Illinois baseball’s Tyler Jay couldn’t help but reminisce about his summer while standing inside the warm Irwin Indoor Practice Facility.

Fifteen degrees Fahrenheit feels much different from playing baseball under the hot sun in the Carolinas, the Netherlands and Cuba. Those places are where Jay experienced the opportunity of a lifetime, playing with the top 24 players in the nation for the USA Baseball Collegiate Team.   

“Having USA across your chest is just something that I never thought would happen in my lifetime,” Jay said. “It’s just an unbelievable experience.”

The invitation to join the national team came as a surprise to the junior closer. Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress, the pitching coach for Team USA, called Illinois’ pitching coach Drew Dickinson for suggestions on which Illini to invite. Childress was the pitching coach at Nebraska from 1998-2005 and knew that Illinois would have talent to offer.

Dickinson knew right away that it was Jay, “without a doubt.” Junior Kevin Duchene came to Dickinson’s mind, but the pitcher was sidelined for six weeks during Illinois’ season with forearms tightness. Dickinson knew Jay would take advantage of the challenge and make the national team with ease.

Jay heard the news of his selection right before he was set to leave the clubhouse for summer break. The Illini were eliminated from the Big Ten tournament after an 11-2 loss to Michigan State and didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament. 

Jay’s plan was to play in the Cape Cod League during the summer with some of his teammates until head coach Dan Hartleb told Jay he was invited to try out for the national team.

“I didn’t even know what it was,” Jay said. “I was like, ‘OK, I’ll go for it.’”

He traveled to Cary, North Carolina, to take part in the team’s tryout, beginning with a practice on June 20 and two games over the following days. In the team’s game against the Catawba Valley All-Stars, the closer struck out four batters in 1.2 innings. He made a strong impression: Coaches informed him in the team hotel that he made the team.

For the next month, Jay helped Team USA to an 18-8-2 record. In 15 appearances, the most by any pitcher on the staff, he went 2-0 without giving up an earned run and earning a save. Jay held batters to a .130 average, racked up 21 strikeouts and only allowed six walks.

The Team USA experience gave Jay memories he will remember forever, but also taught him important lessons that he’s brought back to Champaign. He learned that he can compete and play with anybody, no matter the competition.

“He obviously had a lot of confidence this year from last year’s team,” Dickinson said. “He came back with a sense of uber-confidence, which you want on a pitcher.”

That confidence is something Illinois’ coaches know many on the team are feeling heading into the season.

Although Jay was the only player invited to try out, Hartleb is encouraged to see the potential his team holds. Jay’s experience is a recruiting tool — Hartleb can show recruits that he can help them develop their skills and possibly create an opportunity to play for Team USA.

“That’s something that’s not only a great honor for him, but for our program,” Hartleb said. “It shows that we have players that can compete against the top players in the world.”

For now, Jay will have to stay in the moment as his team prepares for the season in frozen Central Illinois. He carries preseason accolades and awards with him, but when he runs to the mound in Beaumont, Texas, during Illinois’ opening weekend, he’ll run with lessons he learned over the summer, knowing he can fight any challenge he faces.

Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @mdwojak94.