Longwood Alum Megan Baltzell Among USA Baseball Women’s Trials Roster
CARY, N.C. – Former Longwood All-American catcher
Megan Baltzell found her name listed among the 40 players selected to the 2016 USA Baseball Women's National Team Trials roster, as announced Wednesday afternoon by USA Baseball.
Baltzell, a product of Stafford, Va., is part of a National Team Trials roster that is comprised of athletes between the ages of 16 and 42 who hail from 13 different states. She advances past the Women's National Open, held this past weekend at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. Baltzell will compete next month for a spot on the United States' 20-man roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's Baseball World Cup
"It's a honor to be selected to the World Cup Trial team," Baltzell said. "A lot of hard work paid off but I'm not done yet. One more cut to make and I'll have the opportunity to represent my country, which has always been a childhood dream playing the sport I love."
The Women's National Team Trials will be held at Cal. State Fullerton, from Aug. 22-25, 2016. Following trials, USA Baseball will unveil the final 20-player Women's National Team that will travel to Gijang City, South Korea, for the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup played from Sept. 3-11, 2016.
A 2015 graduate of Longwood, Baltzell helped the Lancers to two Big South Championships in her four seasons and holds a total of 11 school records. The 2014 and 2015 Big South Player of the Year, Baltzell finished her career in blue and white among the top-10 in NCAA history with 76 career home runs.
On the national level, Baltzell ranks ninth in NCAA history in career home runs (76), while ranking among the top-three in the nation in 2013 (30) and 2015 (27). Her, along with former teammate Brooke Short, became the first Longwood student-athlete to be named All-American in the Division I era following the 2013 campaign and she was named the NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team in 2015.
The 2015 Big South Female Student-Athlete of the Year, Baltzell was part of 144 career wins in her time in a Lancer uniform, which ranks third in Longwood history for a senior class. She was a member of the school's pair of Big South Championships in 2013 and 2015, as well as the 2015 squad that captured the Big South regular season crown.