DURHAM, N.C. - NC State's Patrick Bailey and Will Wilson have been named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) roster, announced Monday by the organization.
As part of their selection, they will participate in a game against the Coastal Plain League (CPL) Select on June 27, as well as a series against Chinese Taipei from June 28 through July 2. During this time, Bailey and Wilson will be competing for a spot on the final 24-man roster that will compete in a series against Cuba and Japan.
Wilson earns his second consecutive invitation to participate in the CNT training camp, as he played with USA Baseball in 2017, while Bailey garners his first invite. The selections mark the first time that two NC State players have been on the team since 2013, when Trea Turner and Carlos Rodon wore the stars and stripes.
LSU's Paul Mainieri was named the manager of the Collegiate National Team last October and he will be joined by assistant coaches Cliff Godwin (ECU), Jim Hendry (New York Yankees), Brian O'Connor (Virginia) and Jorge Perez (St. Thomas).
The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will participate in three international friendship series in 2018, beginning with the 18th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series that will be held in North Carolina from June 28 - July 2. The U.S. will then announce a final 24-man roster to compete in the 42nd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series from July 3-9 in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina; and the 7th Annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series in Cuba from July 13-18.
Seven Collegiate National Team games will be streamed live on USABaseball.com, as well as Facebook Live and YouTube. For more information on USA Baseball and the Collegiate National Team, follow @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; and @USABaseballCNT on Twitter.
Patrick Bailey | Greensboro, N.C. | C
ACC Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-ACC, All-Freshman Team, Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
Bailey compiled a .321 batting average in his first season with the NC State baseball program to garner ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Wolfpack player to claim the honor since Carlos Rodon in 2012. His average led all ACC freshmen and was second on the team. He hit 13 home runs on the year to set the NC State record for home runs by a freshman and lead all freshmen in the conference. The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first NC State player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. Bailey led the Pack with a .604 slugging percentage, which was the third highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He tallied two multi-home run games this season and started 50 of the 54 games he played. Bailey logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. He also threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.
Will Wilson | Kings Mountain, N.C. | SS
Second Team All-American, First Team All-ACC, Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalists
Wilson followed a stellar freshman campaign with a standout sophomore season, as he put together a .307 batting average to go along with 53 RBIs and 15 home runs. He was one of seven Wolfpack players to claim All-ACC honors and one of four named to the first team. He made program history during the season by becoming the first NC State player to claim ACC Player of the Week honors three times. Wilson hit 10 home runs against ACC teams, which tied for the third most in conference games. He was named one of 35 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given annually to the top player in collegiate baseball. Wilson was also named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is presented to the nation's top shortstop. He was tabbed National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and College Sports Madness, along with NCBWA National Hitter of the Week earlier this season. He finished third on the Wolfpack with 19 multi-hit games and tied for the team lead with 14 multi-RBI games.