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International Team Lands James Sofield from NJ for Summer 2018

By AAU Baseball, 01/31/18, 12:15PM CST

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AAU USA International Collegiate Team lands James Sofield from New Jersey Tech for Summer 2018

Press Release | Jan. 31, 2018

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—The AAU USA International Collegiate Team has landed a starting pitcher who is big in numerous ways, not just physically, for its 2018 collegiate summer campaign vs Scotland and Ireland this summer, manager Mike Graham announced.

James Sofield (RHP, 6-6, 195), a sidearm slinger who flashes an 85+ mph fastball with movement, joins a program with a history of talented pitchers with elite-level ability. Marked as “Pitcher U.” in the international collegiate summer baseball circles, the team's pitching dominance produced the past two Top Gun pitchers of the year in the Collegiate Baseball League Europe as the Sant Boi Barcelona Falcons (Spain).

D3baseball.com’s NY Region Pitcher of the Year Brian Reed (Rochester Institute of Technology, NY) in 2017 and Brandyn Vogtsberger (NCAA D1 Towson University, Md.) in 2016 each won the award, the league’s equivalent of the Major League Baseball© Cy Young Award given annually to the best pitcher in the pros.

Other notables included MLB Prospect Guide select Stewart Rich (NCAA Division 2 Georgia College & State University) and former East Cobb Astros travel-select team teammate of Atlanta Brave Danby Swanson, MLB’s No. 1 pick in 2015; Northwest Missouri State University's Nikko Pablo, two-time NCAA D2 Pitcher of the Week; and Maryland NJCAA D2 Anne Arundel CC's Dominic Stanbery, Underclassmen AAU All-American.

“James brings a lot of experience to work with on the mound,” Graham said. “He is an all-round good athlete and we are looking equally forward to his leadership with our pitching corps this summer.”

Sofield has an 8.75 ERA in 21 game appearances (1-2 W-L) with 14 strikeouts and 26 walks in 36 innings in two seasons for the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders in D1’s Atlantic Sun Conference.

Last summer he played for the Titustown Titans in the Mid Atlantic Collegiate League in Virginia and the Winnipesaukee Muskrats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) in New Hampshire. He had a 4.50 ERA in 2 game appearances and averaged 9 strikeouts for the Muskrats.

Before college, he was a highly rated prospect when NJIT signed him out of Jackson Liberty High School (NJ). Sofield was selected Coaches All-Division Class B-South Hitter of the Year, two-time first-team All-Division and first-team All-Ocean County, second-team All-Shore and third-team All-State Group 3.

He also played basketball and was All-State, three-time All-Division and All-Shore Class B South as the first 1,000-point scorer in school history.

Sofield played travel baseball with Farrah Builders Scout, a premiere showcase program for elite prospects in the Northeast, in 2011-2014; and Northeast PG Vegas Gold at the 2013 WWBA World Championships.

He was named 2014 Perfect Game USA Preseason All American and All-Northeast Region; 2013 Preseason Underclassmen All American; and All-Tournament Team, 2012 WWBA Underclass World Championship.

“We had one of the most effective rotations and bullpens in the league’s history in 2016 and 2017 and have one arm returning this summer,” Graham said. “In addition to the high level experience he brings to the mound, to be able to add James is exciting for us. He’s a veteran of the collegiate summer leagues and played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, one of the top rated.

“We’ll see what it all looks like when the team gets together and into action in Scotland and Ireland, but everything we’ve developed about James Sofield is positive. We think he’s somebody capable of helping make us championship caliber, and he’s clearly talented and a hard worker.”

Sofield is ready to embrace the challenge. The coaching staff has all the confidence that the newest edition to Pitcher U.’s rotation will carry his success in the college, travel and high school circuits to the international summer collegiate play “across The Pond,” as many Europeans refer to the Atlantic Ocean.

“I’m glad to make it official," Sofield said. "At first, I would not have imagined myself playing [summer ball in Europe], but once I learned about the team and the coaching staff, the idea grabbed me. My family loved it. It’s a great opportunity, and I am really looking forward to the cultural experience and continuing to develop."

About the Team
The AAU USA International Collegiate Team is a premier international collegiate summer team followed by college coaches and pro scouts. The roster includes players ages 18-23 representing all college divisions. The experience offers high-level baseball and cultural exposure to the world at the same time.
For more information about the AAU USA International Collegiate Team, visit: https://aauusaict.wixsite.com/aauusabaseball, http://www.playaaubaseball.com/aau-usa-international.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan and follow AAU USA International Collegiate Team baseball on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AAUGlobal and Twitter at: https://twitter.com/AAUGlobal.

The AAU USA International Collegiate Team is recruiting for summer 2018. Apply to play at https://aauusaict.wixsite.com/aauusabaseball.