2023 National Team Championships - North Carolina | Official Event Program

OFFICIAL EVENT PROGRAM

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A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO

On behalf of the national governing body for baseball in the United States, I am honored and privileged to welcome you to the 2023 National Team Championships!

2022 was a ‘Golden Year’ for USA Baseball, as our 12U, 15U, and 18U National Teams won gold on the international stage at their respective World Cups. It was the first time the U.S. has ever won gold at all three youth world championships in a single year. After such a momentous year for our organization, we are excited to build upon that success this summer, and that starts with the National Team Championships.

The National Team Championships is USA Baseball’s longest-running event and boasts a veritable Who’s Who list of former participants who have gone on to play for Team USA and in the Major Leagues. Alex Bregman, Bryce Harper, Eric Hosmer, and Clayton Kershaw are just a few of the names that have played in this event, gone on to make a USA Baseball national team, represented their country on the international stage, and later had a successful professional career. Simply put, this event is where future stars earn their stripes.

The event began as the Junior Olympics in Fort Myers, Florida, in 1996 and served as an identification event for the USA Baseball 16U National Team. The event has transformed and experienced tremendous growth over the last 25 years, with more than 330 teams participating in this event in either Arizona or North Carolina, allowing these young athletes to compete against the best teams in the country. More importantly, they will have the opportunity to earn an invitation to play for Team USA. The National Team Championships is an identification event for the 15U National Team, as well as our 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP) and 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). No other event in the country offers the opportunities the National Team Championships do, and we hope you are all proud to have been invited to this event.

As you enter the National Training Complex, you will notice the latest investment in developing young baseball talent in our country is under construction. Last year we broke ground on our new offices and indoor high-performance training center as the organization continues to transform and grow, matching our goals to our commitment to baseball players in the United States. We cannot wait to show you the finished product by the end of this year. However, in the meantime, we ask you to pardon the mess and feel free to learn more by visiting USABaseball.com/About/Build-For-Glory.

We are committed to bringing first-class competition to the field, so we wish you all good luck as you strive to win a championship, but also look to earn an invitation to a USA Baseball national team or development program. The experiences the athletes, coaches, and families will go through during this tournament will create memories and present numerous challenges and opportunities that could remain with you for an entire lifetime. It is an incredible byproduct of being an elite athlete.

Once again, welcome to the 2023 National Team Championships! On behalf of our staff, we cannot wait for you to get here and show us what you've got.

Yours in baseball,

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@USABaseball @USABaseball @USABChamps_NC @usabchamps

Paul V. Seiler Executive Director/CEO USA Baseball

The National Team Championships is proud to be a FULL COMPLIANCE Pitch Smart event.

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15U GAME SCHEDULE

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FRIDAY, JULY 14

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10 THINGS TO KNOW

ABOUT THE NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NORTH CAROLINA

Starting at Champs. In 26 years as a primary identification event for Team USA, National Team Championships has seen its fair share of exceptional talent. MLB All-Stars like Nick Castellanos, Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Francisco Lindor, and Manny Machado all made their way to playing for the red, white and blue through this tournament.

Gear up. Participants and fans alike can stop by the USA Baseball Shop at the National Training Complex while attending the National Team Championships North Carolina or shop anytime on the USA Baseball Shop website.

The more the merrier. More age groups, more chances to have the best talent in the country battling for gold. The 13U tournament returns in 2023 after making its debut in 2022.

Watch from anywhere. Fans can watch every game of the NTIS Champions Cup two ways:

1) Tune into USABaseball. TV and create a free account.

2) Download YouTube onto all your devices and follow @USABaseballTV. Want to watch games from your couch? Make sure the YouTube app is on your Smart TV, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, or Roku, and check out the @USABaseballTV channel.

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New and improved. With the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program and 16U/17U National Team Development Program expanding from 40 to 80 invitations, the National Team Championships will continue to churn out future USA Baseball talent. The 2022 National Team Championships North Carolina had 27 players identified for 15U National Team Training Camp and 32 players identified for the 16U/17U National Team Development Program.

Nonstop action. The 2022 tournament saw 230 games played, 2,143 runs scored, 2,763 strikeouts thrown, and 2,769 hits collected. The 2023 edition is slated to be packed with more action in Cary, and fans can follow the action live (weather permitting) through GameChanger.

Check your swing. The National Team Championships North Carolina is a USABat-certified event, and all participants must use an approved bat. Bats that are not USABat-certified are prohibited. Additional information on USABat specifications can be found here.

Set yourself apart. The best athletes are defined –and strengthened – by more than just what they can do in-game. All participants at the National Team Championships North Carolina will undergo Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) Performance Assessment testing to assess their baseball and athletic skills with state-of-the-art technology so they know exactly where they stand and where they can improve.

Eyes are on you. No one goes unnoticed at the National Team Championships. The event is one of the biggest on the scouting calendar so there will be plenty of eyes on all the participants as USA Baseball scouts, National Team coaches, college coaches, and scouts from MLB Clubs evaluate every athlete.

Stay connected. To keep up with all things National Team Championships North Carolina, follow along on Twitter (@USAChamps_NC) and Instagram (@USABEvents). To stay up-to-date on all things USA Baseball, follow @ USABaseball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

THE ROAD TO PLAY

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THE GOLD STANDARD

A LOOK BACK AT TEAM USA’S 15U WORLD CUP TITLE IN 2022

At USA Baseball there is a mantra of ‘The Gold Standard.’ Simply put, it is the mindset to win gold on one of the biggest stages of the sport.

This standard is most certainly lived out, as Team USA has 110 gold medals to its name since the organization became the national governing body for baseball in 1978. Its 15U National Team was one of three U.S. squads to win gold at its respective World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball World Cup last summer, joining the 12U and 18U programs in accomplishing the feat. It was the first time that Team USA has ever won a gold medal at all three youth World Cups in a single year.

“The gold standard sounds a little aggressive sometimes, but it's more about a pursuit of excellence and a pursuit of perfection,” said USA Baseball Chief Executive Officer Paul Seiler. “Achieving perfection is a relative term, but it’s hard to do. If you look at what our responsibility is, as an organization, specific to international competition and an athletic representation, it's the sport of baseball wrapped in the American flag.

“When you take those two tenants of our identity, at least on the field, there’s a very high expectation in this country, and it’s one that we embrace of performing well at the highest level while competing for gold medals.”

Winning gold is not as easy as Team USA may make it seem, though. There is so much more that goes into ‘The Gold Standard’ than just coming out on top. What was an incredible run for the U.S. on the international stage could not have been done without the buy-in and commitment from players, coaches, and staff members.

“It truly takes a village to put the summer together from a behind-the-scenes standpoint, and for us to come out on top is extremely special. Three World Cups in one summer just never happens, and it was an unbelievable experience for our organization,” said former 12U and 15U National Team Program Director Will Schworer.

“We had comebacks, we had losses, we dealt with adversity off the field from the normal challenges involved when traveling for a competition, but we controlled what we were able to control and at

the end of the day, we were able to truly come together. Everybody involved just has so much willingness to do what it takes in the pursuit to win gold, and it speaks volumes to the drive behind USA Baseball.”

While being a part of a national team is a great honor, there comes a responsibility when chosen to represent Team USA. A large component of that responsibility is a level of maturity.

As a teenager there are a lot of highs and lows emotionally, and trying to navigate through the growing pains of life can be a tough task. For this year’s 15U National Team though, their identity was that they were a steadfast team. They managed to show maturity beyond their years when it came to how they handled tough situations, and it served as a large factor for ultimately defending its World Cup title.

“It’s a credit to those young players, who they are and how they studied themselves in a challenging environment,” said 15U National Team Manager Drew Briese. “We had a large group of guys who were just super steady and even keel. They never got too high or too low. It was really a credit to the young people that we had and how they went about their business. It was one of the reasons that I really, really loved that team. I loved coaching them because of the mentality that they had.”

One of the hardest situations that the 15U team faced the entire time in Hermosillo, Mexico, was the hostile environment that they played in. The environment not only created intense situations in games, but it also created incredible memories for this team as their story unfolded.

“The moment was never too big for those young people,” said Briese. “When you get into a situation where you're in a foreign country, and most of the stadium of several thousand people are against you, you worry a bit about what the what the response is going to be, but they answered. The moments of those young men playing under pressure, and the way that the team performed will always stick out as great memories.”

In its second game of the tournament the U.S. had to face Venezuela after a wild 29-0 win over South Africa the day before. The team trailed 5-1 heading into the final frame but scored four runs, impressively all while down to its final out, to earn a 5-4 walk-off victory.

Likewise, in its Super Round game against Panama it managed to earn another walk-off victory. This game was crucial in the pursuit of gold, as it was coming off a 12-6 setback to Japan and therefore could not endure another loss. The squad faced a 5-4 deficit heading into the bottom of the seventh, and just as it looked as though Panama might have been able to put the U.S. away, Coy

James homered to tie the game and force extra innings. In the eighth, Alex Harrington’s sacrifice fly brought the game-winning run across.

