ARLINGTON- UT-Arlington’s storied baseball program has produced six Major League players and a trio of big league managers and coaches. But in just two seasons as a Maverick, 19-year-old center fielder Michael Choice has rendered the school’s record book obsolete. In 56 games this spring, he batted .413 with 52 runs batted in and a team-best 11 home runs.
 He reached base in almost half his plate appearances and scored 64 runs-by far the most on the team. In center field, he made only one error and threw out five base runners. This came on the heels of a freshman season that saw him named the Southland Conference’s Freshman of the Year and the second Maverick ever to make a freshman all-America team. For the record, he made five of them. Choice is No. 1 on the school’s all-time list in career batting (.396), and, after just two seasons, is 10th in home runs (18) and just outside the Top 10 in RBIs (103).
He puts his skills on display next week as the first UT Arlington player ever invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials, which continue through June 24 in North Carolina. The trials feature 36 of the top collegiate, non-draft eligible players in the country competing for a spot on the 22-man USA Baseball National Team. He may be UT Arlington’s star player, but he’s happy just to be playing. He came to UT Arlington simply hoping to compete for an outfield spot. He won one in part because of his size (6-0, 210 pounds), arm strength (his throws from center field to home plate have been clocked at 92 mph) and sprinter’s speed (6.6 seconds in the 60-yard dash).