LA JOLLA, Calif. – Two former UC San Diego scholar-athletes have officially been named to Team Israel's baseball roster and will compete at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Right-handed pitchers Shlomo Lipetz '05 and Alon Leichman '16 initially made the 44-player expanded roster and were just recently selected as part of the 24-man traveling team. Team Israel's General Manager Peter Kurz submitted the list of athletes to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and Olympic Committee. 

"We are excited to see Shlomo and Alon represent Israel in this year's Olympic Games," said the head coach of UC San Diego baseball Eric Newman. "They are great ambassadors for the sport of baseball, their country and our program at UC San Diego. We wish them great success!" 

Lipetz, the second Israeli ever to play college baseball, began his collegiate career at San Diego Mesa College following his service in the Israeli Defense Forces. Upon transferring to UC San Diego in 2004, Lipetz led the staff with a 5-0 record, posting an ERA of 2.84 with three saves. During his senior season, the Tritons' closer tallied an additional seven saves.  

Lipetz remained in the U.S. following graduation and continued to play baseball in the States (semipro teams in New York), but mostly overseas. With Team Israel, he made appearances in the 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2015 European Championship Qualifiers. During the 2008 tournament, Lipetz led his team and the qualifier in wins (2-0) and came in second overall in strikeouts.  

Like Lipetz, Leichman has seen success on the field, both in the blue and gold and as a member of Team Israel. 

Leichman was the second-youngest player to compete in the 2007 Israel Baseball League, while in 2008, he became the first Israeli to participate in the MLB European Academy. He has represented Team Israel as a pitcher and designated hitter throughout various events and competitions, including the European Championships for multiple years and the World Baseball Classic in 2013. 

After three years at Cypress College (2010-13), Leichman transferred to UC San Diego. As a junior, he started in 12 contests on the mound, generating a record of 7-2 with a 3.71 ERA and tallied 37 Ks. In 2016, his senior season in La Jolla, Leichman tossed 68.2 innings, totaling 48 strikeouts in 14 appearances. In his final outing for the Tritons, he helped pave the way for a come-from-behind, walk-off win in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship. His 2.1 innings of shut out relief led UC San Diego to a 7-6 triumph over Chico State to keep the season alive. 

In addition to his playing career, Leichman has also spent time on the coaching side of the game. He was a bullpen coach for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and was the pitching coach of the South Atlantic League West Virginia Power. Most recently, he became the pitching coach for the Arkansas Travelers – the AA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.  

Both Lipetz and Leichman helped clinched Israel's first-ever Olympic berth in September of 2019 when the team defeated the Netherlands 8-1 at the WBSC Baseball Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier (Parma, Italy).

Team Israel began its Olympic training back in May of 2021. They just opened a series of exhibition games on the East Coast that will run from July 11-20. The baseball tournament at the Olympic Games will kickoff on Wednesday, July 28 and will be played at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium. 

Team Israel Olympic Roster

Pitchers (12): Jeremy Bleich, Jonathan deMarte, Jake Fishman, Alex Katz, Jared Lakind, Alon Leichman, Shlomo Lipetz, Jon Moscot, Joey Wagman, Ben Wanger, Zack Weiss, Josh Zeid. 

Catchers (3): Tal Erel, Ryan Lavarnway, Nick Rickles. 

Infielders (5): Scott Burcham, Ty Kelly, Ian Kinsler, Zach Penprase, Danny Valencia. 

Outfielders (4): Blake Gailen, Mitch Glasser, Assaf Lowengart, Robb Paller. 

2021 Team Israel Exhibition Schedule 

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.