Sept. 3, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Former Samford standout pitcher Ehren Wassermann was one of 23 players selected by USA Baseball on Thursday to represent the United States at the 2009 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Baseball World Cup in Europe from Sept. 9-27.

"This is something that, when I first started, I didn't think would be possible," Wassermann said. "This really adds something to my career. I'm looking forward to going over there and competing, when every game means something. Hopefully, we can go over there and win a gold medal."

Wassermann is currently a member of the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights, which led all minor league clubs with three players on the World Cup roster.

In 43 appearances this season, Wassermann has a record of 7-3 with one save and an ERA of 3.68 in 63.2 innings of work.

Players eligible for selection were those not currently on 25-man Major League Baseball (MLB) rosters. The 2009 World Cup is the 38th installment of the IBAF's biennial world championships.

Twenty countries will begin IBAF World Cup competition in five groups of four teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the second round (the top-four third-place teams also advance).

For the second round, they will be joined by Italy and the Netherlands, the two hosts of Round 2, to form a 16-team quarterfinal. The top-eight teams from the quarterfinals advance to the third round, which will be held exclusively in Italy, where they will be split into two pools and advance to the finals based on best pool-play record.

The U.S. will kick off World Cup play on Sept. 10 in Regensburg, Germany in Pool E and will be joined by China, Germany and Venezuela. In addition to Regensburg, the World Cup will also feature first round pool play in Barcelona; Prague; Sundbyburg, Sweden and Zagreb, Croatia.

The World Cup Team will first gather in Cary, N.C. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex where it will train from Sept. 2-6. It will work out on Sept. 2 and square-off against the Canadian World Cup Team Sept. 3-6.

Wassermann was a member of the Samford baseball team in 2002 and 2003. In his two seasons in a Bulldog uniform, Wassermann posted a record of 11-11 and an ERA of 5.08.