.png)
Christopher Lakos
Asst. Athletic Director, Sports Comm.
University of Georgia Athletic Association
Georgia’s Tre Phelps and Kolten Smith will be among the premier non-draft-eligible college players participating in the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) Training Camp next week in Cary, N.C.
Phelps, a 6-2, 204-pound infielder/outfielder from Kennesaw, Ga., earned second team Freshman All-America honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as well as Freshman All-SEC by the league coaches. He batted .353 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 42 games. He made 34 starts at five different positions (right field, left field, third base, first base and designated hitter).
Smith, a 6-3, 210-pound right-hander from Ocala, Fla., led the Bulldogs in wins, posting a 9-3 mark and 5.56 ERA. In 69.2 innings, he tallied a team-high 105 strikeouts and only 20 walks. Smith made 20 appearances with four starts. In SEC action, Smith was 7-2 with a 4.80 ERA including a road win over then top-ranked Texas A&M to earn Pitcher of the Week honors.
In Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson’s first season, Phelps and Smith helped the Bulldogs to a 43-17 record and an NCAA Super Regional appearance as a number seven national seed. Last summer, All-America Charlie Condon was the most recent Bulldog to play for the USA CNT.
Phelps and Smith will be aiming to earn a spot on one of the CNT squads this summer. After the camp concludes on June 29, USA Baseball will announce the International Friendship Series (IFS) roster, led by Alabama State’s José Vázquez, and the Summer League (SL) roster, led by Coastal Carolina’s Gary Gilmore. The IFS roster will face Chinese Taipei in a five-game series, while the SL roster will compete in four games against select teams from the Appalachian League and the Coastal Plain League. The schedule will culminate with a Fourth of July matchup between the two U.S. CNT rosters in Fayetteville, N.C.
The full 2024 Collegiate National Team schedule is as follows:
Team USA Stars vs. Stripes Series
June 26; Stripes vs. Stars; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 6:00 p.m. ETJune 27; Stars vs. Stripes; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 6:00 p.m. ET
The 21st USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series
June 29; Chinese Taipei vs. USA; Segra Stadium (Fayetteville, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ETJune 30; USA vs. Chinese Taipei; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ETJuly 1; Chinese Taipei vs. USA; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ETJuly 2; USA vs. Chinese Taipei; First National Bank Field (Greensboro, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ETJuly 3; Chinese Taipei vs. USA; Atrium Health Ballpark (Kannapolis, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ET
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Summer League Tour
June 29; Coastal Plain League Select vs. USA; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 5:30 p.m. ETJune 30; USA vs. Coastal Plain League Select; National Training Complex (Cary, N.C.); 3:00 p.m. ETJuly 1; USA vs. Appalachian League East Select; Calfee Park (Pulaski, Va.); 7:00 p.m. ETJuly 2; USA vs. Appalachian League West Select; TVA Credit Union Ballpark (Johnson City, Tenn.); 7:00 p.m. ET
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Fourth of July Game
July 4; Segra Stadium (Fayetteville, N.C.); 6:35 p.m. ET