“The Venezuela and Panama games were probably my favorite memories from the tournament,” said James, who earned Most Valuable Player honors at the event. “I’ll tell those stories forever. In the Venezuela game we were down 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, and I remember leading with a hit to get us going and eventually scored after a couple of walks to make it 4-2 with two outs. With how intense the crowd was, we really didn’t know if we were going to be able to pull it out, but we managed to create some runs with a couple more hits to win the game.

“When we played Panama, we were down late again, but I homered in the seventh to tie the game up and go to extras. It was a great feeling when I ran around the bases back to my teammates, and we ended up winning that game too. We were all going crazy at the end, and it was just a really cool environment to be in.”

After a shutout victory over Chinese Taipei in its second Super Round game, its final test of the tournament was Cuba. The squad had to beat Cuba in back-to-back games on the path to its world title, but the challenge wasn’t anything new for this team. Just like several of its previous games, there were several thousand fans in the stands and nearly all of them were cheering against the United States.

In the preview of the gold medal game, it was as though the crowd added fuel to the fire as the U.S. easily handed Cuba with an 11-1 result. It was a complete performance

by the stars and stripes as it tallied 12 hits at the plate and held the opposition to one hit with seven strikeouts.

The gold medal game was a much different story though, as the teams were tied at 3-3 after the first three innings. Ethan Holliday’s RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth inning plated what proved to be the game-winning run, and that moment combined with four shutout innings in relief by Zane Burns and Ryan Harwood gave the U.S. just what it needed to complete the task of bringing home gold and winning a second straight world championship.

“I vividly remember the end of that gold medal game when it was 4-3 in the top of the seventh and Cuba had runners at the corners with one out,” said Schworer. “Zane Burns had an unbelievable outing, but Ryan Harwood took over and only need eight pitches to strike out the final two batters. There were about 3,500 people in the stands chanting ‘Sí, se puede’ in that moment, rooting for Cuba and against the United States. Credit to the guys on the field for coming together as a cohesive unit and playing for each other. It was it was an unreal experience and phenomenal to watch come to fruition.”

Once a player is immersed in the Team USA experience and understands what it means to uphold the gold standard, it becomes something they are forever a part of. Only a select group of players get to know what the pursuit of gold is like; what it means to never give up, how to have a steadfast approach to any situation, and how it feels to reach their ultimate goal. But, more importantly, the off-field aspects become just as intrinsic for players and coaches alike. The importance of individual success fades into the background when one is a part of USA Baseball and gives way to continuing to build upon the foundation they stand upon, aiming to make it better for those who are to follow. USA Baseball becomes a part of one’s makeup, and is something they carry with them everywhere they go.

“I think success breeds success,” said Seiler. “I believe there are so many of our athletes and coaches who desire to maintain the excellence that those before them have achieved.

“I feel like as we've grown as an organization and our pipeline of opportunity has expanded, that's it’s created different avenues and opportunities to have more and more players and their families connected to what it means to be involved with USA Baseball. As soon as you get close to the epicenter of being on a USA Baseball national team, I think it’s easy to understand what you’re playing for.”

And what they’re playing for, of course, is this gold standard that was created in 1978 which ultimately led to a record-breaking summer for Team USA.

BEHIND THE UNIFORM: WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT TOGETHER A TEAM USA ROSTER

Representing Team USA as a coach or player is an experience unlike any other. It is an opportunity for some of the best in baseball to come together to pursue a common goal: to win gold on the international stage.

From the outside looking in, most people only get to see the surface of what it entails to put together a national team. Public announcements of who will make up the coaching staff and roster, the schedule of events, and the outcome are all just a small part of what goes on behind the scenes to compile the best possible team.

Behind the scenes, a considerable amount effort from the USA Baseball staff goes into the process of identifying a leader, determining a staff, and building a roster. It is a process that begins roughly six to nine months before

that respective team’s international competition and involves difficult and complex decisions.

“Constructing a national team is like a puzzle, and everything that we do behind the scenes contributes to not only identifying the best players, but the best people to make up a coaching staff and support staff,” said USA Baseball Chief Executive Office Paul Seiler. “One of the biggest challenges is making sure we find the right pieces so that at least when we begin our journey to playing for a gold medal, we feel like the puzzle is pretty completed. We have a good picture of where we want to go and how we will get there.”

ASSEMBLING THE STAFF

The primary part of assembling a national team is identifying a manager who will lead and embody what it means to represent Team USA. USA Baseball’s staff considers many variables when choosing who to give that responsibility to. Of course, their prior successes on the field matter, but more importantly, how they can connect with and motivate players and embrace what Team USA stands for helps complete the makeup of the ideal manager.

“The process of identifying a manager for a national team varies between the programs,” said National Teams General Manager Ashley Bratcher. “You need that person to be familiar with the age of the athletes who they will ultimately lead, but also, we try to look for someone that will represent our national team programs well and uphold our standards and expectations of our athletes.”

But just as important as identifying the right manager to lead a national team, it is just as vital for the manager to surround themselves with a staff that can identify the top talent and character at the respective identification events for their squad.

“I tried to surround myself with knowledgeable people through the entire process, people at all levels from high school, to college, to pro, to working with USA Baseball,” recalled 2022 18U National Team Manager Denny Hocking, who led Team USA to gold medals at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup and World Cup Americas Qualifier.

“My number one thing while being in charge of a team is building relationships, so for me, it was important to put people in roles at the PDP League where they would be able to learn about the kids because I wanted an honest evaluation of the 100 players that we had there. It was about what 20 puzzle pieces we were going to put together in order to be the best representation of Team USA.”

THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS

When preparing for an international competition, determining a roster is one of the most complex parts of the entire process. From the hundreds of players in each age group who put their talent on display to the coaches and staff members, only 18 are selected for the 12U National Team, while 20 are chosen for the 15U, 18U, and Women’s National Teams. Meanwhile, the Collegiate National Team carries 26 players and the Professional National Team’s roster size ranges from 24-30 players based on the event.

It’s not always about finding the best players, though. It’s about finding the right players.

“When we’re identifying players, we tend to look for qualities that would play well in the international environment,” explained 2022 15U National Team Manager Drew Briese, who led the team to its second

consecutive World Cup title last summer. “An international environment can be very hostile, so some of the things that we were looking for with that [15U] team were guys who were highly competitive, had the ability to handle adversity, and their qualities as a person fit into the team dynamic.

“If you want to find the right folks to hit the field and win that gold medal, you have to have that mentality in the team chemistry and dynamic in order to do it.”

Selecting a national team is an intricate process. With such a large pool of talented players to choose from that can compete at a high level, the few who are selected must be able to not only fill the roles needed but also have the intangibles. The things that can’t be taught on a ball field.

“Everyone's pretty much in agreement on who the first 10 to 12 players are, but it's those last few pieces for the roles that we need that you can't miss on because those are what's really going to determine your success,” said 2022 12U National Team Manager R.J. Farrell, who guided the squad to an 8-0 record and a gold medal at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. “It’s tough at any age group once you get the top players to Training Camp. They all can play the game, and they all bring something that's really, really good.

“When you start getting to where you're going to make the selection of who's going to actually make the national team, it comes down to who fits what piece that we feel we need. It’s a really difficult process, and there’s a lot of conversation involved. But at the end of the day, it's what we have to do.”

Most national teams have a primary identification event where the national team staff and a group of Task Force members carefully evaluate every player in the event. However, the selection process varies between each national team program.

For the 12U and 15U teams, the process for selecting players starts at USA Baseball’s identification events: The Futures Invitational, the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, and the National Team Identification Series.

The primary identification event for the 18U National Team is the Prospective Development Pipeline (PDP) League, which features 100 of the top eligible players for the following year’s draft. Meanwhile, the Women’s National Team process begins with the Women’s National Open, a three-day event for players around the country to compete for a Team USA roster spot.

In addition to the Women’s National Open, a large chunk of the identification for the Women’s National Team comes from various joint events that USA Baseball hosts alongside Major League Baseball throughout the calendar year. With women’s baseball still on the rise, these events give staff members and players a unique chance to build relationships while honing in on the development aspect of the game.

From these identification events, the coaching staff determines a Training Camp roster of 36-72 players to advance to the next step towards deciding who will wear U-S-A across their chest.

With the Collegiate National Team, the best 48-56 nondraft eligible players are selected for a Training Camp as the initial step towards identifying its national team each year. With the short time window from the end of the college season to when the team preps for its event, the players are evaluated throughout their season, giving USA Baseball a chance to recognize the best of college baseball.

“It's great for USA Baseball to put together its very best collegiate players to play international competition year in and year out,” said Professional and Collegiate National Teams General Manager Eric Campbell. “But the segment where college players play peer to peer during our annual Stars and Stripes series in which we pick our final team is an exceptional week and a lifetime baseball experience that no one will forget, regardless of if they make the final national team or not.”

Likewise, with the Professional National Teams, those squads are composed of the top Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball players who are evaluated based on current and past performances at the professional level.

