Baseball Signees Dahl And Russell Win Gold With USA Baseball 18U Team - AuburnTigers.com

Baseball Signees Dahl And Russell Win Gold With USA Baseball 18U Team Baseball Signees

Addison Russell and David Dahl won gold with the USA Basball 18U National Team

Dec. 2, 2011

A pair of Auburn baseball signees helped the USA Baseball 18U National Team to the 2011 COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American Championship in Cartagena, Columbia last week. Addison Russell and David Dahl, who signed National Letters of Intent with Auburn in November, hit .393 and .364, respectively, in the nine-game tournament in which the team went undefeated.

"We are so very proud of the way these two Auburn men represented our great country as part of the gold medal winning Team USA," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. "I know that our fans are looking forward to cheering for them as Auburn Tigers next year."

Russell, from Pace, Fla., was named First Team All-Tournament at shortstop after going 11-for-28 with three doubles, a triple and a home run, driving in nine RBIs and scoring 11 runs. Defensively he had a .977 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 43 chances. In the championship game, a 12-2 win over Canada, he was 2-for-3 with a walk, four RBIs and three runs scored.

Dahl, on outfielder from Birmingham, was 12-for-33 with two doubles, a triple, nine RBIs and 11 runs scored. He was also an impressive 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts. In the final four games of the series, he hit leadoff and was 5-for-14 (.357) with four walks, four RBIs and three runs scored. Defensively Dahl was outstanding, making a few diving catches and also helping to turn a double-play in the eighth-inning of the gold medal-clinching win over Canada.

"Both of these future Auburn Tigers have handled themselves in a first-class manner throughout the recruiting process and through all of the attention they have received from being two of the top players in the country. We are happy that Addison, David, and their families are part of the Auburn Family," Pawlowski said.

Click here to watch Dahl and Russell and the rest of the 18U National Team announce their college selections

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