DURHAM, N.C. - Mississippi State baseball sophomores Tanner Allen, Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg will each have the opportunity to represent Team USA this summer as a part of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, as the organization announced the trio will be a part of the Collegiate National Team Training Camp, which begins on June 27 in Cary, North Carolina.
Head coach Chris Lemonis will also be a part of the USA Baseball experience, serving as a member of the Collegiate National Team task force.
The winningest first-year head coach in Southeastern Conference history, Lemonis helped the Diamond Dawgs to a 52-15 record and the 11th College World Series appearance in school history. The 52 wins rank No. 2 all-time in program history, while the 20 SEC victories are tied for the No. 2 spot at Mississippi State. Lemonis helped the Bulldogs earn a share of the SEC Western Division title, as the Diamond Dawgs swept through the NCAA Starkville Regional and Super Regional on the way to Omaha.
Allen, Foscue and Westburg have been invited to the training camp that runs from June 27 to July 1. The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team participants will compete in series of four intrasquad exhibition games and one contest against the Coastal Plain League Select before announcing a 26-man roster prior to the 8th USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series that will take place July 2-6 in Cary, Charlotte, Durham and Hickory, North Carolina.
Team USA's 26-man roster will then travel to Taiwan for the 19th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series after which USA Baseball will announce a final 24-man roster to compete in the 43rd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series from July 16-21 in Japan.
Mississippi State's history with the Collegiate National Team began with Will Clark in 1984 and Brad Hildreth in 1986. In all, nine MSU student-athletes have represented Team USA on 10 occasions as a part of the Collegiate National Team. Most recently, Adam Frazier (2012) and Konnor Pilkington (2017) were participants.
Allen started all 67 games at first base for the Diamond Dawgs and hit .349 with a team-best 66 RBIs and .426 on-base percentage. His 23 doubles and 142 total bases both ranked second on the team, with his doubles total sitting tied for No. 9 on the single-season charts.
A third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Allen was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team, NCAA Starkville Regional All-Tournament Team and was a first-team All-SEC pick following a 96-hit effort during the 2019 season to rank No. 10 in MSU single-season history.
Foscue has earned All-America honors from every publication during his breakout sophomore campaign, grabbing first-team laurels from the College Baseball Foundation, second-team accolades from the American Baseball Coaches Association, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and D1Baseball, and third-team honors from Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Foscue played two positions on the infield during the 2019 campaign, making 31 starts at third base and 36 starts at second base. He was the first Diamond Dawg to earn All-America honors at second base since 1998 when Brad Freeman garnered second-team honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The right-handed hitter boosted his batting average from .241 to .331 during his second season and his 14 home runs were the most in a single season since Brent Rooker hit 23 in 2017. A first-team All-SEC pick, he posted career highs in average (.331), hits (91), runs scored (66), doubles (22), home runs (14), RBIs (60) and total bases (155).
Westburg anchored the middle infield for the Maroon and White during the 2019 season with 66 starts at shortstop during the season. Hitting .294 on the season, the right-handed hitter owned a .402 on-base percentage thanks to a team-best 39 walks and 12 hit-by-pitch. He ranked second on the team with 68 runs scored and 61 RBIs.
During the season, Westburg rode four reached base streaks of 10-or-more games, including a 14-game streak to open the season and an active 20-game streak to close the 2019 campaign. He was a Perfect Game Midseason All-America, ending the year with 21 doubles, two triples and six home runs as part of a 78-hit campaign.