Hunter Barco and Brandon Sproat will have a chance to play with the USA Baseball National Team this July. Barco and Sproat are two of 48 collegiate players selected to the teams this year.
Unlike in years past the team will not play in international competition. The 2021 team will feature 48 players on two 24-man rosters dubbed the "Stars" and "Stripes," who will play 11 intrasquad games from July 2 to July 15.
Barco led the Gators in wins while posting a 10-3 record and 4.01 ERA on the mound. From April 3 to May 26 — a streak of nine consecutive starts — Barco had a stretch without earning a loss. In that span, he went 7-0 with wins over No. 3 Ole Miss, No. 2 Vanderbilt, and No. 8 Mississippi State.
Sproat came on late in the season. With a fastball that has hit triple digits, he pitched 21.2 innings and finished with a 2-1 record in six appearances. Sproat's best appearance of the season came in Florida's final midweek game. He fired four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Barco and Sproat are the 13th and 14th Gators to wear red, white, and blue for the USA Collegiate National Team.
2008: Matt den Dekker
2010: Nolan Fontana, Brian Johnson
2011: Nolan Fontana, Brian Johnson
2012: Jonathan Crawford
2015: A.J. Puk, Buddy Reed, JJ Schwarz, Logan Shore
2016: Alex Faedo, Dalton Guthrie, Mike Rivera
2019: Tommy Mace
2021: Hunter Barco, Brandon Sproat
