Baseball Alum Johnson Named to Team USA's Premier12 Roster
Tyler Johnson will be on the roster for USA's first qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
DURHAM, N.C. – Former University of South Carolina pitcher Tyler Johnson has been named to the 28-man roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12TM roster, it was announced Thursday morning (Oct. 10) by USA Baseball. The roster is made up of 15 pitchers and 13 position players currently not on an MLB 40-man roster.
The WBSC Premier12TM is the first opportunity for Team USA to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The top finisher from both the Americas territory and the Asia/Oceania territory (excluding Japan) will join host-country Japan and WBSC Baseball Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier champion Israel in the six-team Olympic tournament. The final two Olympic berths will be decided in March 2020.
The Premier12TM tournament will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico from November 2-4 with Team USA as a member of Group A with the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Netherlands. The top two nations from Group A will advance to the Super Round in Tokyo from November 11-16.
Johnson (2015-17), who was named an All-Star in the Arizona Fall League earlier this week, had a 2-1 record with a 2.59 ERA in 22 appearances among three different levels of the Chicago White Sox organization this past season. In his three-year minor league career, he is 12-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 16 saves in 85 appearances on the mound.
The Midlothian, Va., native made 55 appearances in his three-year career with the Gamecocks, going 4-4 with a 2.62 ERA and 19 saves with 107 strikeouts. Johnson had 10 saves in 2017, when he was named a Preseason All-America first team by D1Baesball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game. Johnson was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 NCAA Columbia Regional after tossing a complete game in a 10-1 win over UNC Wilmington. Johnson also played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2016.
The Premier12TM team will train in Surprise, Ariz., from October 21-28 at the Kansas City Royals Spring Training facility before traveling to Mexico for the opening round of the tournament.
