July 25, 1997
Hill Delivers for the USA Baseball Team
MILLINGTON, Tenn. - The 1997 USA Baseball National Team, led by California head coach Bob Milano, is currently 17-7 this summer, most recently defeating Australia, 6-5 in 10 innings, Thursday at USA Stadium in Millington, TN
Two current Cal baseball players, sophomore shortstop Brian Oliver and sophomore catcher Jason Hill, are both on the USA National Team's 22-man travel roster and are playing well for USA Baseball this summer.
In Thursday's game, Hill delivered a run-scoring groundout in the top of the 10th inning to lead the United States to the 6-5 extra-inning win. Oliver was 1-for-5 with a run scored in the ballgame.
It was the second day in a row Hill has had heroics, as he had a phenomenal game in Wednesday's victory over Australia, hitting two home runs in an eight-run fifth inning and leading the Americans to the 11-6 come-from-behind win. With Team USA trailing 5-2 in the fifth, the Cal catcher led off the inning with an opposite field homer to cut the Australian lead to two runs. Later in the inning, Hill delivered his second home run, a three-run blast to right-centerfield to give the United States a 10-5 lead.
Hill had Team USA's first hit of Wednesday's ballgame, a sharp single to left field in the third inning, and scored the Americans' first run. He finished the contest 4-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored. Hill has now started 11 games for Team USA behind the plate and is batting .350 (14-for-40) with two doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI.
Oliver, a first team All-Pac-10 selection this spring, was 1-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's game and is currently fourth on the USA National Team with a .382 batting average (26-for-68). He has started 17 of the team's 24 contests at second base, and has five doubles, a home run and eight RBI. Earlier this summer during the 26th annual USA-Japan Collegiate Championship series (June 21-28), Oliver was named Hitter of the Tournament, batting .500 (10-for-20).
The 1997 USA Baseball National Team competition schedule will culminate at the International Baseball Association's XIII International Cup scheduled for August 1-10 in Barcelona, Spain. The tournament will feature the top four finishers from the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games: Cuba (gold medal), Japan (silver), United States (bronze) and Nicaragua (fourth place). Australia, France, Italy and Spain will round out the eight-team field.
