Photo by: Deborah Mundorff
Yovan earns spot on USA Baseball Collegiate National Team's final roster
07/02/18 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. -- Kenyon Yovan has been named to the final roster of the 2018 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, USA Baseball announced today.
The Collegiate National Team will open the 42nd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series at 4:05 p.m. PT on Tuesday, July 3, at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, North Carolina. The second game of the series will be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 3:05 p.m. PT on the Fourth of July.
Games three through five will feature stops at Minor League Baseball and Coastal Plain League parks in the Southeast, including Savannah, Georgia (July 6), Charleston, South Carolina (July 7), and Macon, Georgia (July 8).
Team USA will then travel to Havana, Cuba, for the 7th USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series to close out its summer, July 10-14, with all games scheduled to be played at historic Estadio Latinoamericano.
The U.S. will utilize a 24-man roster for the Japan series before increasing back to a full 26-man roster during its series against Cuba.
Yovan made the final Collegiate National Team roster after playing in the 18th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series from June 28 – July 2. He made a pair of appearances in relief, striking out four in three innings pitched while retiring all nine batters he faced.
Yovan (Beaverton, Ore. / Westview HS) is a part of the Collegiate National Team for the second straight summer. In 2017, the Ducks' right-handed pitcher played for the Collegiate Team in its series against Chinese Taipei.
Yovan earned the invitation to play after back-to-back first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selections as a freshman and sophomore. In 2018, Yovan split time between the starting rotation and serving as the club's closer finishing with a 6-4 record and a 2.98 ERA with five saves. He picked up his five saves in 11 relief appearances to start the season before becoming a weekend starter. Once in the rotation, Yovan went 6-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 10 starts with eight quality starts. He also batted .233 with three home runs and 12 RBI during the season.
In a stellar first season at Oregon in 2017, the Ducks' closer was named first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA), while claiming second-team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball. The right-handed pitcher was one of five finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, while also being named one of four National Freshmen of the Year by Collegiate Baseball.
Yovan finished his first year in Eugene with 15 saves, which tied for fourth nationally following the regular season, and had a 1.97 ERA with a 1-1 record. The Ducks' stopper struck out 36 and walked just six in 32 innings pitched. He picked up a save in half of Oregon's 30 wins and finished with the fourth most saves in school history.
Yovan is one of 10 Ducks to be a member of the Collegiate National Team joining David Peterson (2016), Travis Moniot (2016), Stephen Nogosek (2015), Tommy Thorpe (2013), Brett Hambright (2012), Jake Reed (2012), Tyler Anderson (2010), Scott McGough (2010) and Tom Dodd (1979). He is the first Duck to be a member of the College National Team twice.
The Collegiate National Team will open the 42nd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series at 4:05 p.m. PT on Tuesday, July 3, at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte, North Carolina. The second game of the series will be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 3:05 p.m. PT on the Fourth of July.
Games three through five will feature stops at Minor League Baseball and Coastal Plain League parks in the Southeast, including Savannah, Georgia (July 6), Charleston, South Carolina (July 7), and Macon, Georgia (July 8).
Team USA will then travel to Havana, Cuba, for the 7th USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series to close out its summer, July 10-14, with all games scheduled to be played at historic Estadio Latinoamericano.
The U.S. will utilize a 24-man roster for the Japan series before increasing back to a full 26-man roster during its series against Cuba.
Yovan made the final Collegiate National Team roster after playing in the 18th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series from June 28 – July 2. He made a pair of appearances in relief, striking out four in three innings pitched while retiring all nine batters he faced.
Yovan (Beaverton, Ore. / Westview HS) is a part of the Collegiate National Team for the second straight summer. In 2017, the Ducks' right-handed pitcher played for the Collegiate Team in its series against Chinese Taipei.
Yovan earned the invitation to play after back-to-back first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selections as a freshman and sophomore. In 2018, Yovan split time between the starting rotation and serving as the club's closer finishing with a 6-4 record and a 2.98 ERA with five saves. He picked up his five saves in 11 relief appearances to start the season before becoming a weekend starter. Once in the rotation, Yovan went 6-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 10 starts with eight quality starts. He also batted .233 with three home runs and 12 RBI during the season.
In a stellar first season at Oregon in 2017, the Ducks' closer was named first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA), while claiming second-team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball. The right-handed pitcher was one of five finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, while also being named one of four National Freshmen of the Year by Collegiate Baseball.
Yovan finished his first year in Eugene with 15 saves, which tied for fourth nationally following the regular season, and had a 1.97 ERA with a 1-1 record. The Ducks' stopper struck out 36 and walked just six in 32 innings pitched. He picked up a save in half of Oregon's 30 wins and finished with the fourth most saves in school history.
Yovan is one of 10 Ducks to be a member of the Collegiate National Team joining David Peterson (2016), Travis Moniot (2016), Stephen Nogosek (2015), Tommy Thorpe (2013), Brett Hambright (2012), Jake Reed (2012), Tyler Anderson (2010), Scott McGough (2010) and Tom Dodd (1979). He is the first Duck to be a member of the College National Team twice.
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