USA Baseball finding top talent in Southwest Riverside County

JP Raineri

Sports Editor

CARY, N.C. – Another week has come and gone, and USA Baseball continues to pull from our area as they seek the best in representation for their upcoming programs. Last week USA Baseball announced the 72-man roster for the 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), which is set to be held from July 26-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The announcement comes following the conclusion of the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, which serve as primary identification events for the NTDP.

Three local players, all representing the Southwestern League, two of whom hail from Vista Murrieta, were chosen via the National Team Development Program, which offers the nation’s top athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball coaches, task force, and national team staff to better prepare for a future national team experience.

Vaughn Neckar (Vista Murrieta), Jaxon Baker (Vista Murrieta) and Gavin Fien (Great Oak) are all on their way this week to train where the best of the best have left their mark in North Carolina.

“It is our honor to welcome this talented group of players to Cary for this year’s National Team Development Program,” said Jim Koerner, USA Baseball’s Director of Player Development.

“Our task force has worked hard this summer to identify the best fits for this program, and we are extremely excited to work with these outstanding athletes. We look forward to continuing the development of these players as the National Team Development Program continues to serve as an important piece of the gold medal process.”

Neckar will participate in the event for the second summer in a row, after he parlayed his appearance at the 2022 NTDP into a spot on the 2022 18U National Team that won gold at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier, and Fien rounds out the USA Baseball alumni on the roster and will reunite with some familiar faces from his past after playing on the 2019 12U National Team. New to the process is Baker, who pitches from the left side.

Twenty-six different states are represented on the 2023 NTDP roster. California leads all states with 19 representatives, while Texas follows with 17. In total, 50 players on the 72-man squad are committed to Power Five universities.

In Arizona last week, USA Baseball also finalized their 2023 Women’s National Team roster with their 20-woman squad that will compete in WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup in August. A familiar face from Temecula, Kelsie Whitmore, will return to the stage for the eighth time. In total, 15 alumni of the Women’s National Team will once again compete for a gold medal on the international stage, all of whom helped the team take home a 3-2 friendship series victory over

Canada that ties the record for the most appearances on a USA Baseball national team. “We are beyond thrilled with the players chosen for this year’s roster,” said Women’s National Team Program Director Ann Claire Roberson. “Each of the athletes selected impressed mightily during the identification process, and we are confident that every one of them will represent the U.S. well both on and off the field.”

Whitmore and the Women’s National Team will train at Beyer Stadium – the former home of the Rockford Peaches – in Rockford, Illinois, on August 3, at Simmons Field – former home of the Kenosha Comets – in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 4, and at Siebert Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 6, before opening up the group stage of the WBSC Women’s World Cup on August 8. They will ultimately make their way to compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup group stage in Thunder Bay, Ontario, from August 8-13.

Fans can enjoy all the action by following @USABaseballWNT on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as the National Team Development Program, follow @USABDevelops on Instagram and Twitter, or visit USABaseball. com.

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia. com would be able to continue that lease long enough and it wouldn’t get ripped out from under us.”

Fowler said he’s hired KemperSports, a golf hospitality management company, to help with “the week-to-week business stuff,” but he’s not looking to make household changes. In fact, Teasdall still is a regular presence there as is Lisa D’Hondt, who has worked the front counter for nearly 30 years.

“I wanted to keep the range how it has always been,” Fowler added. “A lot of the people that were there when I was growing up are still the ones running it day to day. We all share the same vision and I’m looking forward to, when this season settles down, being able to spend some more time with everyone involved to discuss our current and future plans for the enhancements at the range.”

Currently, the Murrieta Valley Golf Range, located at 24515 Washington Ave. in Murrieta, is an all-grass golf practice facility with a 15,000 square foot putting green, three chipping greens, and a 60,000 square feet of driving space and has programs and community events for juniors, adults, and families of all skill levels.

Some fun facts you may not know. Fowler’s middle name, Yutaka, does actually come from his maternal grandfather, who is Japanese. His maternal grandmother is Navajo Native American. On the final day of a golf tournament Fowler wears orange in honor of Oklahoma State University, his alma mater. Whether he keeps things the same, or makes some changes, there is no doubt that during his downtime, the chance of running into Rickie on his home turf isn’t