COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) wrapped up a five-game series with Cuba over the weekend, taking three of five games from Cuba as it now turns its focus towards two games this week -- one against Canada Tuesday and another against the USA Pan Am Games Team on Wednesday. Mizzou's Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) and Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) have continued to be outstanding for Team USA, playing key roles for the team. Below is a look.
Ryan Howard -- The sophomore SS has been outstanding this summer, playing in all 15 games for the CNT, starting 14 of those contests at short. He is third on the team with his .353 average, a mark that is tops among infielders on the team. He has scored six runs and driven in three more with four doubles and a homer. He is one of four players for Team USA to homer this summer. It came as a solo shot in an 11-1 win over Cuba on July 4. Howard is third on the team in hits, second in doubles and third in slugging with a .879 OPS.
Tanner Houck -- No Team USA pitcher has thrown more innings or struck out more batters this summer than Houck, who has fanned 14 in 16.2 innings while allowing just one walk. He boasts a 2.16 ERA and is limiting batters to .213 hitting over the summer. The highlight of his summer was starting the opener of the five-game series against Cuba on July 1. Houck tossed 4.0 perfect innings in a combined no-hitter, striking out four in a 2-0 win. In true Houck-like form, he leads the team in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 14-1 (among qualified pitchers).
Houck and Howard will wrap up play with Team USA this week, so be sure to check back with MUTigers.com to see their final stats. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouBaseball.