Stanek named alternate for USA Collegiate Team

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas freshman pitcher Ryne Stanek has been selected as an alternate for this summer's USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Stanek has been invited to join the 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team tour, which begins on June 21 in conjunction with franchises in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Stanek has been named an alternate for players in Omaha, Neb., competing for a national championship. USA Baseball will continue to make roster decisions through the end of the College World Series.

Arkansas sophomore pitcher DJ Baxendale and freshman infielder Dominic Ficociello have already been selected for spots on the 22-man roster, while Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn will serve as an assistant coach for the team this summer.

A right-handed pitcher from Overland Park, Kan., Stanek pitched in 15 games during his rookie season and made 12 starting appearances. He finished the year with a 4-2 record, a save and a 3.94 ERA. Stanek allowed just 50 hits in 64 innings of work and held the opposition to a .213 batting average.

The freshman threw his best two outings of 2011 in the postseason, allowing just four runs in 16.2 innings in a start at the SEC Tournament and at the NCAA Tempe Regional. Stanek was named to the All-Regional team in Tempe after throwing a complete game in an elimination game against Charlotte. Stanek gave up just three runs, two earned, on six hits and tied a career-high with six strikeouts in his win against the 49ers. His complete game effort marked the first for a Razorback freshman since Nick Schmidt went the distance in a win against Texas on June 4, 2005.

The 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will convene on June 21 with the first team practice set for June 22. The team has 14 games scheduled this summer, culminating with a five-game series against Japan July 3-8. The series against Japan opens on July 3 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C., and closes on July 8 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.