DURHAM, N.C. —
One of Alabama’s best prep baseball players is another step closer to making USA Baseball’s 18-and-under National Team.
Cullman High’s Keegan Thompson was one of 28 elite athletes remaining on the 18U National Team Trials roster when it was trimmed from its previous count of 40 after the first two games of the Prospect Classic this past weekend.
Games 1 and 2 of the second Prospect Classic in North Carolina pitted the Stars versus the Stripes, two squads full of players from the 18U National Team Trials and Collegiate National Team rosters. The teams were led by honorary managers Terry Francona and Jack McKeon.
Thompson, the state’s Class 5A Pitcher and Player of the Year, as well as the 27 other finalists, will stay in the Tar Heel State a bit longer in order to compete against the Collegiate National Team in games 3 and 4 of the Prospect Classic.
The Bearcat flamethrower will return home after the Classic’s final contest on Tuesday and eventually head to California Aug. 18 for the final stage of the tryout process. From there, 20 players will be chosen to represent the 18U National Team from Aug. 30-Sept. 8 at the International Baseball Federation Junior AAA/18U World Championships in Seoul, South Korea.
Australia, Netherlands, Korea, Colombia and Venezuela are the opponents Team USA are scheduled to face in World Championship pool play.
Thompson and T.R. Miller High’s Kevin Davis, the 2012 Class 3A Pitcher and Player of the Year, are the only players from Alabama still in the running for the 18U National Team.
The Times’ sports editor Rob Ketcham contributed to this report.
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Cullman’s Keegan Thompson is among 28 finalists for the 18U National Team. Rob Ketcham
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PREP BASEBALL: Thompson among 28 finalists for 18U National Team
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