C.J. Gish
After spending the last week competing at the 2022 USA Baseball College National Team (USA CNT) Training Camp, UF outfielder and Trenton native Wyatt Langford was officially named to the team roster on Tuesday afternoon.
Langford is one of 26 non-draft-eligible players to make the USA CNT roster. Around 50 athletes were invited to the USA CNT Training Camp and competed for roster spots across a five-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series.
“A week ago, as I sat with the 51 players that we invited to Cary, I told them what a tremendous honor this is because you are 51 of the best amateur baseball players in the United States of America,” said USA CNT head coach Mike Bianco. “To narrow it down nearly in half is quite a task. We shared with all of them, as honestly and candidly as we could, that there are players that will go home that will play in the big leagues and be All-Americans next year. I commend these coaches and the USA Baseball committee on the selections we have made.”
Langford, who graduated from Trenton in 2020—where he won a state football title in 2015 and state baseball title in 2017 with the Tigers—will represent the United States at Honkbalweek Haarlem in the Netherlands from July 8-15 at Pim Mulier Stadium.
Team USA will travel to the Netherlands on Wednesday and begin the tournament on Saturday, July 9. The Stars and Stripes open against Japan at 8 a.m. ET followed by games against Italy, Cuba, the Netherlands and Curacao to complete group play. All games will be streamed online via HonkbalSoftbal.tv.
Since 2000, the U.S. has competed at Honkbalweek Haarlem five times and has earned four gold medals, including winning the championship in its most recent appearance in 2014. Team USA also won gold in the event’s 2000, 2002, and 2008 editions and took the bronze medal in 2012.
Tuesday’s honor represents yet another accolade during a memorable 2022 season for Langford, an All-American outfielder. The sophomore is coming off one of the best all-around seasons in program history during which he tied UF’s single-season home run record—set in 2005 by Matt LaPorta, who played four more games—while leading the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with 26 long balls.
Langford led the Gators in batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (.719), hits (91), runs (73), RBI (63) triples (three) and total bases (184) while starting all 66 games in left field.
Langford’s 2022 season accolades include:
- USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Member
- D1 Baseball First Team All-American
- Baseball American Second Team All-American
- ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American
- NCBWA Second Team All-American
- Perfect Game Second Team All-American
- ABCA/Rawlings First Team Southeast All-Region
- USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp Invitee
- USA Today First Team All-SEC
- Second Team All-SEC
- SEC All-Tournament Team