“It's exciting when MLB designates a pool of players that are available for a Professional National Team event,” added Campbell. “Those guys are playing for their club and are reaching for the pinnacle of the game, but it's exciting for everyone at USA Baseball when we can put our nation's uniform on those professional players. They've earned it based on their performance in any given year.”

For the national teams that select their roster from Training Camp, that stage could be considered the toughest part of the entire process. It is an intense three to four days and with a lot of conversation involved. Each night, the coaching staffs hold a meeting to evaluate the talent in front of them and determine who will represent Team USA. Because so many factors go into deciding that 18-20 player roster, the conversations can take hours.

“The difficulty during Training Camp to figure out that final roster is unlike anything else you experience,” said former 12U and 15U National Team Program Director Will Schworer. “Being in that room where they're talking about phenomenal athletes and how one might carry himself better off the field, or how one has a better bat but another player might be better defensively, is intense. The conversations can last hours, and it’s not an easy process.

“Just getting to the Training Camp roster is difficult, but once you’re looking for those final 18-20 guys, you really have to consider the intangibles on top of the talent. A lot of deep conversation goes into that selection process, and it’s not an easy one.”

SELECTION DAY

Once a national team is selected, several different emotions surface for all involved. There’s the slight relief that the selection process has been completed, so much excitement that the best possible roster has been put together, and anticipation to really begin the journey to win gold.

“Selection Day is an interesting day because not only am I telling 20 players that they have made the national team, but I am also releasing 20 players and letting them know they didn’t make the team,” said USA Baseball alum and two-time Women’s National Team Manager Veronica Alvarez. “It’s a mix of emotions because I very much empathize with those players who I have to release knowing how hard they have worked to get to that stage, but it’s also exciting to present the news to the 20 who make it and let them know they are representing USA Baseball.

“By selecting someone to the Women's National Team, it means that not only have they excelled on the field, but that they encompass everything that it means to represent the game and represent women within the game.”

Alvarez is a four-time Women’s National Team alum and served as manager in 2019 and 2022, so having the experience as a player and a manager has given her a deeper appreciation for what it truly means to wear the U-S-A letters across your chest.

“Having been a player on the Women’s National Team, I have a love and passion for what it means to represent Team USA. I have really high expectations for the women who follow because I want them to be successful and understand what that looks like. But now, being on the coaching side, I’ve moved away from having a personal goal or accomplishment, and I now understand what it means to help somebody else accomplish a goal. I wear the uniform with pride and very much feel this responsibility to uphold the standards of USA Baseball and what it means to be a woman within the game.”

The journey to pursuing gold is extensive, but it is one that provides so much reward to all involved. It’s a gratifying experience for those staff members and coaches who get to see all of the months of hard work finally come to fruition when Team USA competes on the international stage. Therefore, no matter what capacity you are serving in, it’s a badge of honor to be able to represent the red, white, and blue through America’s Pastime.

WHERE FUTURE STARS EARN THEIR STRIPES

CLAYTON KERSHAW

Clayton Kershaw had the opportunity to showcase his talent at the National Team Championships and would later represent the U.S, joining the 18U National Team in 2005. His professional career began in 2006 after being drafted No. 7 overall in the 2006 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and all he has done since then is become one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball. Across his illustrious 16-year major league career, Kershaw’s resume includes an MVP Award in 2014, the Pitching Triple Crown in 2011, three Cy Young Awards, five ERA titles, nine All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove, among numerous other accomplishments. In addition to these, Kershaw helped the Dodgers take home the 2020 World Series Championship, pitching to a 2.93 ERA across five starts during Los Angeles’ postseason run. As of early 2023, Kershaw ranks 21st on the all-time career strikeouts leaderboard and 38th in career ERA.

BRYCE HARPER

Bryce Harper took part in the National Team Championships as a member of the San Diego Show. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native went on to compete for the 16U National Team in 2008 and then the 18U National Team the following year before earning the Golden Spikes Award in 2010 while attending the College of Southern Nevada. Harper was the No. 1 pick by the Washington Nationals in 2010 and quickly made his debut with the team just two years later. At age 19, he won Rookie of the Year and was named an All-Star after smashing 22 home runs and boasting an average of .270. The seven-time All-Star earned his first MVP award in 2016 following a monstrous season where he slugged 49 home runs and knocked in 99 runs. Harper led the league in runs (118), home runs (42), OBP (.460), SLG (.649), and OPS (1.109) that season in what would be his first of two MVP awards. Harper signed with the Phillies in 2019 at age 26 and secured his second MVP award in 2021 thanks to

a league-leading 42 doubles, 35 home runs, and an OPS above 1.000, the third time in his career he’d achieved that feat. In 2022, Harper helped lead Philadelphia to the World Series by slashing an incredible .349/.414/.746 with six home runs in 17 postseason games, including a clutch two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game Five of the NLCS against the San Diego Padres that essentially sent his team to the Fall Classic.

FREDDIE FREEMAN

Before leading the Atlanta Braves to a World Series Championship in 2021, Freddie Freeman stopped by the National Team Championships on his way to compete with the 2005 16U National Team and the 2008 18U National Team. The first baseman became a second-round pick in the 2007 MLB Draft and spent 12 seasons with the Braves following his debut in 2010. Across his storied career in Atlanta, Freeman collected five All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and an MVP honor. His MVP award came in the abbreviated 2020 season,

where he slashed an elite .341/.462/.640 while leading the MLB in runs scored and doubles. Following the 2021 season, Freeman headed west in free agency to join the Los Angeles Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million contract. The Southern California native picked up right where he left off with his new team, being named an All-Star once again in his home ballpark and making an All-MLB team at the end of the year for the fourth consecutive season.

ALEX BREGMAN

Alex Bregman played in the National Team Championships before competing on the 16U, 18U, and Collegiate National Teams ahead of his major league days. He was named the USA Baseball Player of the Year in 2010, the first high schooler to receive this honor. A five-time Team USA alum, Bregman was drafted by the Houston Astros with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He made his debut with the club in 2016, just a year after being named USA Today Minor League Player of the Year with 24 home runs and a .300 batting average. Bregman began 2017 by rejoining Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, where he took home a gold medal after registering two key hits for the national squad. Later that year, he helped guide the Astros to the organization’s first ever World Series. Bregman was named an All-Star in the subsequent two years, and in 2019, he won his first career Silver Slugger and finished as the runner-up in the AL MVP race courtesy of a career-high 41 home runs and a 1.015 OPS. In 2022, he won his second World Series Championship, helping the Astros reach the promised land by slashing .294/.379/.569 with eight extra-base hits in the postseason.

MANNY MACHADO

Manny Machado participated in the National Team Championships and later played on the 18U National Team in 2009. Machado led the team in home runs with two, and also helped lead them to a gold medal in the COPABE Pan Am “AAA” Championships. The following year, he was named the All-USA Today High School Baseball Player of the Year out of Brito Miami Private High School (Miami, Fla.). Machado was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the No. 3 pick in the 2010 Draft and made his debut with the team in 2012 at age 20. In his first full season in the majors, Machado led the league with 51 doubles en route to his first ever All-Star appearance. The six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner hit 30+ home runs in four of his first seven seasons, playing with the Orioles for seven seasons before spending the latter half of 2018 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed with the San Diego Padres in 2019 for $300 million and took home the Silver Slugger Award in the shortened 2020 season. Machado’s finest full season in San Diego came in 2022, where he finished as the runner-up in the NL MVP race and helped bring the Padres to their first National League Championship Series (NLCS) in 24 years.

KE’BRYAN HAYES

Ke’Bryan Hayes competed in the National Team Championships and went on to play for the 18U National Team in 2014. Team USA took home the gold medal in the COPABE Pan Am “AAA” Championships that year, with Hayes hitting an impressive .486 with three extrabase hits throughout the tournament. He tallied the

second highest on-base percentage on the 18U National Team and knocked in nine runs across the 12-game span. Hayes was a first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 and made his debut five years later in the abbreviated 2020 campaign after being a highlyrated prospect throughout his entire time in the minors. He finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year race that year despite only playing in 24 of the season’s 60 games, mainly due to a sterling .376 batting average and 11 extra-base hits in that span. Hayes inked an eight-year, $70 million extension with the Pirates prior to the 2022 season, as he looks to be one of the cornerstones for an up-and-coming team in Pittsburgh.

KYLE TUCKER

Prior to becoming one of MLB’s best young corner outfielders, Kyle Tucker made his mark at the National Team Championships and earned a spot with the 15U National Team in 2012. This experience helped Tucker get selected fifth overall by the Houston Astros in the 2015 MLB Draft, and he quickly became one of the top prospects in baseball soon thereafter. After a few brief stints in the majors in 2018 and 2019, he earned his way into the Astros’ starting lineup at the beginning of 2020 and showcased his immense potential by clubbing nine home runs and a league leading six triples in just 58 games. Tucker’s first full season in 2021 was his breakout campaign, as he secured himself a spot on the All-MLB Second Team by posting a .294/.359/.557 slash line with 30 home runs and 92 RBI. His 2022 campaign was arguably even better, with him earning his first career All-Star appearance and Gold Glove Award while helping to lead Houston to its second ever World Series Championship. At the beginning of 2023, Tucker made his return to USA Baseball as a member of Team USA’s silver-medal winning team in the World Baseball Classic, where he went 5-for-15 with four RBIs in four games.

