CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball announced today the development of its new Youth Baseball Manual presented by US Sports Club Insurance. The manual aims to support the thousands of youth baseball coaches around the country by providing a positive, development-based experience to their athletes.

The manual provides coaches with a fundamental framework to build an athlete-focused culture within their leagues and is suited for both youth leagues with longstanding traditions of on-field excellence, as well as for leagues and coaches that are building a program from the ground up. Importantly, the manual highlights health and safety resources to help ensure athletes are provided with a safe and secure environment for play.

The Youth Baseball Manual presented by US Sports Club Insurance is available to the public at no charge at www.USABDevelops.com or can be accessed directly at YouthBaseballManual.com.

“We are proud to provide free support to youth baseball programs and to thousands of volunteer coaches across the country with our new Youth Baseball Manual,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO. “The importance of community-based baseball programs in the development of our game cannot be overstated, and USA Baseball is excited to help create a consistent framework for those programs so that athletes can continue to learn and grow in a safe, positive, and healthy environment.”

This initiative continues USA Baseball's reach into the amateur baseball landscape and specifically reinforces its commitment to the proliferation of community-based baseball in the United States. The manual boosts the youth baseball experience and allows for the consistent development for any athlete, regardless of their skill level.

Key concepts from the Youth Baseball Manual include:

• – The importance of emphasizing enjoyment of the game and the best interests of the athletes.
• – How to create appropriate practice and game plans based on the USA Baseball Long-Term Athlete Development Plan that enables maximum engagement, movement, and physical activity.
• – The benefits of supporting athletes’ participation in multiple sports.
• – How to manage relationships within a program, including conflict resolution techniques.
• – How to develop a positive team culture.
• – Best practices concerning health and safety.
• – How to keep the game fun.
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For more information on the Youth Baseball Manual, and other similar educational resources produced by USA Baseball, such as the Mobile Coach App, Long-Term Athlete Development Plan and others, visit USABDevelops.com. All resources produced by USA Baseball are provided free of charge to the public.

You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best. You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.

That's the common path for a player.

But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So, what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?

It is a question we get asked a lot.

The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold medal around their neck.

For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.

The Career Coach: Pitching Coach Adam Moseley

Adam Moseley is the head baseball coach at Hoover High School (Hoover, Ala.). As of 2020 he has been leading a big-time high school baseball program for thirteen years, spending the last six at Hoover. But his path to becoming a decorated head coach was set much earlier in life.

A pitcher by trade, Adam played baseball at Birmingham Southern College. But the on-field opportunity wasn't the main factor that drew him to the NAIA school; it was a coach.

"I knew I wanted to coach when I was in high school," Adam remembered. "It actually affected where I went to college. I wanted to play for someone who really taught the game."

That someone was Coach Brian Shoop. Shoop built a program at Birmingham Southern, turning the small school into an NAIA national champion and eventually an NCAA Division I conference champion and NCAA tournament threat.

Moseley studied under Shoop both as a player and ex-player, returning to camps to help out his mentor. He wanted to one day build his own program into a winner the same way Shoop had.

"We talked coaching all the time," Adam remembered of his time as a collegiate player. "He has been a constant source for me."

After graduating from Birmingham Southern in 1998, Adam started coaching high school baseball while taking graduate school classes. After grad school he began teaching and kept coaching before he eventually got a call from his hometown school, Grissom High School.

Adam would join Grissom as an assistant coach for three years before he took over the program. He led the Tigers for eight years and took the school to new heights, reaching the Alabama state quarterfinals four times in five years and an overall record of 224-153.

In 2014, Adam was hired to be the new head coach at Hoover High School. That same year, he was contacted by then USA Baseball Director of Baseball Operations Brooks Webb.

Why was Adam Moseley on USA Baseball's radar? He was an up-and-coming coach with drive and passion for the game, he already owned a track record of success in a major high school setting and was vouched for by a current USA Baseball coach, David Sharp. He checked all the boxes.

Moseley's insight to USA Baseball came from his relationship with David Sharp, the head coach of another big-time Alabama baseball program: Huntsville High School (Huntsville, Ala.). Sharp had helped with several USA Baseball identification events for the 12U National Team and shared his experiences with Moseley, and also recommended the career coach to USA Baseball.

