff as the team's ace starter, with a 7-3 record. Schoeneweis caught everyone's eye as a freshman with a 12-3 record, a 3.12 ERA and 110 strikeouts in just 106 innings. His sophomore and junior seasons were not nearly as successful as he was hindered by various surgeries during both years. This year he has come back with a vengeance to become Duke's premier starter.

"It was a well deserved honor," Duke head coach Steve Traylor said. "I wasn't surprised. I knew that he was under consideration earlier in the year, and they were going to bide their time a little bit because his health was a concern. They knew he had the arm to warrant the invitation, but they wanted to make sure he was going to hold up over the course of the year."

The timing of the invitation is undoubtedly related to the fact Schoeneweis dominated N.C. State two weekends ago, allowing only two earned runs in seven and two-thirds innings.

"Ray Tanner of N.C. State is one of the assistant coaches on the Olympic team," Traylor said. "He had a first-hand look at him, and the invitation went out the week after that series."

Once Schoeneweis heads to Millington, he will be competing with approximately 18 to 20 other pitchers for eight or nine spots on the team. Among his competition will be fellow Atlantic Coast Conference hurlers Kris Benson of Clemson and Seth Greisinger of Virginia. Schoeneweis' chances could be helped by the fact that he is one of five lefthanders currently on the roster, but the only senior.

"When you are looking across the country and only taking the top eight or nine pitchers," Traylor said, "it is an unbelievable honor to be invited in the first place. He definitely has the ability to make the team, but so does everyone they invite. At this point, it's not going to be based on his stats at Duke or anything in the past. Once he reports to camp and they start playing games and tour a little bit, they are going to keep the people that get people out. It's just going to be up to him to perform at that time, and I think he'll do fine."

The ACC is also represented by outfielders Tom Sergio of N.C. State and J.D. Drew of Florida State along with catcher Matt LeCroy also of Clemson.