BAYLOR'S HANSEN RECEIVES USA BASEBALL INVITE

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA (June 10, 2008) Baylor sophomore infielder Shaver Hansen has accepted an invitation to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials, the nation's governing body of amateur baseball announced Monday. Hansen was among eight players named Monday in the final wave of invitees. In all, 34 players will attend trials and vie for 22 spots on the National Team roster, which will be announced June 24.

Hansen is the second Baylor student-athlete invited to the National Team Trials this season. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendal Volz accepted an invitation in late May. Hansen is Baylor's first position player invited to the National Team Trials since outfielder Michael Griffin in 2003.

The 2008 USA Baseball National Team Trials will be held June 11-23 throughout the northeast and southeast United States. The National Team schedule includes a six-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei in late-June and a month-long trip to Europe wherein the team will compete in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands and the IV FISU World Collegiate Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.

A product of Fruita Monument High School in Grand Junction, Colo., Hansen led Baylor this season in batting average (.326), hits (72), runs (48), triples (six) and RBI (47). He also was third on the team in doubles (16) and walks (32), tied for the team lead in total bases (118), and was second on the team in slugging percentage (.534) and on base percentage (.413). Hansen was third on the team with eight stolen bases in 12 attempts, and he finished fourth in the Big 12 this season in triples.

In two seasons at Baylor, Hansen has appeared in 112 games with 107 starts. He totes a .312 career batting average with nine home runs, 82 RBI, 30 doubles, seven triples, 82 runs and 15 stolen bases.

The 2008 USA Baseball National Team will be led by Oral Roberts University head coach Rob Walton, who served as an assistant coach for the 2005 National Team. Walton is joined on the 2008 staff by pitching coach Jerry Meyers (head coach, Old Dominion University), assistant coach Nino Giarratano (head coach, University of San Francisco), and assistant coach Ritch Price (head coach, University of Kansas).