Hawai'i's Trapasso to assist USA Baseball

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

"I'm very honored," said Mike Trapasso, who pitched for the 1983 USA team. Advertiser library photo

Rainbows coach Mike Trapasso will spend his summer as pitching coach for USA Baseball, the organization announced yesterday. Trapasso said he was offered the position and accepted it last week.

"I'm very honored," said Trapasso, who was a pitcher on the 1983 USA team that featured future major leaguers Mark McGwire, Tim Belcher and Doug Henry.

This is Trapasso's first coaching experience for USA Baseball. The head coach is Loyola Marymount's Frank Cruz. The other assistants are UC Riverside's Jack Smitheran and North Carolina State's Elliott Avent. They are to report for team trials June 19 in Durham, N.C.

The team will play at the II FISU World University Baseball Championships in Chinese, Taipei, July 22 to Aug. 1. The team also will travel to Japan to play that country's collegiate all-stars, then return to the U.S. for exhibition games before going to Taipei.

USA Baseball will invite 36 college freshmen and sophomores to the trials. So far, 19 invitations have been extended. A UH player is not likely to be among the invitees, Trapasso said.

"It's great for our program," Trapasso said of his appointment. "In recruiting, it adds another level of credibility."

Although the national team will be traveling between Asia and the U.S., there will be no stops in Hawai'i, as what happened in 2000, when the U.S. played Japan.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.