KYLE LEWIS

Kyle Lewis made the trip to the National Team Championships and would go on to dominate at Mercer University. With the Bears, Lewis was awarded the 2016 Golden Spikes Award thanks to his 20 homers, 72 RBIs, and a .395/.535/.731 line. The former National Team Championships participant was selected 11th overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2016 MLB Draft and immediately became their top prospect. The center fielder made his MLB debut in 2019, where he became just the second player in MLB history to homer in each of his first three games. Lewis carried this success into 2020, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award by slashing .262/.364/.437 with 11 homers. In late 2022, Lewis was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he will look to build upon his early career success.

2023 ADP & NTDP COORDINATOR SPOTLIGHTS

Since 2012, the USA Baseball 13U/14U Athlete Development Program and 16U/17U National Team Development Program have served as two of the primary methods for identifying up-and-coming athletes as potential fits for the organization’s national teams.

Between the two programs, more than 100 players will participate in on-field skills development, off-field education training sessions, intrasquad scrimmages, and more over the course of four days this summer. The Task Force, which is a group made up of coaches who have experience at the high school, college, and professional levels, takes this time to evaluate these players on their overall skill sets, and by the events’ conclusions, a select few will earn an invitation to participate in future USA Baseball national team programming.

In order to get the best out of these young athletes, the ADP and NTDP have historically brought on star-studded lineups of current coaches across all levels of the game and former players to the coaching staff to impart their wisdom accordingly. The groups chosen for 2023 are no exception to this, as the coordinators tabbed to lead the programs this year bring a wealth of baseball experience to the table, both out on the field and in the dugout.

Captaining both the ADP and NTDP as the field coordinator is Jim Koerner, the Director of Player Development with USA Baseball. He returns as the head of both events after serving in the same roles a year ago for the first time.

Prior to joining the organization, Koerner was the longtime head coach at North Carolina Central University,

where he set the school record for most wins in a season on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2018. He also spent time on the coaching staffs at numerous other collegiate programs, including Buffalo, Marshall, Monmouth, and Medaille College.

Despite being relatively new to the programs, Koerner has already seen firsthand how important they are to USA Baseball as a whole.

““It's an exciting process,” Koerner said. “We look to bring in the best players in those age groups that we can find throughout the country, and expose them to the best coaches and techniques that are at our disposal to give them the best baseball experience we can.”

Leading the pitchers at the NTDP is longtime MLB veteran Brad Penny, who returns to the program after working as a pitching coach and roving instructor last year. Penny played 14 seasons in the major leagues, finishing his career with 121 wins, 1,273 strikeouts, and a 4.29 ERA in 1,925 innings pitched. He won a World Series Championship as a member of the Florida Marlins in 2003, made two All-Star teams while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and finished third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2007.

In addition to all of this, Penny also featured as a player for Team USA himself both before and during his major league career. The right-hander won a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games while playing for the

organization’s first ever Professional National Team, and a year later, he took home the gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

“I think Brad brings a few different things to the table that are really unique,” Koerner said. “He's a World Series winner and a USA baseball alumnus, so to have to have both of those different aspects as part of his resume, I think is really relatable for these types of athletes for their coaching. These are aspirations that we want our players to have, and to have a pitching coordinator that's been there and done that, it's just a great example.

“On top of that, Brad is so relatable with these kids. He is a great communicator, and his passion and caring for these kids is evident from the moment he gets on the field. I haven't met a player, coach, or person that doesn't have great things to say about Brad Penny and what he does for USA Baseball and these athletes.”

On the ADP side of things, South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker will work with the young arms as the pitching coordinator in 2023, jumping over after previously holding the same position at the NTDP in each of the previous three years. Parker has a long track

record of success working with many different collegiate pitching staffs throughout his 11-year coaching career, the most recent of which being leading the Gamecocks to the third-best team ERA in the SEC this past season. In total, 22 of Parker’s pitchers have gone on to be selected in the MLB Draft, including nine chosen in the first 10 rounds.

Parker also had a professional career of his own, as he was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 Draft after earning two first-team all-Horizon League selections while playing at Wright State. He played three seasons in the minors with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers before joining the coaching ranks shortly after his retirement.

“Justin is a tremendous evaluator,” Koerner said. “His development skills are through the roof, and you can see that at South Carolina with what they’ve done since he’s been there over the last couple of years. That’s a Super Regional team now, and he has a big part to do with that. I think he just brings tremendous experience from a high level of college baseball, and on top of that comes his experience with us being in the pitching coordinator

position the last couple of years. It’s a tremendous addition for these programs. Our players will gain invaluable experience by working with him.”

Finally, Mike Kinkade will be tasked to lead the hitters at the ADP this year as the program’s hitting coordinator, the latest stop in his lengthy list of positions on various coaching staffs over the years. He most recently coached at the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League, serving as an assistant coach for the Team Gray squad that took home third place that year. Prior to that, he spent time on the staffs at the inaugural MLB Draft combine, the 2021 Women’s NTDP, Cal State Bakersfield, Pullman High School (Pullman, Wash.), the Whitman County American Legion Program, and the Seattle Mariners’ minor-league affiliates.

Like Penny, Kinkade also featured in the majors as well as with Team USA during his playing career. He spent six years in the big leagues after making his debut in 1998, hitting .256 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 222 games played with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers. In the stars and stripes, Kinkade played an important role on the Professional National Team that won gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, driving in three runs and scoring four more throughout the tournament. He also played for the national team during the 2006 Olympic Qualifiers, hitting .333 while driving in a team-leading 11 runs.

“Mike’s experience working with these athletes and familiarity with these athletes is a tremendous asset,” Koerner said. “His knowledge from professional baseball, both as a coach and a player, just brings tremendous experience to these events, and our players just have

a great time working with him. He’s easy to talk to, he loves being on the field, and his passion and energy are evident. He’s just a really good baseball person to have around USA Baseball and these national level players.”

These four coordinators all bring different things to the table for the athletes chosen to participate in the ADP and NTDP, and in Koerner’s eyes, being willing to learn from all of them and soak up all the available information is the key to getting the most out of their time with the program.

“I definitely want them to be open-minded to new concepts and new techniques, probably some things that they haven’t heard before from a coaching standpoint, but also be open to the life lessons and the experiences that these coaches are going to bring from different aspects of baseball,” Koerner said. “From your former major leaguers to your current college coaches to your high-level high school coaches, there’s a lot of different experiences on the field. If they’re open-minded to hearing what each coach has to say, I feel like they’re going to gain a lot of insight, not just from a baseball player perspective, but from a character development and work ethic perspective as well.”

The ADP and NTDP rosters will be determined at a later date following the conclusions of the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina. Both events will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., as the NTDP will run July 26-29 and ADP will be held August 3-6.

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2023 PREVIEW

12U NATIONAL TEAM, 15U NATIONAL TEAM, 18U NATIONAL TEAM, COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM, WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM, ADP, AND NTDP

The schedule for Team USA in 2023 is full of competition, opportunity, and excitement. After an incredible 2022 season for the organization that featured three youth World Cup titles, USA Baseball looks forward to putting its 12U, 15U, 18U, Collegiate, and Women’s National Teams back on the international front in pursuit of winning gold. The path to playing for Team USA includes key identification events such as the Futures Invitational and National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, while providing a unique developmental experience to some the nation’s top talent at the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP) and the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) will also prove crucial to future gold medals.

USA Baseball’s history is rich with excellence and has showcased a proven ability to provide players with the best development opportunities possible. Whether it’s

on or off the field, there is no better experience than representing the red, white, and blue.

12U NATIONAL TEAM

The 11U Futures Invitational will once again serve as the primary event to identify talent for the 2023 12U National Team. The elite youth championship event features the best 11U teams showcasing their abilities for USA Baseball’s Task Force at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, North Carolina, from June 22-25. Thirty-six players will be identified from the 11U Futures Invitational to compete at the 12U National Team Training Camp from June 26-30 in Cary, where the final 18-man roster will be determined to represent Team USA on the international front.

In May, USA Baseball assembled a 12U National Team to compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and came away with a gold medal

thanks to a 29-28 extra-inning thriller over Venezuela. By securing a gold medal, the U.S. qualified for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan, from July 28-August 6. The U.S. – which owns four wold titles –will return as the defending champion after defeating Venezuela, 10-2, in the 2022 title game.

Chapparal High School (Scottsdale, Ariz.) head coach Troy Gerlach will make his managerial debut with the 2023 12U National Team. This will be his third time on a USA Baseball coaching staff after serving as an assistant coach for the 2022 12U National team and 2018 15U National Team. Joining Gerlach on staff will be pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Bryan Madsen and Erick Quesada.

