THE NHSI BY THE NUMBERS

When Doral Academy (FL) and St. Xavier (KY) take the field on Wednesday to kick off the National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, it will mark the beginning of the tenth edition of the event. Beginning in 2012, the NHSI has continuously hosted the best high school programs in the nation, welcoming future big league All-Stars to the USA Baseball National Training Complex on a yearly basis. Over the tournament’s first nine years, there have been 550 games played, 4,455 runs scored, 30 complete-game shutouts, 13 four-hit games, six different champions, and one no-hitter. This year’s field is full of loaded rosters, Team USA alumni, future college stars, and more, and is sure to provide another thrilling tournament.

Two teams in this year’s NHSI field are coming off state championship seasons in 2022. Doral Academy (FL) had a season to remember last spring, winning the 6A Florida State Championship. The Firebirds compiled a 25-4-1 record a season ago en route to capturing their first baseball state title in program history. St. Xavier (KY) also comes to Cary after winning its ninth state title in school history last season. The Tigers went 34-10 in 2022, capping the campaign with a championship game over Russell County.

Six players at this year’s

NHSI boast experience playing for Team USA. Talan Bell (Hagerty) and Matthew Champion (JSerra Catholic) donned the stars and stripes in 2022 at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in La Paz and Los Cabos, Mexico, helping the U.S. capture a gold medal in the event. Drew Burress (Houston County) was a member of the 15U National Team in 2019, where he and Team USA earned gold at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup. Michael Torres (Doral Academy) is a three-time Team USA alum and two-time gold medalist, as he won gold at both the 12U and 18U levels at the WBSC Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Two-time 12U National Team alums Owen Egan (Aquinas) and Ralphy Velazquez (Huntington Beach) are both world champions, earning gold at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

The six Team USA alums in the NHSI field have combined for a .909 winning percentage in international competition. Talan Bell, Matthew Champion, and Michael Torres all own spotless records for Team USA, as they went 8-0 at the 2022 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier and Torres’ 12U squad went 8-0 at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in 2017. Drew Burress and the 2019 15U National Team went 8-1 en route to a world title, while Owen Egan and Ralphy Velazquez helped the 12U National Team go a combined 15-3 in 2016 and 2017, including a gold medal at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Oregon all boast one team in this year’s tournament.

10 players at the NHSI competed at the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League in 2022: Calvary Christian’s Hunter Dietz, Landen Maroudis, and Liam Peterson, Doral Academy’s Adrian Santana, Hagerty’s Garrett Baumann, Houston County’s Drew Burress, Huntington Beach’s Ralphy Velazquez, Jserra Catholic’s Andrew Lamb, Jesuit’s Noble Meyer, and Santa Margarita Catholic’s Blake Balsz. The PDP League, which is the primary identification event for the 18U National Team, allows athletes to take part in a dynamic, development-centric experience throughout the eight-day exposure. Athletes engage in individualized strength, conditioning and wellness training, on-field instruction, competitive game play, seminars and more.

Programs from nine different states are represented at this year’s NHSI.

California and Florida each have four representatives to lead the field, while Georgia features two teams. Arizona,

160 players at the 2023

NHSI are committed to play college baseball, which averages out to nearly nine players per team. JSerra leads all teams in the field with 19 college commits, while Basha follows with 15. Bishop Gorman’s roster features 14 players committed to play in college.

Of the 160 college commits, 69 of them are headed to play in a Power Five conference. The Pac-12 features a tournament-most 32 future players in the NHSI, including eight Oregon commits. Sixteen players from this year’s tournament will compete in the ACC next year, while nine are committed to SEC schools.

Only one of the 16 teams in this year’s event have hoisted the NHSI championship trophy. Huntington Beach High School became NHSI champions in 2016, when the Oilers defeated Chaminade Prep in the title game. After being eliminated by eventual 2015 champion San Clemente a year prior, the Huntington Beach ran the table in 2016 to win the tournament, clinching gold with a 7-2 title game victory. The Oilers were led by future second-round MLB Draft pick and current Toronto Blue Jays prospect, Hagen Danner.