Nate Schierholtz Added to U.S. Olympic Team
July 30, 2008 - Hawaii Winter Baseball 2 (HWB 2)
Waikiki BeachBoys News Release
Nate Schierholtz, a member of the 2006 Waikiki BeachBoys squad, was named to the U.S. Olympic team as a replacement last week. The San Francisco Giants prospect filled one of three spots on the team which became available when outfielder Colby Rasmus was injured, and pitchers Gino Espineli (Giants) and Clayton Richard (White Sox) were promoted to the Major Leagues.
Schierholtz has been anxiously awaiting his return to the Major League club since getting extensive playing time there last season. At Triple-A Fresno, Schierholtz is currently hitting .314 with 20 doubles, 10 triples, 15 home runs and 65 RBIs through 88 games. He also hit for the cycle on May 26.
"My goal is to be in the Big Leagues, and to help this team win," Schierholtz said. "I got my feet wet last year, and got a decent start, so I need to build on that."
With Waikiki in 2006, Schierholtz hit .248 and drove in 16 runs. He was solid at the plate, collecting five doubles, three triples and three homers, while committing just two errors on defense.
"I saw a lot of off-speed (pitches) there," said Schierholtz, who also added that facing a wealth of Japanese pitchers in HWB helped to fine-tune his pitch selection. "You kind of see the same thing and work on recognizing pitches, and that was my main goal in Hawaii. I've carried it over and it's helped me out."
Former BeachBoys teammate and fellow outfielder Dexter Fowler was also named to the squad back on July 16. The pair represented the U.S. Team in the 10th annual XM Satellite Radio All-Star Futures Game at New York's Yankee Stadium on July 13 as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star week. The 25-man U.S. squad fell to the World Team, 3-0, and boasted Fowler in center field flanked by Schierholtz in right field.
According to USA Baseball's Web site, the U.S. last competed at the Olympic level in baseball in the 2000 Sydney Games when the Tommy Lasorda-led squad won the gold medal over Cuba. The U.S. did not qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The U.S. opens competition against Korea on Aug. 13 at Beijing's Wukesong Baseball Stadium.
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Hawaii Winter Baseball 2 Stories from July 30, 2008
- Nate Schierholtz Added to U.S. Olympic Team - Waikiki BeachBoys
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