The Bristol State Liners along with USA Baseball and the Appalachian League are excited to announce a series of exhibition games taking place throughout the Appalachian League.
The first game that the State Liners will host is the Stars and Stripes teams. The 2021 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will not face an international opponent this summer; instead, this year’s Collegiate team will feature 48 players on two 24-man rosters, the Stars and Stripes, who will play 11 intrasquad games in July across the Appalachian League. The team will make a stop in Bristol on July 8.
The Appalachian League, alongside USA Baseball, is in its first season as a Premier Collegiate Wood Bat League. This league serves as a National Team pathway and identification event for the Collegiate National Team and other future USA Baseball National Teams.
In addition, the State Liners are excited to be a stop in the Native American National Team tour July 9. The tour will take place in Appalachian League communities and run from July 5-17. Frank Fulton, President of Sophos International since 2001, has been developing baseball student-athletes and international professional athletes since 1979.
“Our players represent the Spirit of the Life Warrior. They treat the game, others, and themselves with respect. They enjoy playing the game and they represent their unique heritage of the past by sharing the history of their culture in word and deed,” added Fulton. “When the opportunity was presented to play exhibition games in the ball parks of the one of the oldest baseball leagues in America, we did not hesitate to jump on it."
The Native American National Team is made up of players who have heritage with one of the 400 Tribal Nations that exist within North America.
Native American Nations represented on the team include: Cherokee, Chippewa, Comanche, Iroquois, Kickapoo, Lumbee, Pascua Yaqui, Piscataway Conoy, Powhatan, Sioux and Tuscarora.
The Western Hemisphere Team, known as the VNuts, consists of players from USA, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.