Gourson Invited to Collegiate National Team Training Camp
June 05, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ USA Baseball on Tuesday announced that UCLA sophomore infielder Duce Gourson has been invited to the 2023 Collegiate National Team Training Camp.
The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp will feature 56 of the premier non-draft eligible college players for a four-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series in North Carolina from Jun. 25-28.
After Training Camp, USA baseball will name a final, 26-man roster that will represent the United States in friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Japan from Jun. 30 to Jul. 12.
All four Training Camp games will be played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The series begins on June 25 at 12 p.m. PT, with three games following over the next three days. Game two will be on June 26 at 3 p.m. PT, game three on June 27 at 4 p.m. PT, and game four on June 28 at 3 p.m. PT.
Gourson has the opportunity to add to UCLA's rich tradition with the Collegiate National Team.
UCLA has previously had 22 players on the Collegiate National Team, dating back to 1979. Outfielder Garrett Mitchell (2019) was the most-recent Bruin to don the red, white, and blue, and other Team USA alums include Gerrit Cole, Brandon Crawford, Troy Glaus, David Berg, James Kaprielian, and Adam Plutko.
Gourson is now the third member of the 2023 UCLA baseball squad to earn a USCNT training camp invite after pitchers Alonzo Tredwell and Ethan Flanagan received nods as freshmen in 2022.
A San Diego native, Gourson is coming off a standout sophomore campaign with the Bruins. He led qualifying Bruins in nearly every offensive statistic, including batting (.319), on-base percentage (.438), slugging (.515), runs (48), hits (65), doubles (10), walks (36), and total bases (105).
Gourson added career-highs in home runs (10) and stolen bases (eight) en route to Pac-12 All-Conference Team honors. A versatile defender, he made starts at three different infield spots during the 2023 campaign, including 26 at second base and 21 at shortstop.
Stay tuned to @UCLABaseball on Twitter for all offseason updates.
