USA Baseball has announced that Long Beach State baseball coach Troy Buckley will be joining the 2017 Collegiate National Team coaching staff this summer as a pitching coach.
Buckley will be joining former Dirtbags Hall of Fame player Dave Snow, who is making his fifth appearance as a USA Baseball coach, to guide the team’s pitchers.
The coaching staff will be led by UCLA’s head coach John Savage, who was named the manager of the team in December.
“We are excited to have this talented coaching staff led by Coach Savage take the reigns of the 2017 Collegiate National Team,” USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler said in a statement. “Each of these coaches have done an amazing job with their respective programs and we are thrilled to bring their leadership and expertise to our team this year.”
Buckley won’t be the only Big West head coach on the coaching staff, as he is joined by Cal State Fullerton’s head coach Rick Vanderhook and Cal Poly’s head coach Larry Lee.
Vanderhook will serve as the team’s hitting and third base coach, while Lee will be the team’s first base coach.
The team will begin training at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina before competing against teams in the Coastal Plain League from June 20-26.
Along with playing teams in the CPL, the USA Collegiate National Team will host international friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Cuba in North Carolina.