Lincoln – Former University of Nebraska pitcher Brian Duensing will get an opportunity to represent his country, as he was added to the U.S. Olympic baseball team.
"It's a very big surprise," the left-handed starter told the Rochester (N.Y). Democrat and Chronicle following the announcement.
Duensing was not on the original 24-man U.S. roster, but was added when Clayton Richard was recalled by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend. The left-hander from Omaha played a major role in Team USA qualifying for the 2008 Olympics, as the United States won the IBAF Baseball World Cup last fall in Taiwan with Duensing as one of the team’s top starters.
Duensing, who pitched at Nebraska from 2002 to 2005, made two starts for Team USA last fall, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA as the United States won the event for the first time since 1974. He earned a win over bronze medalist Japan, allowing one run on three hits over five innings in a 5-1 win. Duensing also pitched well in the gold medal game against Cuba, taking a shutout into the fifth before allowing a pair of runs in Team USA’s 6-3 victory. It was the first Baseball World Cup title in 33 years for the United States and snapped Cuba’s streak of nine straight gold medals in the competition.
This season, Duensing is 5-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 22 starts for Rochester, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. He was originally a third-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2005 and has spent the majority of the last two years with Rochester. Duensing enjoyed his share of success in 2007, compiling a 15-6 record between stints in Double-A and Triple-A. He finished the season ranked third in the International League in ERA and eighth in wins in 2007.
He will make his next scheduled start for Rochester on Friday night before departing for North Carolina, where Team USA will begin an exhibition series with Canada beginning on Aug. 1. In North Carolina, he will see another former Husker, as outfielder Adam Stern was selected to the Canadian Olympic team earlier this month.
During his Husker career, Duensing compiled a 17-2 career record in 45 games, helping the Huskers to a pair of Big 12 titles and College World Series appearances in both 2002 and 2005. In his final year at NU, he was a perfect 8-0 with a 3.00 ERA, as Nebraska swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and won a school-record 57 games.
