DURHAM, N.C. — Former LSU first baseman Matt Clark was named Thursday to the 2011 USA Baseball World Cup/Pan Am Team.
The squad will compete in both the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama City, Panama October 2-15, and the Pan American Games in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico October 20-25. The U.S. roster features 24 players not currently on Major League Baseball 40-man rosters.
Clark played in left field this season for the Tucson Padres, the San Diego Padres’ Triple-A affiliate. He batted .292 (135-for-462) with 24 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs and 83 RBI.
Clark led the NCAA with 28 home runs in 2008, his only season at LSU. The Fontana, Calif. native played two seasons at Riverside Community College prior to joining the LSU squad.
Clark batted .344 for the Tigers in ’08 with 17 doubles, 28 homers and 64 RBI. He helped lead LSU to the College World Series, earning SEC all-tournament honors and NCAA Regional all-tournament recognition. He was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Clark was the Padres’ 12th round selection in the 2008 MLB Draft.
The Chicago White Sox led all Major League clubs with three players from its farm system named to the U.S. World Cup/Pan Am Team. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers each placed two players on the club, and the remaining players each came from one of 11 other big league organizations.
Ernie Young will manage the team in Panama and Mexico, and he will be joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Kirk Champion, hitting coach Leon Durham, and assistant coaches Jay Bell and Roly de Armas.
The team will first gather in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex where it will train from September 27-29. The U.S. will have one workout on September 27, followed by the first of three exhibitions against the Canadian World Cup/Pan Am Team.
The U.S. will then depart for Panama City, Panama, for the IBAF Baseball World Cup where it will look to win its third straight title. Team USA has defeated Cuba in the gold medal game of each of the last two World Cup finals. First round action begins on October 2, against Japan at Rod Carew Stadium.
At the conclusion of the World Cup on October 15, the U.S. will travel to Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, for the Pan American Games baseball competition. Following two days of practice, Team USA begins play on October 20 against the Dominican Republic.
The U.S. last fielded a pro team at the Pan Am Games in 1999 — USA Baseball’s first club featuring professional athletes — and will be looking for its first gold medal in the event since 1967 in Winnipeg.
The players named to the 2011 World Cup/Pan Am Team are as follows:
Name, Position, Hometown, Organization
Pete Andrelcyzk, RHP, Lancaster, Pa., Florida Marlins
Jeff Beliveau, LHP, Johnson, R.I., Chicago Cubs
Brett Carroll, OF, Knoxville, Tenn., Boston Red Sox
Justin Cassel, RHP, Los Angeles, Calif., Chicago White Sox
Matt Clark, IF/OF, Riverside, Calif., San Diego Padres
Travis d’Arnaud, C, Long Beach, Calif., Toronto Blue Jays
Jordan Danks, OF, Austin, Texas, Chicago White Sox
Chuckie Fick, RHP, Thousand Oaks, Calif., St. Louis Cardinals
Andrew Garcia, IF, El Cajon, Calif., Chicago White Sox
Tuffy Gosewisch, C, Freeport, Ill., Philadelphia Phillies
Brett Jackson, OF, Berkeley, Calif., Chicago Cubs
Jeff Marquez, RHP, Vacaville, Calif., New York Yankees
Tommy Mendonca, IF, Turlock, Calif., Texas Rangers
Jordy Mercer, IF, Taloga, Okla., Pittsburgh Pirates
Scott Patterson, RHP, Pittsburgh, Pa., Seattle Mariners
A.J. Pollock, OF, Hebron, Conn., Arizona Diamondbacks
Todd Redmond, RHP, St. Petersburg, Fla., Atlanta Braves
Joe Savery, LHP, Houston, Texas, Philadelphia Phillies
Matt Shoemaker, RHP, Wyandotte, Mich., Los Angeles Angels
Drew Smyly, LHP, Maumelle, Ark., Detroit Tigers
Joe Thurston, IF, Fairfield, Calif., Florida Marlins
Chad Tracy, IF, Arlington Heights, Ill., Texas Rangers
Andy Van Hekken, LHP, Holland, Mich., Houston Astros
Randy Williams, LHP, Harlingen, Texas, Boston Red Sox