Farmer helps US to victory

ATHENS - Georgia rising senior shortstop Kyle Farmer helped the USA Collegiate National Team to a bronze medal in the Netherlands.

Team USA finished its summer slate with a pair of international trips, traveling to Cuba for a five-game series, before venturing to Haarlem in the Netherlands for Honkbal Week, a seven-game tournament at Pim Mulier Stadium. Team USA missed a chance to play for a gold medal after falling to Cuba in extra-innings in the semifinals this past Saturday. USA then won the bronze medal game versus host Netherlands 4-3.

A native of Atlanta, Farmer collected three RBI in the medal rounds of the tournament. Against Cuba, Farmer broke open a scoreless contest with an RBI-single in the fifth and then provided a game-tying RBI-single in the fifth against the Netherlands.

For the summer, Farmer wound up batting .250 with five doubles, eight RBI and fielded .967 in 17 games. The Collegiate National Team posted a 12-5 record with four of the team's losses to Cuba. The Cuban squad featured 12 World Baseball Classic veterans. Team USA went 2-3 against Cuba in Havana and was the first U.S. squad to travel to Cuba to battle its national team in 16 years.

The USA Collegiate National Team consisted of an elite squad of 22 players from around the country, coached by Dave Serrano (Tennessee). They trained for 10 days in North Carolina and played an array of collegiate summer teams and in the Prospect Classic with the USA Baseball 18U squad and then made the two international trips.

Elsewhere in summer action involving Bulldogs, a couple of rising sophomores made the All-Star team in their respective leagues. Infielder Nelson Ward (New England Collegiate Baseball League) and pitcher David Sosebee (Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League) recently were recognized for their outstanding play.

Ward is batting .311 with seven doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI and 12 stolen bases for the Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats. Thispast Tuesday, he smashed a three-run home run to help snap a five-game losing streak. Sosebee is one of the top pitchers for the Oneonta (N.Y.) Outlaws. He is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA in eight appearances including seven starts. In 42 innings, he has 33 strikeouts and 15 walks. Sosebee started the PGCBL All-Star game at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, N.Y. He pitched one scoreless framewith three strikeouts.

Summer league action concludes in early August. The fall semester at UGA begins on Aug. 13.

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