U18 WORLD CUP Team USA Poised For Success In Super Round

After five games, Blood, USA manager Andy Stankiewicz and pitching coach Ricky Meinhold have been able to avoid overextending individual arms while at the same time, getting each of the 10 primary pitchers at least an inning of work. Those pitchers have combined to strike out 59 batters and walk 17, while holding opposing batters to a .094 average. Perhaps more importantly, no pitcher has been overworked.  Having a well-rested staff throughout the entire tournament can be a real challenge with a 20-man roster, but it’s one that the coaching staff and players have met so far. The U.S. team will have each of its four probable starters (Ethan Hankins, Matthew Liberatore, Landon Marceaux and Kumar Rocker) set to toe the rubber on full rest in the Super Round, which starts Thursday.  “It has gone according to plan,” Blood said. “(Part of that was) the contingency plan we had for the Japan game. We started Marceaux, but we knew we had (Ryan) Weathers in our back pocket in the case that anything happened. Anything meaning injury, or Marceaux struggling or weather. And we got weather.   Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/team-usa-poised-for-success-in-super-round-of-18u-world-cup.