13U/14U ADP

USA Baseball’s Athlete Development Program (ADP) provides the opportunity for 50 of the top 13U and 14U players to head to the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for a highly developed fourday on-and off-field national team-level instruction and education program from August 3-6. Players will primarily be identified from the 2023 13U and 14U National Team Championships in North Carolina and 2023 14U National Team Championships in Arizona, and they will join 24 players selected from last year's USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. Additionally, players will be selected through recommendations from scouts, coaches, and the amateur baseball community.

Each day at the ADP will feature advanced on-field skills development with positional and team fundamental drills, and ongoing evaluation by USA Baseball national team coaches. Over the course of the program, athletes will be placed on a Stars or Stripes team and face-off in intrasquad games to implement the instruction provided during training. The athletes will also participate in off-field educational seminars while gaining additional exposure to professional scouts and college recruiters.

15U NATIONAL TEAM

For players looking to earn a spot on the 15U National Team, there is no better opportunity to do so than at the National Team Championships. The elite championshipstyle events held in Arizona and North Carolina give the USA Baseball Task Force the best opportunity to lay their eyes on some of the most talented players across the nation who are fighting for a chance to wear the U-S-A letters across their chests. The stars and stripes are the reigning world champions at the U-15 level after defeating

Cuba, 4-3, in the gold medal game of the 2022 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Rob Shabansky, head coach at Gateway Community College, will make his eighth appearance on a USA Baseball coaching staff in 2023. This will be his second time serving as manager as he led the U.S. to a 7-1 overall record and a COPABE Pan Am "AA" Championships gold medal during his managerial debut in 2017. In 2015, 2016, and 2022, he served as the pitching coach for all three squads and helped Team USA win gold at the 2015 COPABE Pan Am “AA” Championships, bronze at the 2016 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, and gold at last year’s U-15 WBSC Baseball World Cup. He also served as an assistant for the 2011 16U National Team and was the 15U National Team pitching coach in 2019 and 2021. Shabansky is joined by pitching coach Casey Scott and assistant coaches Derek Simmons and John Weber, as all three assistant coaches will make their 15U National Team debuts this summer.

16U/17U NTDP

The National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina are also the sites to get identified as one of 80 players by the USA Baseball staff and Task Force to participate in the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). The NTDP roster will feature players identified from the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, as well as 24 players

who were selected from last year’s 15U and 16U NTIS Champions Cup.

The 16U/17U NTDP will be held at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, from July 2629, and players will participate in four days of individual and team skill development sessions, workouts, and various off-field educational seminars, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters, USA Baseball staff, and national team coaches. Players will also be assessed and evaluated by the coaching staff for possible future participation in USA Baseball national team programming.

18U NATIONAL TEAM

The 2023 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League will once again serve as the primary identification event for the 18U National Team. The PDP League is an invitationbased development and assessment opportunity for high school players eligible for the following year’s MLB Draft. It provides athletes with an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and other programming to prepare players for a professional baseball career.

The 2023 PDP League will take place from June 26-July 3 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Forty players will be identified from the PDP League for the 18U National Team Training Camp

on August 21-25, and from there a 20-man roster will be assembled for world cup competition.

The 18U National Team will compete for its sixth world championship since 2012 at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 1-10 in Tainan, Taiwan. The U.S. is the reigning champion after defeating Chinese Taipei in the gold medal game in 2022. Most recently, the stars and stripes earned the gold medal at the 2022 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in La Paz, Mexico, in November with a 11-1 victory over Panama to qualify for this year’s World Cup.

Michael Cuddyer brings major league experience to his new role as the manager of the 18U National Team. A two-time MLB All-Star and 15-year MLB veteran, Cuddyer made his USA Baseball coaching debut serving as an assistant coach for the 2021 18U National Team. He also held the role of hitting coordinator at the 2021 PDP League and was a coach at the 2022 18U National Team Training Camp. Joining Cuddyer will be fellow MLB veteran and Cuddyer’s former Minnesota Twins teammate LaTroy Hawkins along with veteran coaches Butch Chaffin and Jason Maxwell to complete the 2023 18U National Team staff.

COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM

Fifty-six of the premier non-draft eligible college baseball players in the country will meet at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for the Collegiate National Team Training Camp beginning on June 23. The athletes will battle in a four-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series before the staff will name a final 26-man roster on June 30. Team USA will then compete in the 20th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series from June 30-July 4 and the 44th USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series from July 7-12. Currently, 12 of the 14 games will take place in North Carolina, with games in Cary, Durham, Kannapolis, and Fayetteville.

Cal Poly’s Larry Lee will make his Team USA managerial debut. He returns to the red, white, and blue after serving as an assistant coach for the 2017 Collegiate National Team that went 15-5 with friendship series victories over Chinese Taipei, Cuba, and Japan. Lee is the winningest head coach in Big West Conference history and has amassed 635 wins with Cal Poly and 1,095 overall for his career.

WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM

If a player is looking for an opportunity to represent Team USA as a member of the Women’s National Team, the Women’s National Open is where the journey begins. The identification event will take place from July 7-9 in Mesa, Arizona, and players from around the country will be divided into teams and compete in games and workout sessions. A minimum of 35 players will be chosen by the national team coaching staff to move on to the Women’s National Team Training Camp, which will be held July 1013 in Mesa. Eventually, 20 players will be awarded a spot on the 2023 Women’s National Team.

Team USA recently received a wild card bid into the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup. The event will span two years and begins with the group stage, where the U.S. will participate in Group A from August 8-13 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The top three teams from both groups will advance to the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in 2024, which is also set to take place in Thunder Bay. The Women’s National Team has medaled in six of the eight WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cups since the

tournament’s inception in 2004, most recently earning a first-place finish at the 2019 COPABE Women’s PanAmerican Championships.

2019 Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year and five-time Team USA player Veronica Alvarez will make her fourth appearance as manager and fifth on a coaching staff after holding the position in 2019, 2020, and 2022. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Player Development in Latin America for the Oakland A’s, and has helped grow the game of women’s baseball through programs created from the collaboration between Major League Baseball and USA Baseball. Alvarez has been a coach at the Trailblazer Series since 2017, the Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series Showcase & Development Camp since 2018, and the Girls Baseball Elite Development Invitational from 2020-2022. Reynol Mendoza and Alex Oglesby will return to their roles as pitching coach and assistant coach, respectively, and 11-time Team USA player Malaika Underwood will make her coaching debut as an assistant coach to round out the staff.

RECAP: 2022 NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

13U

Stacked Baseball made history at the inaugural 13U National Team Championships North Carolina, becoming the first-ever champions at the age level following a 10-2 victory over SBA Marucci.

Stacked Baseball opened the tournament with decisive wins over 5 Star National (6-2) and FL Dodgers Scout Team (7-4), putting its offensive talent on full display. Stacked Baseball was tested in its third game of the tournament against the Dirtbags, who handed the squad its sole loss of the weekend. Stacked Baseball fought hard to come back after the game was tied at seven in the top of the fifth inning, but ultimately fell to the Dirtbags.

The team used the loss as motivation and came back firing in the next two games of the tournament to earn a spot in the championship game. Ryder Cielen dominated on the mound against USA Prime, allowing zero runs on three hits, striking out two and walking one in five innings while Tanner Brown and Joshua Priest handled business at the plate, propelling the team to a 4-1 triumph.

With a spot in the championship on the line, Stacked Baseball once again faced the Dirtbags, only this time history would not repeat itself. Jose Partida led things

off on the mound, allowing two hits and zero runs over four innings. Solidifying the victory in the seventh, Kyle Plasman knocked three in on a double, going 2-for-3 at the plate.

In the gold medal game, Stacked Baseball faced undefeated SBA Marucci 10-2. Priest once again proved to be key for the team, scoring quickly in the top of the first on an inside-the-park homer. Stacked Baseball then rallied for five runs in the top of the fifth to break the game open and Priest was in the middle of the run-scoring again, leading off the inning with a single and scoring later in the frame. Partida, Ayden Coleman, Carson Sulsona, and Tanner Brown all had RBI hits in the inning, which extended the team’s lead to 8-1 in the frame. Aidan Kent hurled 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits to earn the win. Nolan Riesenberg got the final out, as he entered in the sixth and coaxed a fly out to secure the victory and gold medal for Stacked Baseball.

SBA Marucci took silver and Kangaroo Court American was awarded the bronze medal. Nine of the 16 teams in the tournament had representatives on the AllTournament Team as both Stacked Baseball and SBA Marucci each had three players named to the team.

14U

Canes National rode an explosive offense and lights-out pitching to win gold and become champions at the 14U National Team Championships in North Carolina.

Canes opened the tournament with a combined shutout victory by Carson Boleman and Colton Haire to secure a 7-0 win over SmarTense The Show. Despite coming up short on day two with an 8-2 setback to Artillery Baseball, the bats came out firing in Canes’ third game against Elite Squad. Brady Murrieta spearheaded the offensive outburst with two doubles and four RBIs in the 12-run win.

Canes’ bats stayed hot as it posted a 9-4 win over Alpha Prime and followed that up with a convincing 9-5 victory over East Coast Sox Scout to advance to the semifinals. The team captured an early lead in the semifinals against Dulins Dodgers Prime and continued rolling to secure a 7-1 triumph and a trip to the championship game. Boleman was back on the mound for Canes and went an impressive four shutout innings with eight strikeouts, while Alex Harrington, Haire, and Murrieta all had multiple hits.

