José Vázquez, Skylar Meade, Brooks Bryan lead CNT to victory
The USA Collegiate National Team (CNT) went a perfect 8-0 on the baseball diamond this summer. Leading the way were two familiar faces. Alabama State head baseball coach Jose Vazquez served as the CNT manager, while Troy baseball head coach Skylar Meade led the pitching staff.
The duo led a group of the top non-draft eligible college players in the country, including Troy catcher Brooks Bryan and ASU pitcher Luis Rodriguez.
Alabama State baseball head coach and CNT manager José Vázquez fist bumps Kyle Walker ahead of a CNT game in Cary, NC. (Courtesy: Alabama State University)
The CNT started out with a scrimmage against their fellow Americans, the Stripes. The CNT won 9-5 and 7-1 in Cary, NC. The team then went on to sweep a five-game friendly series against Chinese Taipei across North Carolina. They closed it out with a 4-3 win over the Stripes on the Fourth of July in Fayetteville, NC.
“Team USA was an experience for the ages,” Meade said. “The food, environment, first class treatment, high level players and camaraderie certainly couldn’t be beat. But above all, being able to don the red, white and blue was as great an accomplishment as I have had in my 17 years of coaching.”
Brooks Bryan
Meade got to team up with Troy Trojans catcher Brooks Bryan once again. Bryan hit two home runs and contributed nine RBIs, including an opposite-field grand slam that led USA to a 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei on July 3.
“Being able to share this time with Brooks was very cool for the both of us,” Meade said. “However, Brooks was one of the stars of the show during our eight-game tour. He caught at the highest level I have seen yet, and like he always does, he produced a lot of runs for USA.”
Meade guided the pitching staff to 0.92 ERA during the five-game sweep of Chinese Taipei. In one shutout victory, Bryan demonstrated his defensive prowess by throwing out a Chinese Taipei base stealer.
Bryan will continue playing this summer with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Luis Rodriguez
Alabama State senior pitcher Luis Rodriguez also found success. He contributed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in the camp finale victory over the Stripes.
(Information from Alabama State University and Troy University)
