Jace LaViolette makes USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team roster
Representing his country.
On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette had made the 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team roster. A rising sophomore from Katy Tompkins, LaViolette becomes the first Aggie since Asa Lacy in 2019 to wear the Red, White & Blue.
The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will face Chinese Taipei and Japan in a pair of five-game series across North and South Carolina from June 30 to July 12.
Originally set to play in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League this summer with the Falmouth Commodores, LaViolette becomes the 28th Texas A&M product to earn a spot on the Collegiate National Team. Here are the other Aggies to do so:
- Mark Thurmond - 1977 & 1978
- Kyle Hawthorne - 1978
- Mike Hurdle - 1978
- Mark Ross - 1978
- Buster Turner - 1978
- Bryan Little - 1979
- Scott Livingstone - 1987
- Chuck Knoblauch - 1988
- Terry Taylor - 1988
- John Byington - 1989
- Ronnie Allen - 1990
- Jeff Granger - 1991
- Robert Harris - 1994
- Chad Allen - 1995 & 1996
- Casey Fossum - 1997 & 1998
- Jason Tyner - 1997
- John Scheschuk - 1998
- Daylan Holt - 1999
- Tyler Naquin - 2011
- Michael Wacha - 2011
- Daniel Mengden - 2013
- Nick Banks - 2014
- A.J. Minter - 2014
- Ryan Hendrix - 2015
- Braden Shewmake - 2017 & 2018
- John Doxakis - 2018
- Asa Lacy - 2019
- Jace LaViolette - 2023
LaViolette earned the honor of making the 31-man roster that will be led by manager Larry Lee during a four-game intrasquad series this week at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Prior to reporting to Cary, the Aggie was hitting .381 (8-for-21) in six ballgames with Falmouth on the Cape.
Of course, this honor comes after a historic debut season in Maroon & White.
This spring, LaViolette started 64 of Texas A&M’s 65 games and hit .287 with a gaudy .632 slugging percentage. He led the Aggies in RBI and home runs, setting a program record for freshmen with 21 round-trippers en route to freshman All-American honors.
Just another accolade for a kid that is quickly becoming an all-timer!
2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Roster
Name; Position; Hometown; School
Ben Abeldt; LHP; McKinney, Texas; TCU
Matt Ager; RHP; Pleasanton, Calif.; UC Santa Barbara
Drew Beam; RHP; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Tennessee
Jac Caglianone; LHP/1B; Tampa, Fla.; Florida
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Marietta, Ga.; Georgia
Christian Coppola; RHP; Galloway, N.J.; Rutgers
Kaelen Culpepper; INF; Memphis, Tenn.; Kansas State
Duce Gourson; INF; San Diego, Calif.; UCLA
Rodney Green, Jr.; OF; Richmond, Calif.; Cal
Luke Holman; RHP; Sinking Spring, Pa.
Carter Holton; LHP; Guyton, Ga.; Vanderbilt
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Red Oak, Texas; Dallas Baptist
Seaver King; INF; Athena, Ga.; Wake Forest
Jace LaViolette; OF; Katy, Texas; Texas A&M
Michael Massey; RHP; Suwanee, Ga.; Wake Forest
Xavier Meachem; RHP; Winterville, N.C.; NC A&T
Omar Melendez; LHP; Cayey, P.R.; Alabama State
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Madison, Miss.; Stanford
Malcolm Moore; C; Sacramento, Calif.; Stanford
Christian Moore; INF; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Tennessee
Brandon Neely; RHP; Seville, Fla.; Florida
Tyson Neighbors; RHP; Royse City, Texas; Kansas State
Griff O'Ferrall; INF; Richmond, Va.; Virginia
Fran Oschell III; RHP; Phoenixville, Pa.; Duke
Kyle Robinson; RHP; Vienna, Va.; Texas Tech
Hagen Smith; LHP; Bullard, Texas; Arkansas
Ryan Stafford; C; Folsom, Calif.; Cal Poly
JJ Wetherholt; INF; Mars, Pa.; West Virginia
Nicholas Wilson; RHP; Carrollton, Texas; Southern
Jay Woolfolk; RHP; Chesterfield, Va.; Virginia
Trey Yesavage; RHP; Boyertown, Pa.; East Carolina