The team solidified itself as tournament champions with a nine-run second inning in its commanding 13-3 victory over Burn Atlantic Navy in the gold medal game. Canes used five walks, three singles, a hit-by-pitch, and a sacrifice fly along with multiple wild pitches to gather the nine runs. The squad tacked on four more runs in the top of the third to take a 13-0 lead, as Harrington started the scoring with an RBI single to right field for his second run batted in of the contest. Burn Atlantic Navy showed some fight in the bottom of third by scoring all three of its runs in the frame. Aiden Arnett collected the lone extra-base hit of the game via an RBI double to right field, then Luke Labbe drew a bases-loaded walk and Chandler Dantzler drove in the final run for his squad with a sacrifice fly to right field. That didn’t prove to be enough though, as the Canes held off Burn Atlantic Navy to win gold.

Nine of the tournament’s 16 teams were represented on the All-Tournament Team with Canes leading the way with three players. Burn Atlantic Navy and USA Prime National also had multiple players on the AllTournament Team.

15U

Alpha Prime clawed and fought its way through the 15U National Team Championships in North Carolina, finishing with a 6-1 record to win the gold medal. The team started off shaky with a 7-3 loss against Canes

National in its first game, but then found its footing and went undefeated in the next five games.

The squad picked up two wins early on, with the first being a 10-1 result over Dulins Dodgers Prime followed by another convincing 10-1 showing against the Richmond Braves. Next up on the schedule was Top Tier Select, who offered little threat to Alpha Prime, but the team ultimately coasted to a 12-2 triumph. Alpha Prime then pitched back-to-back shutout games with a 7-0 win over Artillery Baseball and 8-0 victory over Scorpions Scout Team to lock in its place for a chance at gold against Texas Twelve.

Texas Twelve came out hot in the top of the first, as Blaine Bullard walked and Lucas Tinajero and Justin Michaelis singled to give Texas Twelve the 2-0 lead. The lead didn’t last long as Alpha Prime answered with

three runs in the bottom half. Tyler Wick doubled to put a runner in scoring position for Maverek Russell, who put his team on the board with an RBI single. Russell tied the game on a wild pitch and Alonzo Alvarez sent an RBI triple deep into right center field for the 3-2 lead.

Alpha Prime wasn’t settled with the one-run lead, adding two more in the second to extend its lead to 5-2. After allowing two runs in the first, Drew Van Court settled down and comfortably went to work. Van Court followed with four scoreless innings before being pulled in the top of the sixth for Brennan Johnson. Alpha Prime collected 11 hits on the day, as its offensive output was led Brock Sell, Russell, and Angel Laya, who each tallied two hits apiece to contribute to the 7-4 championship victory.

In the bronze medal game, Stephen Chucka led Scorpions Scout Team by going 3-for-3 at the plate to beat MVP Hustle, 10-7. Eleven of the tournament’s 20 teams had representatives on the All-Tournament Team, including a tournament-high five from gold medalwinning Alpha Prime.

16U

With a 6-1 record, Texas Twelve headed back home with not one, but two gold medals at the 2022 National Team Championships in North Carolina, as the club captured the title at the 17U event the week before. In the first two games of the week, Texas Twelve went 1-1 with a 5-1 victory over Top Tier Select and a 9-8 loss to Knights Knation, which would prove to be its only defeat of the tournament.

Texas Twelve took care of business following the loss and responded with five straight victories to secure the title of champions at the 16U level. The pitching performances were lights-out for Texas Twelve, highlighted by a shutout win in the semifinals to secure a spot in the gold medal matchup with Dulins Dodgers Prime.

The battle for the gold medal was a back-and-forth affair with Dulins Dodgers Prime. Texas Twelve jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first, but Dulins Dodgers Prime kept fighting as Owen Lee delivered an RBI double to right field in the top of the third to tie the game at 2-2.

Texas Twelve retook the lead after Joshua Crisp, Jr. led off the bottom of the fourth with a double down the left field line, and Marco Gonzales provided the go-ahead RBI on a sacrifice fly to bring Crisp home for the 3-2 lead. With two runners on and two outs, Braylon Payne saved the day for Texas Twelve by making an incredible diving play in left field to keep Zach Grigalis from putting Dulins Dodgers on top and securing gold for his team.

eXposure Prime captured the bronze medal in its matchup against Richmond Braves Platinum, with Michael Daniel, Riley Luft, and Hudson Lutterman combining to strike out five batters and allow only one run in the 6-1 win. Ten of the 16 competing teams were represented on the All-Tournament Team, which was made up of eight hitters and eight pitchers.

17U

Bringing the heat on both offense and defense, Texas Twelve went undefeated to win gold at the 17U National Team Championships in North Carolina, which proved to be the program’s first of two gold medals at the event.

Texas Twelve started out red hot by outscoring its opponents 18-8 in its first four games, highlighted by a 3-0 shutout win over East Cobb Astros, before facing Elite Squad in the semifinals. Elite Squad got an early lead and was up 2-0 after the first inning, but the Texas Twelve bats turned it up a notch in the next four innings, putting up five runs with the biggest hit coming on a Blake Mitchell solo homer.

With the 7-2 win, Texas Twelve had its eyes on the gold medal. Jackson Blank was ready for the moment for Texas Twelve, dealing 5.1 innings of three-hit ball, allowing zero runs and striking out nine to earn the 5-0 win over Indiana Bulls National. Blake Brown led Texas Twelve’s offensive output, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI to secure his spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Eleven of the 16 teams in the tournament were represented on the All-Tournament Team, including Cal Randall from Canes National/NY Mets Scout Team, who took home bronze at the event thanks to a 6-2 victory over Elite Squad.

GREATER THAN GOLD

2023 15U NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER ROB SHABANSKY

The goal of national team managers and coaches around the world is to lead their team to an elusive gold medal. 2023 15U National Team Manager Rob Shabansky has accomplished this feat an impressive five times throughout his USA Baseball coaching career.

Shabansky, who made his national team coaching debut in 2011, was previously the pitching coach for the 2015 and 2016 15U National Teams, manager of the 2017 15U National Team staff, and, most recently, served as the pitching coach for the 2019 and 2022 15U National Teams.

Despite guiding each of those teams to gold medals and fulfilling the ultimate goal of most managers and coaches, Shabansky remains dedicated to returning to his role as a member of the 15U National Team coaching staff year after year.

“There’s something special about international competition,” Shabansky said. “It’s us against the world. The emotion and passion that every country pours into it is so incredible. It’s something that I just love being a part of.”

Although Shabansky has received the call that USA Baseball would like him to be a national team coach many times before, the significance of the decision has only increased to him over time.

“I think every time it feels even better than the first,” Shabansky said. “I feel honored that someone has enough trust and courage in me to lead the 15U National Team, which is a storied program.”

Shabansky himself was once a young baseball player, experiencing many of the same things as his 15U National Team players are today. The former left-handed pitcher will utilize his time as a high school, collegiate, and professional athlete to better fulfill his role as manager.

“Experiencing the highs and lows of baseball at multiple levels allows me to relate to the kids and understand that as bad as this may feel right now, this is not the end of the world,” Shabansky said. “We’ve got to bounce back and be able to relate other stories to them. I think that’s where my time as a player gives me the opportunity to impart my wisdom on them.”

The Las Vegas, Nevada, native recently finished his 13th season as the head coach at GateWay Community College (Phoenix, Ariz.), and over the past decade he has noticed the stark difference between coaching collegiate players and 15U athletes begin to fade.

“There’s something special about international competition. It’s us against the world. The emotion and passion that every country pours into it is so incredible. It’s something that I just love being a part of.”

“The longer that I’ve coached, I’ve noticed that the gap between college-age athletes and 15-year-old athletes is less and less,” Shabansky said. “These guys now at 15-years-old take care of their bodies, they’re eating the right things, they’re getting sleep and they understand what it takes to be an athlete, especially at a professional level. Years ago, I don’t think it was that way.”

To lead this new generation of 15U National Team players, Shabansky will rely on his coaching staff made up of pitching coach Casey Scott and assistant coaches Derek Simmons and John Weber, each of whom is making their 15U National Team coaching debut.

The coaches each bring with them strong backgrounds and strong knowledge of all different levels of the sport. Under the leadership of Shabansky, the staff looks to combine their individual strengths to create a solid foundation for this year’s 15U National Team. To do that, Shabansky believes collaboration will be key.

“We need to help each other out throughout the whole thing,” Shabansky said. “At the end of the day, it’s trying to make the players the best players they can be, the team the best team we can be, and that shouldn’t come from

one person every time. It should come from all of us, and it can come from the team. Knowing that it’s going to be our team and it’s going to be a collaborative effort pushing forward, that’s where we’re going to excel.”

Although the 2023 15U National Team will not compete in a World Baseball Softball Classic (WBSC)-sanctioned event, Shabansky believes there are still meaningful lessons to be learned on and off the field this year.

