Wagman to Start on Mound for Team Israel vs. Team USA Tonight
7/29/2021 10:37:00 AM | Baseball
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Former Cal Poly pitching standout Joey Wagman will start on the mound for Team Israel against the United States Olympic Team in the 202One Tokyo Olympics on Friday in Yokohama Stadium.
The Group B game begins at 3 a.m. Pacific and can be viewed on NBCOlympics.com. Click here for the video stream.
Team Israel opened its competition in the Olympics with a 10-inning 6-5 loss to South Korea on Thursday, surrendering the winning run on a bases-loaded walk.
Joey Wagman, just to the left of Israeli flag, shown after team won Olympic qualifier in 2019.
A graduate of Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., Wagman was a two-time team captain, two time First Team All-Big West Conference pitcher, and an NCAA Division I All American at Cal Poly from 2010-13.
Wagman's 27 career wins are the most in Cal Poly's 27 Division I seasons and tied for No. 2 all-time. His 318 1/3 career innings pitched and 259 career strikeouts both are No. 5 on the all-time list.
Wagman broke Cal Poly's school record for wins in a season, earning his 13th at the 2013 NCAA Los Angeles Regional inside Jackie Robinson Stadium as he pitched eight innings in a 9-2 victory over San Diego.
Joey Wagman at Opening Ceremony.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 17th round, Wagman earned 21 wins in five minor league seasons, compiling a 4.43 ERA. He also played on four independent teams, notching seven more wins.
In addition to his seven years of play in the minor and independent leagues, reaching as high as Double-A, Wagman has competed at some of the highest levels of professional and international baseball, including the 2017 World Baseball Classic for Team Israel. Ranked No. 41 in the world at the time, Israel beat No. 3 South Korea, No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 9 Netherlands in the first round, and then No. 5 Cuba in the second round before bowing out.
In 2019 Wagman led the Israel National Baseball Team through four qualifying tournaments, successfully advancing to the Olympics for the first time in history.
The squad won qualifying tournaments in Bulgaria and Lithuania, finished in the top four in Germany and defeated top seeds Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain in Italy to win the tournament and become one of only six teams from around the world to qualify to play in the Tokyo Olympics.
Team USA earned its spot in the Olympics after finishing a perfect 4-0 in the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier in June. Three-time World Series champion Mike Scioscia is the manager for Team USA.
With his four-pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, changeup and slider, Wagman was named Most Valuable Pitcher in both Germany and Italy, allowing one earned run in 26 innings with 22 strikeouts and no walks. He was the only pitcher in the four tournaments to throw a complete game, a three-hit shutout to kick off the finals in Italy against Spain.
Wagman did not play any baseball in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympics were postponed one year for the same reason. Wagman prepared for the Olympics by playing for Tempo Praha in Prague, Czech Republic, this spring. He compiled a 5-2 win-loss record and 1.98 ERA with one complete game and 74 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings. Opponents hit just .218 against the right-hander and Wagman struck out 11 batters three times and 10 in another game.
Wagman earned his degree in international business at Cal Poly in 2013. He joins first baseman/outfielder Jimmy Van Ostrand as former Mustang baseball players in the Olympics. Van Ostrand, who played at Cal Poly from 2005-06, played for Team Canada in the 2008 Olympics and went 4-for-15 (a .267 average).
Wagman celebrated his 30th birthday in Tokyo on July 25.
