GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina’s Carson Whisenhunt has been named to the 2021 Collegiate National Team roster according to an announcement by USA Baseball today. The second-year standout freshman is the fifth Pirate in program history to receive an invitation following Pat Watkins (1992), Jake Agnos (2018), Bryant Packard (2018) and Alec Burleson (2019).
Both Agnos and Packard made the 2018 CNT squad and were joined by ECU skipper Cliff Godwin, who served as the third base and hitting coach, helping the Red, White and Blue to a 12-3 record that included series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba. Burleson earned a spot on the 2019 club that posted an 8-6 overall record which included series wins over Chinese Taipei and Cuba. He received the USA Baseball International Performance-of-the-Year Award for his walk-off home run against Japan in a 3-2 victory.
Whisenhunt posted a 6-2 record in 13 starts during his first year as a member of the weekend rotation. In his first collegiate start he allowed just two runs (both earned) on three hits in four innings where he struck out 10 batters against Rhode Island. The lefty picked up his first collegiate win at Georgia Southern tossing 6.2 scoreless frames with a career-best 11 punch outs and became the first freshman hurler since Brooks Jernigan (1998) to record double-digit strikeouts in consecutive games.
The Mocksville, N.C. native allowed 28 runs (26 earned) on 50 hits posting a 3.77 ERA. He fanned 79 batters while walking 22 in 62.0 innings. Including the Georgia Southern contest, Whisenhunt also earned victories over Appalachian State, Charlotte, Illinois State, Tulane and UCF. On the season, he worked five-plus innings six times with a career-best seven shutout frames versus the 49ers and fanned six or more in an outing on seven occasions. Whisenhunt was named Collegiate BaseballNational Player-of-the-Week (Feb. 22), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Pitcher-of-the-Month (March 3) and American Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Week (March 15).
The Collegiate team will not face an international opponent this summer; instead, this year’s Collegiate team will feature 48 players on two 24-man rosters, the Stars and Stripes, who will play 11 intra-squad games in July. The Stars and Stripes will play 10 of its 11 games in the cities of the Appalachian League, which begins its first season as a summer collegiate league as a part of the Prospect Development Pipeline. The Appalachian League also serves as a national team pathway and identification event for the Collegiate National Team and other future USA Baseball national teams.
2021 Collegiate National Team Schedule:
(Date; Match-Up; Location; Time/ E.T.)
Friday, July 2; Stars vs. Stripes; Danville, Virginia; 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 3; Stars vs. Stripes; Burlington, North Carolina; TBD
Sunday, July 4; Stars vs. Stripes; Cary, North Carolina; 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 6; Stars vs. Stripes; Greeneville, Tennessee; 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7; Stars vs. Stripes; Johnson City, Tennessee; 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 8; Stars vs. Stripes; Bristol, Virginia; 7 p.m.
Friday, July 9; Stars vs. Stripes; Elizabethton, Virginia; 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 10; Stars vs. Stripes; Kingsport, Tennessee; TBD
Tuesday, July 13; Stars vs. Stripes; Pulaski, Virginia; 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 14; Stars vs. Stripes; Princeton, West Virginia; 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 15; Stars vs. Stripes; Bluefield, West Virginia; 6:30 p.m.
-ECU Athletics Press Release