One of the highest honors in sports is representing your country on a national level. LSU outfielder Mikie Mahtook has earned those honors.After a week-long tryout held in Cary, N.C., Mahtook was one of 22 players selected to the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team.Thirty-six players, including LSU shortstop Austin Nola, traveled to Cary for trias last week, and the final roster was announced Sunday. Although Nola did not make the final roster, Mahtook got the good news that he would be playing outfield for the national team.”They both did fantastic, and I’m just so proud of them. All the people associated with LSU should be proud of them,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “I told Mikie that as much as we all love LSU, he’s playing for a much bigger team now … he’s playing for the whole country.”The trials included seven days of intra-squad games and practices held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in North Carolina. The team consists of collegiate players and coaches from around the country, and makes stops in two different countries.Team USA will play a five-game series against Korea Republic, followed by a one-game international friendly match against the Japanese Collegiate All-Star Team. Competition begins July 14 and will be held in Rosenblatt Stadium.The team then travels to Taipei, Taiwan, to take on Chinese Taipei and Tokyo, Japan, for the FISU World University Baseball Championships. Team USA has won the past three FISU Championships, in 2004, 2006 and 2008.”It should be a great experience for him to travel and get to play in Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha and then travel to the Orient,” Mainieri said. “It’ll be a wonderful experience.”Despite Nola not making the team, Mainieri said the situation may have actually worked out better for him.”I think the best thing for him was to go back to the [Cape Cod Baseball League] where he can get a chance to play every day and play shortstop every day,” Mainieri said. “I think it’s important that he gets the repetitions and plays a lot of games against outstanding competition.”Mainieri went on to say the honor of being asked to the national team extends far past baseball skills.”I think it speaks volumes about not only the ability of our players, but the character of our players as well,” he said. “There’s no way a player would even be invited to the USA team trials, much less make the team, if they weren’t of impeccable character.”Mahtook averaged .335 with 80 hits and 14 home runs last season and had a fielding percentage of .962. The Lafayette native was a vital member of the baseball team’s 2009 National Championship run.Nola batted .320 last season with 83 hits and five home runs, with a fielding percentage of .976. Mainieri said he is looking to Nola once against to start at shortstop next season.”When you think of LSU baseball going into 2011, the first couple names that will pop into your mind will be Mahtook and Nola,” Mainieri said. “Those guys are great representatives of our school and of our baseball program.” GAUDET COMPETESLast Wednesday, LSU senior designated hitter Matt Gaudet got his first opportunity to stand in the batter’s box at Rosenblatt Stadium.The former Tiger was one of eight collegiate sluggers selected to participate in the TD Ameritrade Inaugural Home Run Derby.Gaudet hit two homers in the competition but did not advance past the first round of competition. Mainieri said despite the early exit, he was proud to have a Tiger represented in the competition.”Matt Gaudet could have swung and missed at every pitch and I still would have been proud of him,” he said. “I was just so happy for him that he got the opportunity to step into the batter’s box at Rosenblatt Stadium.”Gaudet batted .283 with a team leading 19 home runs last season. Throughout his career, Gaudet was plagued with missing opportunities to hit at Rosenblatt Stadium.In 2008 Gaudet was injured for the second half of the season and traveled to Omaha, but was not able to play with the team. In 2009, the slugger was left off of the team due to new 35-man roster limitations. And in 2010, the baseball team came up short of advancing to the College World Series.”I thought this was a great way for him to cap his career and give him an experience he’ll never forget,” Mainieri said. 
 
—-Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]