July 16, 2008
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –Former Vanderbilt All-American Casey Weathers was one of 23 players named to the United States Olympic team today by USA Baseball.
Weathers went 12-2 with a 2.37 ERA (49.1 IP, 13 ER) over 31 relief appearances for the Commodores in his senior season in 2007. He recorded a team-high seven saves and issued just 21 walks against 75 strikeouts as opposing batters hit just .154 (25-for-162).
The right-hander earned unanimous first-team All-American honors and was a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award.
“We are excited for Casey and look forward to seeing him pitch for the USA next month in Beijing,” said Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin. “He has worked hard and is certainly deserving of the honor of getting to pitch for the USA.”
This will be his second experience playing for USA Baseball, as he was on the 2006 National Team that won the gold medal at the FISU World University Championships in Havana, Cuba. He was also named Alaska Summer League Closer of the Year, after going 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots earlier that summer.
Weathers transferred to Vanderbilt after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Sacramento City College. He was an outfielder during his freshman year in junior college and converted to a pitcher his sophomore year.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native was the eighth overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Colorado Rockies and is currently playing for the Tulsa Drillers, their Double-A affiliate. He is 2-0 with a 2.23 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 20 walks in 36.1 innings.
The Olympic team will be managed by former major leaguer and New York Mets skipper Davey Johnson and is set to compete in Beijing from August 13-23.
The team features 12 pitchers and 11 position players. The 24th member of the Olympic Team will be named in the coming days, ahead of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad’s (BOCOG) July 22 cut-off date.
“We are proud of the ball club we have assembled,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. “The team is strong from top to bottom, and we are confident it will succeed in Beijing. We applaud our coaching staff and selection committee for their tireless work in putting together an excellent team.