Walker selected to Team USA squad

South Carolina sophomore first baseman Christian Walker has been named to the 22-man roster for the 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

The honor was announced Sunday evening.

It is the 11th time in school history for a Gamecock player to be selected to the collegiate team and the second straight season a Gamecock has been on the team. Jackie Bradley Jr. played for the Red, White & Blue last year.

Walker leads the Gamecocks with a .358 batting average (78-for-218) as well as a team-high nine HR and 57 RBI. His .573 slugging percentage also tops the squad. Walker is one of two Gamecocks this year to start all 56 games. His 57 RBI are second highest in the SEC.

He is also third in the league in hits (78), fourth in runs scored (53), fifth in slugging percentage, home runs and total bases (125) and ninth in batting average. In addition, Walker hit .316 (37-for-117) in 30 SEC games and had eight doubles, a pair of homers and 24 RBI vs. conference teams.

Team USA will have an SEC flavor this year with four other SEC players already announced to the team. DJ Baxendale (RHP) and Dominic Ficociello (INF) of Arkansas and Nolan Fontana (INF) and Brian Johnson (LHP) of Florida have also been selected to the team.

The 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will convene on June 22. The team will play 11 games during the summer, culminating with a five-game series against Japan July 3-8. The series opens on July 3 at 3:05 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. Additional players will be selected to the team in the absence of players on the 22-man roster who are competing in Omaha at the NCAA College World Series.

The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team is comprised of the top collegiate baseball players in the country. The team competes each summer in a schedule of exhibition games across the U.S. and overseas against the world's top baseball talent.

SOUTH CAROLINA PLAYERS and USA BASEBALL COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM

2011 - Christian Walker, 1B

2010 - Jackie Bradley Jr., OF

2007 - Justin Smoak, 1B

2003 - Matt Campbell, P

2002 - Landon Powell, C

1997 - Adam Everett, SS

1994 - Jason Haynie, P

1993 - Jason Haynie, P

1991 - Jared Baker, P

1989 - Brian Williams, P/OF

1986 - Dave Hollins, 3B

This story was originally published May 22, 2011 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Walker selected to Team USA squad."