Culpepper, Neighbors Selected to USA Collegiate National Team
Jun 29, 2023 | Baseball
CARY, N.C. – K-State sophomores Kaelen Culpepper and Tyson Neighbors were selected to the Collegiate National Team as USA Baseball announced the full 31-man roster Thursday, following the completion of the CNT Training Camp.
The Collegiate National Team will represent the United States in two five-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Japan at various venues across the Carolinas from June 30-July 12.
"After the most talented and competitive Training Camp, the staff completed a grueling selection process to get to the final roster today," said CNT manager Larry Lee. "Our roster is full of extremely talented and capable baseball players, and we are focused on representing the United States well in international competition. We are looking forward to getting our series against Chinese Taipei started tomorrow night here in Cary."
K-State is one of just six schools to boast a pair of athletes on the 31-man Collegiate National Team roster. Other Big 12 representatives include Texas' Ben Abeldt, Texas Tech's Kyle Robinson, and West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt.
Culpepper and Neighbors are just the second and third players in school history to earn a position on the national roster since K-State Hall of Fame Inductee Craig Wilson.
Wilson, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1992, represented the United States at the 1991 Pan-American Games and was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team that competed in Barcelona.
Culpepper, a native of Memphis, Tenn., started in all four games at third and second base for the Stars team. The All-Big 12 selection slashed .154/.353/.231 with a double and three runs batted in. He drew a pair of walks and scored four runs.
In game three of the training camp's Stars vs. Stripes series, Culpepper went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI as one of just two players to generate multiple RBI in the Stars' shutout win.
Culpepper wrapped up his explosive second season with the Wildcats with a slash line of .325/.423/.576 with eight doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBI. His slugging percentage led the Cats' offense while his average ranked second.
Neighbors made two appearances during the national training camp, striking out five batters during his two scoreless innings in relief without allowing a hit. The five-time All-American struck out the side in his final appearance Tuesday, including punching out the final batter in three pitches.
Going 5-1 on the season with a league-high 11 saves, Neighbors posted a 1.85 ERA over 25 appearances out of the bullpen for the Wildcats. He struck out 86 batters over just 48 2/3 innings and posted an average of 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He broke the program's TrackMan-era pitch velocity record at 99-mph in the series opening win against Texas Tech.
The 20th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series is set for June 30-July 4, with games at the National Training Complex, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, and Segra Stadium in Fayetteville.
The National Training Complex will host the opening three games of the 44th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series July 7-9, while games four and five of the series will be played at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Ballpark in Charleston, S.C., on July 11 and 12.
Team USA leads the series with Chinese Taipei 15-0-4 (Overall: 80-13-2). Against Japan, the stars and stripes lead the series 24-19 (Overall: 133-107-2), including a 21-1 (Overall: 87-33-2) series record in the United States. All time, the Collegiate National Team boasts a record of 135-32-2 in North Carolina dating back to 1987, including a 38-14-1 mark at the National Training Complex in Cary.
To view the entire 31-man Collegiate National Team roster and more info on the international series, visit www.usabaseball.com.
How to follow the 'Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team's social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.
The Collegiate National Team will represent the United States in two five-game friendship series against Chinese Taipei and Japan at various venues across the Carolinas from June 30-July 12.
"After the most talented and competitive Training Camp, the staff completed a grueling selection process to get to the final roster today," said CNT manager Larry Lee. "Our roster is full of extremely talented and capable baseball players, and we are focused on representing the United States well in international competition. We are looking forward to getting our series against Chinese Taipei started tomorrow night here in Cary."
K-State is one of just six schools to boast a pair of athletes on the 31-man Collegiate National Team roster. Other Big 12 representatives include Texas' Ben Abeldt, Texas Tech's Kyle Robinson, and West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt.
Culpepper and Neighbors are just the second and third players in school history to earn a position on the national roster since K-State Hall of Fame Inductee Craig Wilson.
Wilson, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1992, represented the United States at the 1991 Pan-American Games and was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team that competed in Barcelona.
Culpepper, a native of Memphis, Tenn., started in all four games at third and second base for the Stars team. The All-Big 12 selection slashed .154/.353/.231 with a double and three runs batted in. He drew a pair of walks and scored four runs.
In game three of the training camp's Stars vs. Stripes series, Culpepper went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI as one of just two players to generate multiple RBI in the Stars' shutout win.
Culpepper wrapped up his explosive second season with the Wildcats with a slash line of .325/.423/.576 with eight doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBI. His slugging percentage led the Cats' offense while his average ranked second.
Neighbors made two appearances during the national training camp, striking out five batters during his two scoreless innings in relief without allowing a hit. The five-time All-American struck out the side in his final appearance Tuesday, including punching out the final batter in three pitches.
Going 5-1 on the season with a league-high 11 saves, Neighbors posted a 1.85 ERA over 25 appearances out of the bullpen for the Wildcats. He struck out 86 batters over just 48 2/3 innings and posted an average of 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He broke the program's TrackMan-era pitch velocity record at 99-mph in the series opening win against Texas Tech.
The 20th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series is set for June 30-July 4, with games at the National Training Complex, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, and Segra Stadium in Fayetteville.
The National Training Complex will host the opening three games of the 44th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series July 7-9, while games four and five of the series will be played at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Ballpark in Charleston, S.C., on July 11 and 12.
Team USA leads the series with Chinese Taipei 15-0-4 (Overall: 80-13-2). Against Japan, the stars and stripes lead the series 24-19 (Overall: 133-107-2), including a 21-1 (Overall: 87-33-2) series record in the United States. All time, the Collegiate National Team boasts a record of 135-32-2 in North Carolina dating back to 1987, including a 38-14-1 mark at the National Training Complex in Cary.
To view the entire 31-man Collegiate National Team roster and more info on the international series, visit www.usabaseball.com.
How to follow the 'Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team's social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.
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