Feb. 13, 2006
Former Notre Dame baseball standouts Craig Counsell (’89-’92) and Brad Lidge (’96-’98) are among the 52 Major League players being considered for the 30-man roster that will comprise the United States team for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. More than half of the players (27 of 52) on the provisional roster are former college players – with Notre Dame joining Texas, USC, Arizona State and Georgia Tech as the only schools with two former players on the elite 52-player list (no schools have more than two former players among the roster candidates).
USA Baseball will announce the 30-man roster on Feb. 14, in preparation for the 16-nation tournament that will be held in March at venues in Japan, Puerto Rico and the United States. The U.S. is bracketed in Pool B (with Canada, Mexico and South Africa) and will play its opening game in round-1 versus Mexico on March 7, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Lidge currently stars for the Houston Astros as one of the top closers in the big leagues while Counsell has made a name for himself as a versatile infielder in a Major League career spent mostly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In addition to Lidge and Counsell, the other college baseball alums who are under consideration for the U.S. team at the World Baseball Classic include Texas products Roger Clemens (Astros RH starter) and Huston Street (A’s RH reliever), former USC players Morgan Ensberg (Astros 3B) and Chad Moeller (Brewers catcher), ASU products Barry Bonds (Giants OF) and Paul LoDuca (Mets catcher), and former Georgia Tech players Jason Varitek (Red Sox catcher) and Mark Teixeira (Rangers 1B).
Former Notre Dame infielder Craig Counsell – who has played lead roles for World Series-winning teams in Florida and Arizona – is one of 13 infielders on the USA’s provisional roster for the World Baseball Classic.
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Other noteworthy college baseball alums who are part of the provisional roster include Diamondbacks OF Luis Gonzalez (South Alabama), Astros RH starter Andy Pettitte (San Jacinto North JC), Braves RH starter Tim Hudson (Auburn), Nationals RH reliever Chad Cordero (CS Fullerton), Mets LH reliever Billy Wagner (Ferrum) and Rice OF Lance Berkman (Rice).
The other 11 college baseball alums among the 52-man provisional roster are as follows: Rockies LH reliever Brian Fuentes (Merced JC), Twins RH reliever Joe Nathan (Stony Brook), Rangers SS Michael Young (UC Santa Barbara), Tigers RH reliever Todd Jones (Jacksonville State), Phillies 2B Chase Utley (UCLA), Red Sox RH reliever Mike Timlin (Southwest Texas), Angles RH reliever Scott Shields (Lincoln Memorial), Astros RH reliever Dan Wheeler (Central Arizona JC), A’s RH starter Dan Haren (Pepperdine), Brewers RH starter Ben Sheets (Northeast Louisiana/now La.-Monroe and Giants OF Randy Winn (Santa Clara).