Two Bulls selected to US Olympic baseball team; Team USA to play exhibition at DBAP

Durham Bulls pitchers Shane Baz and Joe Ryan have been named to USA Baseball’s roster for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Team USA will play a three-game exhibition series against the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team from July 18-20. Game two of the series will be played at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Monday, July 19 starting at 6:35 p.m.

“I think it’ll be a really cool experience for our fans to see the collegiate national team, which is the top collegiate guys in the country with some of the Olympic guys as well," said Scott Strickland, Bulls assistant general manager.

"The more opportunities we can get to see that kind of talent live and in front of us here at the DBAP is a pretty special thing we should thoroughly enjoy.”

Ryan pitched for USA Baseball during the Olympic Qualifier round last month, striking out ten batters over 4.2 innings of work against the Dominican Republic. In nine outings (eight starts) with the Bulls this year, Ryan has posted a 3-3 record and 3.73 ERA (17 ER/41.0 IP), adding a team-best 54 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .181 batting average.

Since being promoted to Durham from Double-A Montgomery, Baz has compiled a 1-0 record and 1.29 ERA (2 ER/14.0 IP) in his three starts, adding 20 strikeouts compared to three walks. On Monday, he was named the Triple-A East Pitcher of the Week for the time period between June 21-27, while on Wednesday it was announced he had been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Weekend on Sunday, July 11.

Strickland said Baz and Ryan are "two great guys, two really great talents as well that are fun to watch on the mound.

"To see those guys on the national stage and the world stage, that’s even cooler,” he said.

Tickets for Team USA’s game scheduled for Monday, July 19 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park are available beginning Tuesday, July 6, at noon on DurhamBulls.com or by calling 919-956-BULL. 919 Club Members will have exclusive pre-sale access to tickets before the general public.

Baseball returns to the Olympic Program for the first time since 2008. Team USA won a gold medal at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games (demonstration sport) and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and took home the bronze medal in the Atlanta 1996 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Team USA, managed by former Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia, opens the Olympic Games baseball tournament on Friday, July 30, against Israel. Team USA is joined by the Dominican Republic, Israel, Japan, Korea and Mexico in the six-team field in Tokyo.