"Brooks Webb called me and asked if I was interested [in working with USA Baseball]," Moseley remembered. "And I said yes, but I'd be a whole lot more comfortable if the pitchers were 60 feet, six inches away from the plate and the base paths were 90 feet apart."

Luckily, Webb was calling to fill a need at the National Team Championships in Florida, specifically with the 14U and 17U tournaments. Adam admits his first experience at a USA Baseball event was "a little overwhelming" due to the pressure of helping select a national team and the 14-hour days in hot and humid southern Florida. But, once he got settled in, it was "non-stop watching good baseball and learning."

Even though he wasn't coaching, Adam was determined to work as hard as he could at this new opportunity. His goal was to provide the best information possible, and let his dedication and drive show through his work.

He loved it, but it wasn't coaching. And Adam Moseley is a coach. He had known that since he was in high school.

The following year, even though it wasn't coaching, Adam once again returned to the National Team Championships event in Florida to give his time and expertise to USA Baseball and young players from across the country. And it was then that he was asked to lend his services to the 14U National Team Development Program.

"I thought the National Team Development Program was the coolest thing ever," said Moseley. At the National Team Development Program he was back where he felt most at home, back on the field coaching some of the most talented kids in the country. This is where he belonged.

Being back on the field and spending time with these players was something Adam took to heart. "I was there to coach pitchers, but I was there to coach them about life as well," he said.

Adam continued to coach USA Baseball players about pitching and life and "The USA Way" at any event he was asked to attend. And in 2017 he was named head pitching coordinator for the 14U National Team Development Program.

"You look around at these players and you think, well they are going to win a world championship next year," Moseley said. He didn't know it at the time, but he would be right there with them when they did. It was the plan all along.

"It was clear during the 14U National Team Development Program that Adam was meticulous and organized when it came to pitchers," said Ashley Bratcher, USA Baseball Senior Director of Baseball Operations and the 15U National Team program director. "He knew every detail about each player on the field and he created a thorough and development plan for all of them.

"Making him the pitching coach on the 15U National Team in 2018 was one of our easier decisions. He displayed an appreciation to the game, to his craft as a pitcher and to developing the athletes that told us he was the right guy to for the job. It is not an easy task to lead a pitching staff at a World Cup, especially when you were still searching for your first world title, and his experience and dedication to competing that helped lead our program to new heights."

The pitching staff he led in the 2018 U-15 Baseball World Cup posted a combined 1.24 ERA in the nine-game tournament. They outscored their opponents 88-13 on their way to winning the first U-15 Baseball World Cup in USA Baseball history. Adam Moseley returned home from the first international trip of his life with a gold medal.

That gold medal came just one year after he led the Buccaneers to an Alabama State Championship in 2017. It's safe to say the high school player looking at colleges knew exactly what he was meant to do with his life. He chose the right path and USA Baseball is thankful for it.

Adam Moseley's story is the fourth and final story of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA Baseball Coach." The remaining three stories of the series can be found on USABaseball.com.

