Jesuit’s McCullers invited to Tournament of Stars

Posted Jun 15, 2010 by Adam Adkins

Updated Jun 15, 2010 at 01:49 PM

Jesuit baseball player Lance McCullers has received an invitation to the Tournament of Stars, a elite baseball tournament for the nation’s top 18-and-younger players staged at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

Tigers coach Richie Warren confirmed McCullers’ invitation Tuesday morning. Approximately 144 players from across the nation are invited to the tournament each year. This year’s event will be held June 23-27.

McCullers, a rising junior, is considered one of the nation’s top prospects. A shortstop and right-handed pitcher, McCullers has been a two-year starter for Jesuit and this past season helped the Tigers reach the Class 4A state title game.

This is the fourth consecutive year a Hillsborough County player has received an invite to the Tournament of Stars. Brooks-DeBartolo teammates Jadamion Williams and Kelvin Mention and Tampa Catholic’s Shane Rowland were invited in 2009, Hillsborough’s Marlon Mitchell was invited in 2008, and Plant’s Mychal Givens and Preston Tucker were invited in 2007.

The top 36 players at the Tournament of Stars will receive invites to the 18-and-under National Team Trials, which will be held June 29-July 3 in Cary, N.C. The roster will be trimmed to 18 after that event, and those players will represent the U.S. at the IBAF ‘AAA’ 18U Junior World Championships, which will be held July 21-Aug. 3 in Thunder Bay, Canada.