Team USA Faces on the Field: Sean Doolittle

The ACC player of the year is back in uniform. Virginia superstar Sean Doolittle has traded in his UVA duds for USA colors, beginning his second summer as a member of the USA National Baseball Team.

Doolittle, a pitcher and a first baseman, is one of the most-talked-about players in the country. He's that rare kind of baseball player who can lead his team in both ERA and RBIs. His versatility on the field is enough to make even the most disciplined sportswriters acknowledge a truly awful pun -- Sean Doolittle sure does a lot.

"I think it's a reflection of the way I play the game," he said. "I love to pitch, and I love to play the field. I've always had trouble just pitching one game a week, and sitting and watching the rest of my team's game. The stuff I've been able to do on both ends is a reflection of that."

Doolittle, 19, finished the college season with an 11-2 record and a 2.38 ERA, striking out 108 batters in just over 90 innings pitched. He also batted .324 and tied for the team lead with 57 RBIs, leading the Cavaliers to 47 wins, including 21 conference victories, both school records.

Because of the grueling college season during which he pitched over 90 innings, Doolittle has been playing mostly first base for the U.S. National Team. But his versatility is still certainly one of the team's greatest assets.

"Sean Doolittle is a great player on the mound and on offense," said Brian O'Connor, head coach of the University of Virginia baseball team. "It's so rare at this level to have a player who can impact your program in so many different areas. He's a big reason we've had success at Virginia, and the national team is lucky to have him."

Indeed, Doolittle has put his skills to good use in college. And while he's always proud to play baseball as a Cavalier, he acknowledges that there's something different about playing as an American.

"It's unbelievable, really," Doolittle said. "I'm really happy to be able to wear our country's colors. To get an opportunity to play with the talent we have here is incredible. Everybody steps up their game when they put on these colors."

"It's been great representing the University of Virginia these past two years. But going out in the summers and representing Virginia and the United States is a totally different feeling. We know we have to play the right way every day."

Playing the right way is what this summer is all about. The national team assembles the top players in the country for competition against teams ranging from Cuba to Japan. It's a chance for some of America's best young baseball players to experience new cultures and new styles of play, and to develop as players among their peers from around the country.

"We went to Japan for a week last year, and it was an unbelievable experience," Doolittle said. "And it was great to share that with this talented group of young guys. You don't like it when they're against you [during the college season], but when they're behind you, you gotta love it. This is a bunch of guys who know how to play the right way, and it's a pleasure to be out there with them."

At just 19, Doolittle is already playing the right way. He is considered one of the best college baseball players in the country, and he has the skills that will make him a successful baseball player. But, despite being far ahead of the curve, he's still not satisfied.

"I'm still trying to develop offense and defense as much as I can," he said. "I'm polishing a few pitches, especially my changeup. And I'd like to see myself go deeper into games. And I'm still working on getting a little pop in my bat. I know I need to hit with more power, and I need to get stronger to do that. But I think I'm on the right track."

He may seem to have a long list of things he wants to improve for someone who was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Award, but that is only indicative of the drive that got him this far in the first place. Coach O'Connor attributes Doolittle's consistent effort to fearlessness.

"He's never afraid of anything. For a true freshman to come in here and hit behind [now Major League third baseman] Ryan Zimmerman, and to hit 11 home runs like he did [in 2005], it just shows how mature he was coming into this program," O'Connor said.

"He wants to be the best baseball player he can possibly be. He's so dedicated to this game and what he wants to accomplish in this game that he'll always be working on it. I think he can play baseball for a very long time."

With two years as an All-American college baseball player and two summers with the USA National Baseball Team under his belt, Doolittle has a bright future in this game. There's no telling where he'll end up. But because of his youth and his versatility, and in spite of his ill-fitted last name, right now the sky is the limit.

"I like to always be out there challenging myself," Doolittle said. "That's how you get better at baseball, and that's what I'll keep doing so I can be that much more prepared for whatever's next."