You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best. You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So, what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Alum With Unfinished Business: Assistant Coach Manny Crespo
In 1984, USA Baseball won silver at the Los Angeles Olympic Games and that team was led by a southern California native, Mark McGwire. In 1984, Manny Crespo was five years old. He still remembers the baseball card of a young Mark McGwire sporting a USA-branded hat and jersey that put USA Baseball into the consciousness of young Manny and many others.
Nine years later, a then 14-year-old Manny was invited to try out for Team USA, just like the athletes he watched on the field during the Olympics in L.A., but fate would not favor Manny during his first tryout.
"A couple days into Trials, I caught a line drive off my leg, and that pretty much eliminated me for that year," Manny remembered. "But I got another shot. And in 1997 I made the team."
He was drafted in the 12th round of the 1997 MLB Draft after his senior season at Westminster Christian, but elected to forego his immediate professional opportunity to instead attend the University of Miami.
In the Fall of 1997, Manny was selected to the 18U National Team. He played in five of the six games at the Junior World Championships, where he batted .365 and hit a pair of home runs. But, the team had to settle for a bronze medal.
The following school year, Manny headed to campus to play for the University of Miami where he enjoyed a decorated career where he was Freshman of the Year and a two-time All-American. And in 1999, he achieved another career milestone as the Hurricanes won the College World Series. Manny was named to the All-Tournament Team.
But the College World Series celebration was short-lived, because the next morning Manny was on a plane to join his new teammates on the 1999 Collegiate National Team.
Another year, a new team, similar results for Manny. He batted .320 with a pair of homers over 17 games with Team USA. But with no World Cup that season, a gold medal still eluded him.
1999 would be Manny's last season representing USA Baseball on the field as a player, but, according to Manny, "Once you're a USA guy, you're always a USA guy."
Over the next ten years, life happened to Manny Crespo. After a few minor league seasons, he left the game of baseball and became a teacher. Baseball was no longer a part of his professional life, until 2009 when another Hurricanes baseball alum asked Manny to help out coaching baseball at Gulliver Prep.
That Gulliver Prep head coach was Javy Rodriguez, and Manny joined his staff as an assistant. But Javy had a side gig as well. He had been working on the task force at the USA Baseball National Team Championships for a few years.
By 2014, Manny had been coaching alongside Javy for five years, all the while hearing stories of the talent he had seen while coaching at USA Baseball events. Already familiar with the organization, Manny decided he wanted an opportunity to return USA Baseball, and give back some of the lessons he learned, so he joined Javy to help out at the National Team Championships in 2014.
"I never won gold as a player, so in the back of my mind I think it was always there. I always wanted to come back. And I was happy to give back to an organization that provided so much for me," said Manny.
Back in the fold with USA Baseball, Manny was hooked again.
After helping out at the National Team Championships, Manny made it clear he wanted to help with any event or team that his help was needed. Over the next couple of years, he returned to the National Team Championships and also helped out at the National Team Identification Series (NTIS).
His next step up the ladder came in 2016 when USA Baseball Senior Director of Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher needed an extra coach at the Women's National Team Trials, preferably one with catching experience.
Manny was the fit.
"Having been a player himself, Manny knew what it took to play for Team USA and the honor associated with getting to wear the uniform," recalled Bratcher "He is as passionate about the experience as anyone. He wanted to help players not just realize their dream of playing for Team USA, but to see them win for their country.
"He didn't care if they were women, 15-year-olds or professional athletes."
"That experience…" Manny said. "I would recommend it to anybody."
Getting on the field and coaching this group of women as they worked to get selected to the USA Baseball Women's National Team put Manny in an even smaller tier of coaches aiming to be a USA Baseball coach. He was on the short list of possible national team coaches and his willingness to coach any age group and any team only increased his odds to put that USA jersey on again and go for the gold medal he just missed out on as a player.
In preparation for the 2017 USA Baseball season, the baseball operations staff was putting together collections of coaches that made sense for each age group. The 14U National Team Development Program prospects looked to be immensely talented, good enough to challenge for a first World Cup title for the 15U National Team the following year.
So, who would be given the reigns to help groom these boys at age 14 towards a possible World Cup showing the following year? Manny Crespo was one of those coaches selected to coach at the 14U NTDP that season.
"Manny is a player's coach, it is as simple as that. He brings an successful baseball background to the field that athletes of any age can relate to. His selection to that coaching staff was a no-brainer," said Bratcher.
Throughout that 2017 14U NTDP, relationships were built with his fellow coaches, trust was established and players' talents flourished. And heading into the 2018 season and the U-15 Baseball World Cup, Manny was ultimately one of four coaches selected to lead the 15U National Team and go to Panama, once again putting him in the grasp of winning a gold medal.
"I was in Panama, the birthplace of my mother, playing against Panama for the World Championship," Manny remembered. "That's when it got surreal."
The 15U National Team in 2018 had a motto: Leave no doubt. And the team did just that. The team outscored their opponents 88-13 over nine games, bringing the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup championship to the United States for the first time in history.
It was the gold medal-dream finally realized for Manny Crespo. A gold medal-dream that he was able to share with his fellow coaches and with a group of kids still beginning their baseball careers.
Manny Crespo's story is the third of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA Baseball Coach." The final story of the series will be released on USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.

