For the first time since 1996 the Cuban National baseball team is in the U.S. to take on a team of college All Stars in a series that begins tonight in Principal Park in Des Moines. TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle is the manager of team USA.
“It’s an honor to play Cuba, I was an assistant coach in this program in 2006 and we spent almost two weeks in Havana,” Schlossnagle says. He says they didn’t end up playing Cuba at that time.
With a roster that includes 16 players aged 25 or older the Cuban National team will have a big edge in terms of experience. “We’ve challenged our guys to not be a team of all stars, but an all-star team. Which is easier said than done in the short amount of time that we’ve been together,” Schlossnagle.
After tonight the series will move to Omaha for games two and three on Friday and Saturday.