“The biggest thing for these young men is understanding how to go about their business every day,” Shabansky said. “What it means to represent Team USA, their families, their high schools, no matter where they are. That is something that they can take away from this - growth as individuals, growth in their community, and growth amongst the high schools, which will ultimately lead them into college and professional baseball.”

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 16, 2023.

DULINS DODGERS PRIME

LAMORINDA TITANS

II LUIS DANIEL C/UTIL R/R 5'7" 142 5/31/09 2028 GARH

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 16, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 16, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 5, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 5, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 5, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 12, 2023.

DULINS DODGERS PRIME GODWIN EAST COAST SOX SCOUT EAST COBB ASTROS

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 12, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 12, 2023.

Brzustewicz Hudson OF Cole Deion OF Durkin Tyler RHP

Gilbert Jackson Hamilton Max RHP Hart Chandler LHP/OF/1B

Harwood Ryan OF/1B/RHP

Hopkins Catcher C

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of July 12, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 19, 2023.

EAST COBB ASTROS

LEGACY BASEBALL GROUP 16U BLACK

MLB BREAKTHROUGH SERIES

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 19, 2023.

Braun Mason 1B/OF

Brissey Mark RHP

Cunningham Kayson INF

Danzeisen Caleb INF/OF

Dean Austin LHP

Decarlo Vincent C/INF

Gamble Sean OF/INF

Greenhouse Mason OF

Hartshorn Josiah 1B/OF

Jordenson Jack RHP

Laflamm Jack RHP

Mathews Micah OF Peterson Colt RHP

Poe Aiden RHP

Rogers Kaleb RHP

Ruckert Jack INF

Schoolcraft Kruz LHP/1B

Seo Minjae RHP

Stephenson Dominic C/OF

Stewart Thomas RHP

Wells Bryce C/OF

Young Reese LHP ,

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 19, 2023.

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 13, 2023.

EAST COAST SOX SCOUT

EAST COBB ASTROS

ELITE SQUAD BASEBALL

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 13, 2023.

MARUCCI/BLUE JAYS SCOUT TEAM

POWER BASEBALL 2024

ROYALS SCOUT TEAM TEAM ELITE

Rosters are submitted by coaches and are current as of June 13, 2023.

USA Baseball has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse or misconduct of any kind within the sport. All Adult Participants* at USA Baseball events are required to undergo a background check, complete a U.S. Center for SafeSport course, and sign the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPPs).

To learn more about the abuse prevention resources available, and to read the MAAPPs, please visit USABASE.org

By law, everyone is a mandatory reporter. If you have experienced abuse or misconduct, or know of abuse or misconduct that has taken place at a USA Baseball event, please report the incident to any of the USA Baseball representatives listed below, or scan the code to fill out USA Baseball’s Online Reporting Form (this can be done anonymously). To report directly to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, call 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233).

A LIST YOU’LL WANT TO CHECK TWICE.

SEE THE ENTIRE APPROVED BAT LIST, SORTABLE AND SEARCHABLE ONLY AT USABAT.COM.

EVENT RULES

The National Team Championships North Carolina will follow the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) baseball rules. The following rules and guidelines are provided in addition to, in substitution of, or in place of the rules provided in the NFHS Baseball Rule Book.

ELIGIBILITY

▪ To be eligible for the 13U National Team Championship North Carolina, players must be born on or after May 1, 2009 OR have an expected graduation date of 2028. All players whether born in 2009 or 2010, will be eligible for selection to the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program

▪ To be eligible for the 14U National Team Championship North Carolina, players must be born on or after May 1, 2008, OR have an expected graduation date of 2027 or later. Only players born Jan 1, 2009 or later are eligible for selection to the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program and players born January 1, 2008 or later will be eligible to be selected to the 15U National Team Trials.

▪ To be eligible for the 15U National Team Championship North Carolina, players must be born on or after May 1, 2007, OR have an expected graduation date of 2026 or later. Only players born Jan 1, 2008 or later are eligible for selection to the 15U National Team Trials and players born January 1, 2007 or later will be eligible to be selected to the 16U/17U National Team Development Program.

▪ To be eligible for the 16U National Team Championship North Carolina, players must be born on or after May 1, 2006, OR have an expected graduation date of 2025 or later. All players, whether born in 2006 or 2007, will be eligible to be selected to the 16U/17U National Team Development Program.

▪ To be eligible for the 17U National Team Championship North Carolina, players must be born on or after May 1, 2005, OR have an expected graduation date of 2024 or later. Only players born January 1, 2006 or later will be eligible to be selected to the 16U/17U National Team Development Program and players born January 1, 2005 or later will be eligible to be selected to the Prospect Development Pipeline League.

PENALTY: If physical evidence is presented to USA Baseball, or a team admits to using an illegal player, all games in which the illegal player participated shall be forfeited.

FACILITY GUIDELINES

USA Baseball tournaments utilize the following field dimensions:

▪ 13U+: 60.6’ mound, 90’ bases

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

13U, 14U, 16U, and 17U

▪ 13U, 14U, 16U, and 17U will feature 16 teams

▪ Each team will be placed into a pool of four (4) teams and will compete in round robin pool play, playing 3 pool play games over the first two days of the event.

▫ Following pool play, teams will be seeded using the “Standings Tie-Breakers” below

▫ The top two (2) teams from each pool will advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket and will be seeded #1-8 using the “Standings Tie-Breakers” rules below

▫ Teams seeded #9-16 will play two consolation games over the final two days of the event

▫ Teams that lose in the first round of the single-elimination playoff will play one additional consolation game on the final day of the event

▫ The semi-finals, gold medal, and bronze medal games will be played on the final day of the event

▪ Teams will have a scheduled time for their athletes to participate in Prospect Development Pipeline Performance Assessments on the first or second day of the event.

▪ Teams will have an opportunity to take infield/outfield prior to their first scheduled game.

15U

▪ 15U will feature 20 teams

▪ Each team will be placed into a pool of four (4) teams and will compete in round robin pool play, playing 3 pool play games over the first two days of the event

▫ Following pool play, teams will be seeded using the “Standings Tie-Breakers” below

▫ The top team from each pool, along with 3 wild-cards, will advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket and will be seeded #1-8 using the “Standings Tie-Breakers” rules below

▫ Teams seeded #9-16 will play two consolation games over the final two days of the event

▫ Teams that lose in the first round of the single-elimination playoff will play one additional consolation game on the final day of the event

▫

The gold medal, and bronze medal games will be played on the final day of the event

▪ Teams will have a scheduled time for their athletes to participate in Prospect Development Pipeline Performance Assessments on the first or second day of the event

▪ Teams will have an opportunity to take infield/outfield prior to their first scheduled game

GAME PLAY

General Rules

▪ All team rosters must have a minimum of 15 players and 2 coaches. Rosters should not exceed 25 players.

▪ Rosters must be finalized prior to the start of your first game. Players are not allowed to be added or moved to another roster after this time.

▪ A “mandatory play” rule will not be enforced at the National Team Championships North Carolina. However, it is encouraged that all healthy players on the roster participate in the tournament.

▫ In an effort for fair play and competitive balance, USA Baseball recommends that each athlete participate in a minimum of eight (8) innings or five (5) at-bats for position players, and/ or a minimum of three (innings) or nine (9) batters-faced for pitchers throughout the event.

▪ The USA Baseball Tournament Director will predetermine all home and away team assignments in all pool play games. The higher seed will serve as the home team throughout all bracket-round and consolation match-ups (E.g., #6 vs. #1; #1 is the home team).

Lineups

▪ A maximum of 10 players are allowed in a batting lineup.

▪ A tenth hitter, or extra hitter, hereby known as the “EH,” may be utilized by any team. The use of an “EH” is optional. If one team elects to use an “EH,” the opposing team is not required to do so as well. The extra hitter must be indicated in the line-up as the “EH.” The “EH” will be treated as any other starter and cannot be eliminated during the course of the game. The “EH” can exchange positions with other

defensive players in the lineup. The starting batting order must be followed in order; the changing of the “starting batting order” once the game begins is strictly prohibited.

Run-Rule

The following run-rule scenarios will be enforced in all games at the National Team Championships North Carolina:

▪ If a team is losing by 15 or more runs after having batted in at least three (3) innings, 10 or more runs after having batted in four (4) innings, or eight (8) runs after having batted in five (5) innings, the game will be called due to the run rule.

Extra-Innings/Tie-Breakers

▪ All pool-play, consolation, and third-place games at the National Team Championships North Carolina shall be Seven (7) innings or two hours and fifteen minutes (2:15). No new inning can begin after time has expired.

▪ If a pool-play, consolation, or third-place game is tied after seven (7) innings and time permits, teams shall continue the game using the international tie-breaker rule until a winner is decided or time has expired. If a game that exceeds the time limit ends in a stalemate, the game will be recorded as a tie.

▪ A time limit will not be enforced in quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship games.

International Tie-Breaker Rules

▪ The international tie-breaker rule dictates that a runner will be placed on first and second base with no outs to begin the inning. The batter must be the player deemed next-up in the batting order following the previous inning and the two players preceding the batter will be placed on first and second base, respectively.