You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best. You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So, what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Scorekeeper: Assistant Coach Troy Gerlach
Troy Gerlach is the head baseball coach at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Before that, he held the same position at Arcadia High School in Phoenix. Being around the game his entire life, Troy was drawn to USA Baseball and what it represented as the leading youth baseball federation in the country and the world. He needed to be a part of it, and he'd be honored to help in any way possible. Literally.
In 2012, USA Baseball needed a scorekeeper at the National Team Championships in Arizona. For Troy, living and coaching close by, it seemed like an easy fit.
Troy was an astute scorekeeper, keeping track of players that impressed him and putting down hand written notes on a separate sheet of paper. He wanted to have information at the ready in case any scouts came by asking for his input. So he wrote down pop times and velocity numbers that stood out among all these players fighting for the opportunity to play for a national team.
And those scouts did come by, asking Troy if any players caught his eye throughout the day that started at 7:00 a.m. and featured 110-degree heat beating down from the Arizona sun.
"I had this stuff all written down. Guys would look at it and I think just having that info down and knowing that I was putting in that effort, when I told them 'Hey there is this guy over here, he looks pretty good,' I think they trusted that I did know what I was talking about and they would go check him out."
The scouting bug had caught Troy, and he wanted to help in an even more direct way. One day, atop the field tower, Senior Director of Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher was talking to Troy about what he had seen that week. During the conversation, Troy told Ashley he was honored to do anything USA Baseball wanted him to do, but if there was ever an opportunity to do more, to scout one of the tournaments, he would love a shot.
"Troy expressed to me that he would like to help out with scouting or be on a task force if there was ever an opportunity. So, the last week of the tournament, something happened with one of the guys who was supposed to scout that week and so we had an opening. I asked Troy if he wanted to do it," Bratcher remembered.
For one tournament, Troy had graduated from scorekeeper to scout. A tournament of 14-year-old ball players working to be seen by the right scout, to get invited to that next step, to have a chance to put on a jersey that read U-S-A across the front. And as one of those scouts, Troy had a similar opportunity.
"I think I wrote every single thing down that week. I was in panic mode. I didn't want to screw this up," said Troy.
At these tournaments, each scout on the USA Baseball task force handles one field per day. Watching four games each day, scouting all eight teams at once. At the end of the day, the four members of the task force get together with national team coaches and USA Baseball personnel to discuss their day's worth of findings.
"The other guys said he did a great job and that he was fully committed, so the next year, instead of hiring him as a scorekeeper, we hired him back as a scout," said Bratcher.
A week of scouting turned into a year of scouting, which turned into years of scouting. From National Team Championships to National Team Identification Series (NTIS) to National Team Development Programs (NTDP) to National Team Trials, Troy kept up with the grind and never lost passion for the gig, the players, and the ultimate goal of winning a World Cup.
And then in 2017, Troy was asked to be on the staff for the 14U NTDP. Also working the NTDP that year, Jason Maxwell, who would go on to be named the manager of the 2018 15U National Team.
"The relationships we built in that 14U National Team Development Program year, those relationships played a huge role in winning the World Cup," Maxwell said of the two-year process. And those relationships went from coach to player, player to player, and coach to coach. "When Ashley had asked me to be the manager for the World Cup team, she asked who I wanted to be the coaches, and the three coaches we took came from that National Team Development Program."
Passion. Hard work. Selflessness. Relationships. These things are invaluable to a coach on a journey to becoming a representative of USA Baseball, and all are attainable for anyone that has that dream. Doesn't matter if you are a former big leaguer, or a former scorekeeper.
Troy Gerlach's story is the second of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA Baseball Coach." The remaining two stories of the series will be released on USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.

