DURHAM, N.C.—Oklahoma State pitchers Tyler Lyons and Andrew Oliver have been named to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team, USA Baseball announced Tuesday.
The Cowboy hurlers are two of the 20 players on the 2008 National Team roster. OSU is one of just three schools, along with Cal State-Fullerton and Miami (Fla.), to have two players named to the team.
The National Team roster, which will add two players later this week, was selected following a two-week trials period, during which time the participants played 10 games and had two intrasquad scrimmages.
Lyons and Oliver, who will both be juniors for the Cowboys next season, led the team to a 9-3 mark.
Lyons made three appearances and was 1-0 with 12 strikeouts while not allowing an earned run in eight innings of work. Oliver had three outings, racked up 10 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA in nine innings.
The National Team will play six games against the Chinese Taipei National Team, then travel to Europe in July to compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and at the FISU World Championships in the Czech Republic.
Former OSU standout and current Oral Roberts head coach Rob Walton is the head coach of the 2008 National Team.
Oliver finished his sophomore season at OSU with a 7-2 record and 2.20 ERA in 15 appearances and was an All-Big 12 selection and Rivals.com All-American. He led the Cowboys with 96 strikeouts in 98.1 innings.
Oliver’s 2.20 ERA ranked as the third-lowest in the Big 12 in 2008, while his strikeout total was the third highest in the league.
Lyons is coming off a sophomore season in which he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors for the Cowboys. The Lubbock, Texas, native was 12-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 15 starts in 2008 and led the Big 12 with 108.2 innings pitched. He tied for the league lead with four complete games, all of which came in conference play.
Lyons, who was also named to the NCAA Stillwater Regional All-Tournament team, racked up 92 strikeouts on the season, and his 12 wins were the eighth-highest single-season total in OSU history. In nine conference starts, Lyons was 7-1 with a 2.99 ERA and led the Cowboys with 63 strikeouts.
Lyons and Oliver are the ninth and 10th OSU players to earn a spot on a Team USA roster, joining Gary Green (1984), Robin Ventura (1988), Jeromy Burnitz (1989), Brad Beanblossom (1989), Matt Smith (1999), Ryan Budde (2000), Jordy Mercer (2007) and Jason Jaramillo (2007).
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