CARY, N.C. (June 29, 2023) – Rutgers pitcher
Christian Coppola was named to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team on Thursday afternoon. Coppola is one of 31 members of the national team and will represent the stars and stripes for a pair of five-game series against both Chinese Taipei and Japan from June 30-July 12 in North and South Carolina.
Coppola made the team after starring in Team USA's intrasquad series this week. He pitched 3.0 scoreless innings on Tuesday night, allowing just one baserunner on an infield single, while striking out four with no walks.
Todd Frazier (2006) and Bobby Brownlie (2001) are the only other players in Rutgers history to make the Collegiate National Team, with Coppola being the third. Additionally, Coppola is the only Big Ten player on the 2023 roster.
Coppola burst onto the scene as a true freshman, earning the role as the team's Friday night starter and becoming the first freshman in program history to be named All-Big Ten First Team. His 3.68 ERA led all Big Ten starting pitchers and he was named a Freshman All-American by
Collegiate Baseball.
He finished the season with a 5-5 record, 3.68 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 71 strikeouts and 37 walks in 66.0 innings to go with a .240 batting average against.
"We are all excited for Christian, who stepped up and performed very well against elite competition at the Collegiate National Team training camp," head coach
Steve Owens said. "I'm sure he will enjoy the next two weeks competing with Chinese Taipei and Japan. His coaches and teammates along with our Rutgers baseball fans are rooting him on!"
Collegiate National Team Schedule
The 20
th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series is set for June 30-July 4, with games at the National Training Complex, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, and Segra Stadium in Fayetteville. The National Training Complex will host the opening three games of the 44
th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series July 7-9, while games four and five of the series will be played at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Ballpark in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 11 and 12.
Team USA leads the series with Chinese Taipei 15-0-4 (Overall: 80-13-2). Against Japan, the stars and stripes lead the series 24-19 (Overall: 133-107-2), including a 21-1 (Overall: 87-33-2) series record in the United States. All time, the Collegiate National Team boasts a record of 135-32-2 in North Carolina dating back to 1987, including a 38-14-1 mark at the National Training Complex in Cary.
