Oct. 3, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – Former University of South Carolina baseball players Lee Gronkiewicz and Steve Pearce have been named to the 2007 USA Baseball World Cup Team, as announced on Wednesday afternoon. Both players will represent the United States at the 2007 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) World Cup in Chinese Taipei from Nov. 6-18, 2007. This is Gronkiewicz’s second stint with USA Baseball with Pearce playing for the Red, White & Blue for the first time. Gronkiewicz played on the 2006 squad that qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
“USA Baseball could not be more thrilled with the roster we have compiled,” said Bob Watson, General Manager of Professional Teams for USA Baseball. “The roster has a good mix of youth and experience on this team – specifically in (Heath) Phillips and (Lee) Gronkiewicz, two players who helped us win in 2006. We’re confident that this team will perform well and it will only help further our preparation for Beijing next summer.”
Sixteen countries will begin IBAF World Cup competition in two groups of eight teams, with the top four of each group advancing to quarterfinals after seven days of round-robin play. Joining the U.S. in Group A will be Chinese Taipei, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, and Spain. Group B features Australia, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Korea, Netherlands, Thailand, and Venezuela.
As a tune-up for the IBAF World Cup, Team USA will spend more than a week in Arizona at the Arizona Fall League (AFL). Along with the Chinese National Baseball Team, the U.S. will compete as part of an International Division against the traditional six teams of the AFL. The U.S. will begin play on Oct. 25 and will play its final game in the AFL on Nov. 1 before leaving for Chinese Taipei.
Davey Johnson will return to the organization as the field manager and lead an experienced staff that will include Reggie Smith (Hitting Coach), Marcel Lachemann (Pitching Coach) and Rick Eckstein (Bench Coach). USA Baseball also named Dick Cooke (Davidson College) and Rolando de Armas (Philadelphia Phillies) as Auxiliary Coaches for the team. Additionally, John Fierro will serve as the Head Athletic Trainer while Dr. Fred Dicke and Dr. Angelo Mattalino will serve as the Team Physicians.
Both Gronkiewicz and Pearce saw action in the Major Leagues this season. Gronkiewicz had one appearance with the Toronto Blue Jays on the mound with Pearce playing in 23 games for the Pirates in September. The USA Baseball roster is made up of professional, non-25-man roster players of the 30 MLB organizations.
