Wright Named Top Designated Hitter at FISU World University Baseball Championships
Wright hit .458 with seven RBI and one home run in six games as Team USA earned the silver medal
 
Louisville infielder Ryan Wright

Louisville infielder Ryan Wright

Aug. 9, 2010

TOKYO, Japan - University of Louisville infielder Ryan Wright was named the top designated hitter at the 2010 World University Baseball Championships as the USA Collegiate National Team earned the sliver medal after a 4-3 loss in 10 innings to Cuba on Saturday night at Meiji Jingu Stadium.

Wright, a rising junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., was 2-for-4 at the plate in the gold medal game to conclude his impressive tournament for Team USA, which culminated with him earning the top designated hitter honor for the event. In the USA's six games in Tokyo, Wright hit .458 (11-for-24) with seven RBI and one home run while playing with the wooden bat.

The FISU World University Baseball Championships closed a highly impressive summer in the Team USA (16-3) uniform for Wright, who was second on the team in hitting at .361, tied for the team lead with 18 runs scored, second in home runs with two and third in RBI with 12 while making 17 starts in 19 games.

Wright, a Baseball America Second Team All-American and a First Team All-BIG EAST selection as a sophomore in 2010, led the Cardinals with 80 RBI and ranked second on the team with a .366 average and 16 home runs. He was also 10-of-11 on stolen bases and committed just three errors as the Cardinals' everyday second baseman. A Louisville Slugger and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American in 2009, Wright has hit .350 with 21 home runs, 146 RBI and 22 stolen bases during his first two seasons in Louisville.

Wright was the second Louisville player in the last two years to play for the USA Collegiate National Team as pitcher Tony Zych represented Team USA last summer, while Cardinals' head coach Dan McDonnell also served as an assistant coach with the USA National Team in 2009. Overall, Wright was the fourth Louisville player in the last three years to earn an invitation to the USA National Team Trials and the fifth since 2002.

 

 

The Louisville baseball team, which set a new school record for wins with a 50-14 record overall in 2010, closed the season by advancing to a fourth straight NCAA Regional and winning a second straight BIG EAST Conference regular season championship.
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