CARY, N.C. — Houston County alumni Drew Burress, who was named National Freshman of the Year, Freshman Hitter of the Year, a Freshman All-American and earned two First-Team All-America selections, earned another honor this offseason.
Burress, alongside several other Georgia natives and UGA players, were named to Team USA’s 2024 Collegiate National Team. Overall, out of the 57 players selected, there were six different players that are from or play college baseball in the state of Georgia.
UGA is tied for the second most number of players represented. They have three total, trailing only Vanderbilt.
The 57 total players were split into two teams, something Team USA didn't do last year.
Burress will play for the International Series roster with UGA players Kolten Smith and Alton Davis II — who recently transferred from Alabama. The three will be joined by Vanderbilt utility player and Atlanta native RJ Austin Jr.
Bulldog Tre Phelps is joined by Southern University and A&M College infielder and Ellenwood native KJ White on the Summer League Tour roster.
This is Phelps, Smith, Austin and White’s first time playing with Team USA. Burress previously played with them while still at Houston County and Davis participated in last summer’s Collegiate National Team Training Camp.
The International Series roster will play against Chinese Taipei in the 21st annual USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series. Game one was on Saturday at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Burress helped the team at the plate and in the field. Batting fourth, he had a batting average of .333 and drew two walks. However, his throw from center field to catcher Brooks Bryan helped prevent Chinese Taipei from scoring another run and helped Team USA win 5-4.
Games two and three will be played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina on Sunday, June 30 and Monday, July 1. Game four will be played at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, North Carolina on Tuesday, July 3.
Charlie Condon, who played with Team USA last season, had a tremendous performance against Chinese Taipei last year.
In 2023, he led the team with nine RBIs, was tied for the most home runs with two, tied for second in hits with eight and finished third in runs with six. He went 8-for-21 at the plate and finished with the fourth-best overall slugging percentage and second-best out of each player that started all five games.
He also hit a walk off home run to give Team USA a win on the 4th of July. Time will tell if Burress or Austin can match Condon’s performance later in the series.
Meanwhile, the Summer League Tour began the same day, as the roster played in game one on Saturday, June 29. They faced the Coastal Plain League Select Team, made up of the league's best, including two players from the Macon Bacon — catcher David Stokely and pitcher Brady Pendley.
Phelps had the best hitting performance on the team in game one. The Kennesaw native led the game with two hits and launched a home run 397 feet into left field to help secure a game one win for Team USA.
The two teams played once again on Sunday before traveling to take on the Appalachian League East Select Team on July 1 and 2.
Following each roster's respective series’, they’ll face each other on the 4th of July at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Both USA teams’ full rosters are listed below.
International Series roster
- Ben Abeldt; LHP; TCU
- Jamie Arnold; LHP; Florida State
- RJ Austin Jr.; UT; Vanderbilt
- Max Belyeu; OF; Texas
- Tucker Biven; RHP; Louisville
- Caden Bodine; C; Coastal Carolina
- Tyler Bremner; RHP; UC Santa Barbara
- Brooks Bryan; C; Troy
- Drew Burress; OF; Georgia Tech
- Dean Curley; INF; Tennessee
- Gabe Davis; RHP; Oklahoma State
- Alton Davis II; LHP; Georgia
- Danny Dickinson; INF; Utah Valley
- Anthony Eyanson; RHP; UC San Diego
- Patrick Forbes; OF/RHP; Louisville
- Gabriel Gaeckle; RHP; Arkansas
- Marek Houston; INF; Wake Forest
- Ben Jacobs; LHP; Arizona State
- Nelson Keljo; LHP; Oregon State
- Anthony Martinez; INF; UC Irvine
- Nolan Schubart; OF/INF; Oklahoma State
- Matt Scott; RHP; Stanford
- Kolten Smith; RHP; Georgia
- Derrick Smith; RHP; North Carolina State
- Nate Snead; RHP; Tennessee
- Devin Taylor; OF; Indiana
- Kyle Walker; INF; Grambling State
- Kyson Witherspoon; RHP; Oklahoma
- Malachi Witherspoon; RHP; Oklahoma
Summer League Tour roster
- Eric Becker; INF; Virginia
- Cooper Consiglio; LHP; North Carolina State
- Daniel Cuvet; INF; Miami
- Jason DeCaro; RHP; UNC
- Jacob Dudan; RHP; North Carolina State
- Henry Ford; INF/OF; Virginia
- Jamal George; C/INF; Alabama State
- AJ Gracia; OF/LHP; Duke
- Gavin Grahovac; INF; Texas A&M
- Miller Green; LHP; Vanderbilt
- Kyle Johnson; OF/LHP; Duke
- Justin Lebron; INF; Alabama
- Dylan Loy; LHP; Tennessee
- Matthew Matthijs; RHP; UNC
- Ethan McElvain; LHP; Vanderbilt
- Trey Newmann; RHP; TCU
- Liam Peterson; RHP; Florida
- Tre Phelps; INF; Georgia
- Brett Renfrow; RHP; Virginia Tech
- Luis Rodriguez; RHP; Alabama State
- Zion Rose; C; Louisville
- Eric Segura; RHP; Oregon State
- Brennan Seiber; RHP; Vanderbilt
- Luke Stevenson; C; UNC
- Pablo Torres; RHP; Bethune-Cookman
- Dominic Voegele; RHP; Kansas
- Joey Volchko; RHP; Stanford
- KJ White; INF; Southern