West Allegheny’s Hendrick named to USA Baseball 18U national roster

By: Greg Macafee
Monday, August 19, 2019 | 4:00 PM

West Allegheny’s Austin Hendrick has had an impressive summer.

He’s made a name for himself by participating in national showcases, home run derby contests and he even played in MLB’s High School All-Star game at Progressive Field in Cleveland. He hasn’t just competed either; he’s proven to be one of the best high school players in the country.

Another couple of hits here to the opposite field for 2020 OF Austin Hendrick (PA), video is 1B on CH fading away. Has made notable adjustments to swing this summer, maintains elite bat speed & whip; has performed well this summer. #HailState commit. pic.twitter.com/XwciMrxdGT

— Jheremy Brown (@JBrownPG) August 14, 2019

Austin Hendrick (2020 PA) I will just leave this swing here… just shy of the upper deck at one of the biggest ball parks in MLB! #PGAAC pic.twitter.com/ud45NCDor3

— Jered (@JeredGoodwin3) August 10, 2019

Here's OF Austin Hendrick (PA) winning the @UnderArmour All-America Home Run Derby. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/Hra9vdg8qJ

— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 25, 2019

2020 prep RF Austin Hendrick hails from PA and has the best bat speed and raw power in the draft class, on display at the HS HR Derby last weekend in Cleveland. He’s our 8th-ranked prospect in the draft class. Sound on for details where Hendrick hit some balls the day before. pic.twitter.com/ZOLrp8KV2p

— FanGraphs Prospects (@FG_Prospects) July 12, 2019

On Sunday evening, Hendrick was named to USA Baseball’s 18U national team. The final 20-man roster, in which Hendrick is the only player from Pennsylvania, will compete in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea, between Aug. 30-Sept. 8.

#TeamUSA is set. Now bring on the ?.

2019 18U National Team: https://t.co/hh92pKQxGr pic.twitter.com/9xUlzRl04m

— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) August 18, 2019

The @USABaseball18U National Team roster is set. This 20-man roster will head to South Korea for the WBSC World Cup. pic.twitter.com/DciHom2SpP

— Nathan Rode (@NathanRode) August 18, 2019

Over the course of the next few days, the national team will begin training in Fullerton, Calif. before traveling to Taichung, Taiwan to play in three exhibition games against Chinese Taipei.

Hendrick has built a reputation for himself this summer as a player with great bat speed, an above-average arm and a high ceiling. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound outfielder is ranked as one of the top high school prospects in the class of 2020. Perfect Game has him ranked as the No. 3 high school prospect in the class of 2020, and FanGraphs has the West Allegheny slugger listed No. 8.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: West Allegheny