Texas Tech pitcher Chad Bettis had plenty of teammates telling him he was a shoo-in after the final intrasquad game came and went during this year's USA National Team Trials.
But Bettis wasn't listening. As if he was on the mound, his mind was clear of any distractions. Then as the names became official, he gave a simple smirk of satisfaction and excitement.
"I got this big grin on my face like, 'Man, I really hope I make this team," he said. "There weren't really thoughts. I was just really hoping that I'd make it. It's pretty painful waiting, pretty painful."
The junior right-hander, who was a standout for the Red Raiders this season, was among the 22-man roster for the collegiate 2009 USA Baseball National Team, which officials released Wednesday.
Trials were June 15 to June 24 in Cary, N.C., where the Lubbock native proved his worth by allowing one hit, no runs and notching a save in four innings pitched during intrasquad games. After a meeting Wednesday, Bettis learned that he will serve as the team's closer from here on out.
"As of right now, I am the only closer," he said. "I think they're trying to make one other guy a set up guy or a closer, so I don't have to come in every game and pitch."
During his sophomore season in 2009, Bettis led Tech with a 6-1 record and seven saves en route to a 3.59 ERA with a team-high 72 2/3 innings pitched. He joins Josh Bard (1997, 1998), Monty Ward (1997), Shane Wright (1998) and Roger Kieschnick (2006, 2007) as the only Tech players in history to earn a spot on the national team.
Bettis will take part in a friendly series against the Canadian National Team that began Thursday and will end Monday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the USA Baseball Training Complex in North Carolina.
Then the team travels to Japan for the 37th Annual Japan vs. USA Collegiate Championships before finishing up in Canada at the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia.
"So far, what I've learned is how well everyone meshes together so quickly," Bettis said. "We only have a month here to play games, I think our last game is July 26. It's pretty incredible how good our team chemistry already is, and it's only been 11 days now."
In those 11 days, Bettis said he's learned a ton, and he decided not to tweak any of his pitches while he's closing for the team. He'll save working on his curve ball for off-season baseball, he said.
After playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer, Bettis thought it'd be great to make the USA Team this summer. After he put together a solid season, showing his versatility by starting or relieving in 11 of Tech's 12 conference wins, Bettis had the resume make the most out of his invitation to the trials.
"It's a great step for me," he said. "It's amazing to think that I can come in here and perform well and represent Texas Tech the way I've been able to. I went out this last year for Tech and just put myself in a really good position to come out here and perform. My teammates at Tech, they couldn't have helped me out more."
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