Team USA reaches all goals but one
By John Manuel
August 30, 2002
For Lelo Prado, Team USA?s summer season all came down to one game?and yet it didn?t.
The Louisville coach served as a Team USA assistant in 2000 and watched that club win 27 of 31 games, the best performance in USA Baseball history. This summer, as head coach of Team USA, Prado led his club to a 23-7 record, including victories in the annual Japan Series, a one-loss tour of domestic summer leagues, and a championship at Haarlem Honkbal Week in the Netherlands.
Still, Prado knows changing one outcome?the gold-medal game of the World University Championship in Italy, a 6-0 loss to Cuba?would have made the summer complete. Team USA won a silver medal at the first world championship for college-aged players, but not the gold thanks to that one loss. It was a successful summer, but it could easily have been better.
"We got beat by a team that was hot," Prado said. "Cuba was very good that day. We had our chances, but we didn?t do it. When Cuba scores early on you, it?s a pretty tough team to come back against. They play like the Yankees when they get a lead."
The Cubans dealt Team USA ace Kyle Sleeth (Wake Forest) his first loss since March 2001, a span of 27 decisions. The Americans? other loss in the tournament came at the hands of China, a shocking 4-3 defeat in which all of the Chinese runs were unearned.
Infield Shuffle
Those were the twin story lines for Team USA this summer?dominant pitching and a constant search for quality defense. That especially was true in Italy, where Prado?s club was without shortstop Dustin Pedroia (Arizona State). While the 5-foot-7 Pedroia wasn?t an offensive force, he steadied the infield defense as the team?s lone true shortstop.
He was injured in the last game of the Honkbal tournament, leading Prado to push second baseman Eric Patterson (Georgia Tech) to shortstop and bring in Rickie Weeks (Southern) to second base from left field. Patterson struggled at times in his new role but handled balls hit to him or to his left. Weeks also proved to pro scouts?many of whom consider him the top college prospect for the 2003 draft?that he has the range, arm and feet for second base.
"(Weeks) was choppy and awkward at first," said Steve Cohen, USA Baseball?s national-team director. "But he was more than adequate at second base when he was there every day. He made the plays, turned double plays and showed great range."
Both players? inexperience at those positions, as well as below-average work at third by Aaron Hill (Louisiana State) and Conor Jackson (California), contributed to Team USA?s 41 errors and 20 unearned runs.
"No question, we didn?t field like we needed do," Prado said. "We were lucky with Pedroia down that it only cost us in the one game against China."
Weeks? summer is of special interest. After a slow start when he had trouble handling breaking balls, Weeks finished the summer hitting .273-2-14, with 22 strikeouts in 99 at-bats.
"His best days are ahead of him," Prado said. "He?s got all the tools for his game?when he gets into pro ball, he?s going to get the time and experience he needs to be an all-star player."
Another Louisiana product, Tulane first baseman Michael Aubrey, led the team in the triple-crown categories and turned it up when the team needed it most. He homered in the first three games in Italy and carried the offense all summer.