Forfeits

▪ In the event a team must forfeit a game, a 7-0 loss will be assigned to a team’s record.

STANDINGS TIE-BREAKERS

▪ If, at the end of pool play (if applicable), two or more teams finish with identical records, the following procedures will be used to break standings ties for bracket-play seeding:

1. Pool play overall record

2. Head-to-head result; provided all tied teams have played each other

3. Fewest runs allowed (overall)

4. Overall run differential

5. Coin flip

EJECTIONS/SUSPENSIONS

▪ Any ejection of a participant (player, coach, or fan) during a game will be reviewed by the USA Baseball Technical Committee, consisting of the Tournament Director, Umpirein-Chief (if available), Site Supervisor, and a member of the USA Baseball Task Force. The Technical Committee will assess the ejection and then determine an additional penalty, if any, for the participant.

▪ Penalties may include suspension for a subsequent game(s), suspension from the tournament, or a team forfeiture resulting in a 7-0 loss.

▪ Any participant who is ejected from a game a second time during the event shall receive an immediate suspension for the remainder of the tournament.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

▪ In the event inclement weather occurs during the tournament, the bracket-round games will be given priority in rescheduling. USA Baseball will do its best to ensure that

all teams participating in consolation games will play in an even number of games; however, cannot guarantee an even number of games for all participating teams.

▪ Games rescheduled due to inclement weather may be played at an off-site facility at the discretion of USA Baseball.

UNIFORMS & SAFETY

▪ Coaches must wear a helmet in order to be on the field. A hard helmet is required; no flap, single flap, and double flap helmets are permitted, while “skullies” and cap inserts are strictly prohibited.

BAT GUIDELINES

All teams are required to adhere to the USA Baseball Bat Guidelines below (Bat Guidelines can be found at usabaseball.com/bats/guidelines).

▪ 13U, 14U and 15U tournaments require bats to be any wood or metal BBCOR (-3) bat.

▪ 16U and 17U tournaments require bats to be any solid (onepiece) wood bat or an NFHS approved BBCOR wood barrel baseball bat.

▪ *USABat certifications are reflected in the Washington State University Sports Science Lab and the NCAA and NFHS BBCOR approved baseball bats list

PITCHING RULES

In accordance with USA Baseball’s assimilation of Pitch Smart guidelines, the National Team Championships North Carolina will use a hard pitch count as the standard for setting pitcheruse limitations for the tournament. The 2023 Pitch Smart guidelines can be found on page 2 of the rules document.

▪ Pitchers may not pitch three consecutive days regardless of their pitch counts in the two previous days (e.g., if a pitcher throws 10 pitches on day one and 15 pitches on day two, they are still ineligible to pitch on day three)

▪ If a pitcher exceeds a pitch count threshold in a single game that requires a mandatory rest day, they are ineligible to pitch in an additional game in the same day regardless of their daily pitch count total.

PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF PITCHER USE LIMITATION RULES

▪ If a pitcher is found to have exceeded their allowed numbers of pitches during a game, the illegal pitching situation will be rectified immediately and the incoming pitcher will be permitted as many warm up pitches as the umpire deems necessary prior to resuming the game. The Technical Committee will review the infraction and reserves the right to suspend the manager for the next game if the infraction is deemed a purposeful breach of the rules. The Technical Committee will be comprised of the Tournament Director(s), Umpire-in-Chief, Site Supervisor, and a member of the USA Baseball Task Force.

▪ If a pitcher is found to have exceeded their allowed pitches for a game after the game is completed, the manager may be suspended for the next tournament game. The Technical Committee will review the infraction and reserves the right to suspend the manager for the next tournament game plus one additional game if the infraction is deemed a purposeful breach of the rules.

▪ In either case, the pitcher in question will not receive any direct penalty, but will be made to adhere to the prescribed days of rest based on the number of pitches at the time of the infraction. The team in question will not receive any

direct penalty (beyond penalization of the manager), but will continue to be required to adhere to the prescribed pitch count rules for the remainder of the event.

TOURNAMENT PITCHER USE LIMITATION RULES

▪ If a pitcher reaches the daily max pitches in a game threshold (75 [10U], 85 [11U-12U], 95 [13U-16U], 105 [17U-18U]) while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following events occur: 1. That batter reaches base; 2. That batter is retired; 3. The third out is made to complete the half-inning.

▪ A pitcher’s required rest is based off a hard pitch count of actual pitches thrown and does not reset to the pitch count tallied at the beginning of the last batter faced. If a player has thrown 29 pitches and, after facing the last batter of the inning, has thrown 34, then that pitcher’s pitch count for the day is 34 (not 29) and they are required to take one day of rest.

REPORTING

▪ USA Baseball official scorers will be responsible for the official pitch count at each field.

▪ An aggregate pitch count report for all teams in the tournament will be distributed electronically at the completion of each day’s games to the team contact on record. The pitch count is monitored and kept in the tower, and is the only official pitch count that will be used. Managers or coaches pitch counts are NOT official, but they are welcome to periodically check with the official scorer to ensure their count is correct. The official scorekeeper will communicate the pitch count at the beginning of each inning or as needed.

▪ Should a pitch count be protested, the protesting team must present an official score book or digital score keeping application to the Site Supervisor and Tournament Director(s).

▪ The pitch count kept by the tower can be overturned if both the Site Supervisor and Tournament Director conclude that a mistake was made on behalf of USA Baseball’s scorekeeper. The new pitch count will be recorded and reflected in the following day’s pitch count report.

SUSPENDED GAMES (PITCHING)

▪ For purposes of applying the pitcher-use limitations in the event a team plays twice on a single day (because a prior game was either postponed or suspended), the following rules apply:

▪ A pitcher’s per-game total pitch maximums (but not mandatory rest) shall be deemed to be “reset” in a resumed game. However, pitchers are still restricted to per-game and daily pitch maximums set forth by the Pitch Smart Guidelines prior to and after suspended and resumed games.

▪ The pitcher of record at the time a game is suspended becomes subject to a mandatory rest day if they exceed a pitch count threshold (20+ [10U-14U], 30+ [15U+]) and will not be eligible to pitch in the resumed game if it takes place during their required rest time, including a resumed game occurring at a later time on the same day.

▪ A pitcher who is required to rest for a day must rest for all games on that day (I.e., resting during the resumption of a postponed or suspended game shall not satisfy a mandatory rest day, even if there is a subsequent game on that same day).

DOUBLEHEADERS

▪ The second game of a scheduled doubleheader will not serve as a rest day for pitchers having thrown in the first game of the day (E.g., a pitcher who has thrown 20 [10U-14U], 30 [15U+] or more pitches in the first game of the day may not pitch in any subsequent game that day and is subject to the appropriate number of rest days based on the total pitches thrown).

▪ A pitcher who has thrown 1-20 [10U-14U], 1-30 [15U+] pitches is eligible to throw in any subsequent game that day; however, they will still be limited to the daily max of 75 [10U], 85 [11U-12U], 95 [13U-16U], 105 [17U-18U] pitches for the day.

▪ Due to the nature of the tournament format, the USA Baseball Operations Staff will provide each coach with an updated pitch count sheet as soon as possible prior to the start of their second game of the day on days where a doubleheader is scheduled.

2023 PITCH SMART GUIDELINES

▪ Many players were limited in how much baseball they could play over the last year due to COVID-19. As players return in 2023, they should make sure to do so safely by following all applicable COVID-19 guidelines and the following returnto-sport recommendations:

1. Because many players missed seasons, they should be careful to ramp up slowly to avoid injury; we know players are excited to get out there and compete, but it’s important to gradually increase the intensity and frequency of your playing to avoid injury.

2. Players should ramp up their strength and conditioning program in advance of resumption of throwing.

3. As much as possible, players should aim to lengthen and not shorten their standard pre-competition throwing progression timelines. An example throwing program is shown here (link).

4. Pitchers should account for all types of throws when systematically building up in preparation for game competition. The stress on the throwing arm from any long-toss, flat ground throws, weighted ball exercises, and bullpen pitches should be considered. Weighted ball programs should not be used to accelerate pre-season throwing progression.

5. Players with reduced workloads last year should consider gradually building up their pitch counts, more rest between outings, and a lower overall workload this year.

6. Proper nutrition and sleep go a long way in maximizing baseball performance and reducing injury risk.

7. As always, it is important that players avoid pitching with arm fatigue or injuries to other body regions; being proactive about your health will help keep you healthy for the long-term.

8. It’s beneficial for amateur athletes to take time off from baseball each year and play multiple sports to further athletic development.

9. Many baseball players have showcase opportunities to enhance their recruitment into collegiate and professional baseball. Players should only participate in showcases when they are healthy and have had appropriate time to build up their throwing and strength and conditioning.

Suggested Annual Workload: For players with reduced workloads in 2022

Suggested Pitch Counts Daily Max (Pitches in Game): For players with reduced workloads in 2021

Pitch Counts and Required Rest Recommendations: For all players