Pending final approval from the United States Olympic Committee, USA Baseball announced that Loyola Marymount University's Frank Cruz will serve as head coach of the 2004 USA Baseball National Team that will represent the United States at the 2004 FISU World University Baseball Championships in Chinese Taipei, July 22-31.

"Coach Cruz has been an integral part of our coaching staff in the past as an assistant, and we're very fortunate to be able to welcome him back as our head coach for the upcoming summer," said Steve Cohen, USA Baseball director of National Teams. "Frank is highly respected in the collegiate coaching community and we appreciate him making this commitment again to USA Baseball."

This will be Cruz's second tour of duty with USA Baseball. He served as an assistant on the 2000 USA Baseball National Team that posted an overall record of 27-3-1, and captured a gold medal at the 2000 Haarlem Baseball Week Championships in The Netherlands. He is the first USA Baseball National Team head coach to be affiliated with the West Coast Conference.

"I am extremely humbled to be able to work with the finest athletes in the country," said Cruz. "I look forward to being a part of a gold medal-winning team in the world championships and wearing the USA uniform."

In June, USA Baseball will invite 36 of the nation's top freshman and sophomore collegiate players to the USA Baseball National Team Trials. After the team is selected, Cruz will guide Team USA through their second summer of play at their new headquarters in the North Carolina Triangle Region. The 2004 USA Baseball National Team will play a pair of four-game series at Durham Bulls Athletic Park against two different international opponents (TBD). Team USA will also travel to Japan for their annual five-game series against the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars --- the 33rd annual meeting of the two countries --- and then return to the United States to play approximately 10 more domestic games before traveling to the FISU World University Championships.

Cruz enters his eighth season directing the LMU baseball program, currently just three victories shy of the 200-win plateau. The West Los Angeles native led the Lions to three consecutive West Coast Conference Championships (the first time in LMU history) and three straight appearances in the NCAA Regionals (1998-2000). A 40-19 overall record in 2000 earned Cruz his second WCC Coach of the Year honor, following his first in 1998.

USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the USA Baseball Olympic Team, the USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate), the USA Baseball Junior National Team (18-under), and the USA Baseball Youth National Team (16-under).