You go to a USA Baseball national team identification event. You play your best. You get noticed. You get invited to the chance of a lifetime: An opportunity to represent your country as a player on the USA Baseball national team.
That's the common path for a player.
But what about the coaches for the USA Baseball national teams? A coach cannot go 8-for-19 with three home runs over the course of a weekend tournament. So, what do they do? What is their path? How do you become a coach for USA Baseball?
It is a question we get asked a lot.
The answer: Honestly, there is no "path" for the best coaches in the country to carefully weave through, marking off accomplishments from a cultivated list in order to get closer to their coaching dreams. The answer is more complex than that. There are any number of ways someone with the right heart, attitude and abilities can end up wearing U-S-A across their chest and, hopefully, a gold medal around their neck.
For proof of this, look no further than the 2018 15U World Cup champion coaching staff. Four men with wildly different paths to our coaching ranks found themselves all sharing a medal stand in Panama.
The Handshake: Manager Jason Maxwell
Jason Maxwell played professional baseball for 12 years, started a high school program from scratch in Tennessee, and went on to lead Team USA to their first-ever U-15 Baseball World Cup title. But how did Maxwell get his start with USA Baseball? From the way he tells it: A handshake.
"You never know what a handshake will mean down the road." This is a philosophy Jason lives by and instills in his two sons. And it is a philosophy that set Jason on a path to what he calls his 'number one without a doubt' personal achievement in the game of baseball.
The handshake in this instance was with Jan Weisberg. Jan is the head coach of a college program that was recruiting one of Jason's high school players back in 2013. That college program was Birmingham-Southern, which was also the alma mater of Brooks Webb, former Senior Director of Baseball Operations at USA Baseball.
One day, Brooks called his former college manager asking if he knew of any coaches that showed the heart and ability to join the newest crop of USA Baseball coaches.
Jan sent him to Jason Maxwell.
Jason started his USA Baseball coaching career where most coaches do, working as a member of the task force at the National Team Championships and the National Team Identification Series. Hundreds of kids packed into ballparks across the country, all with the same goal as each other, all with the same goal as Jason Maxwell: A chance to represent the United States of America.
His passion for the game and his drive to help these young athletes reach their potential was obvious to everyone around him. Jason was suddenly at any event USA Baseball needed an extra hand.
After three short years, he was named to his first national team staff, and traveled to Japan as an assistant coach with the 2016 15U National Team. The team placed third in the tournament. But Jason left wanting more.
In 2017 Jason was named the field manager for the 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP). A group of young players stacked with talent. Enough to have a chance at history, to be the first team in U.S. history to bring home the U-15 World Cup championship the following year.
Over the next two summers, Jason led that group of young athletes, helped them develop and earned their trust. And in 2018, history was made.
"When you are standing in another country with a gold medal around your neck, and the national anthem starts to play," Jason remembered. "There is nothing like it."
From a handshake, to a phone call, to a gold medal.
Now if this sounds like fate, and something impossible for an everyday coach, that is not the case. Yes, Jason played big league baseball, but Jason was the head coach of a team coming off a 13-16 record when he received that phone call. A moment in which his first instinct was 'Just let it ring. We aren't going to be in the National High School Invitational' when he saw that his caller ID read "USA Baseball." 
But the call was for him. Because his passion, drive and ability were obvious to anyone around him. Obvious to Jan Weisberg, then obvious to Brooks Webb and eventually obvious to new Senior Director of Baseball Operations at USA Baseball, Ashley Bratcher, who served as the program director for the world championship 15U National Team in 2018.
"Jason epitomizes the character, leadership and personal qualities we look for to be a USA Baseball national team coach," said Bratcher. "In every facet of his life, both personal and professional, he does everything the right way and is a perfect representation of our game, our organization and our country.
"Without a doubt, he was truly an obvious and deserving choice to lead a USA Baseball national team and it was an honor to witness his direct impact on our athletes and his fellow coaches on the 2018 squad. It surprised nobody whom has ever had the privilege of working with him that he led our 15U National Team to unprecedented heights, winning its first-ever world championship title."
Every coach makes connections every day. And you never know what a handshake will mean down the road. And you'll never know when the right impression on the right person might lead to glory.
Jason Maxwell's story is the first of a four-part series on "How to Become a USA Baseball Coach." The remaining three stories of the series will be released on USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instgram and Twitter.

CARY, N.C. - Forty-one USA Baseball alumni were selected through all five rounds of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday and Thursday night, including 20 of the 37 athletes selected in the first round and 21 more alums taken in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds, collectively. Twenty selections is the third highest number of alumni drafted in the first round in USA Baseball history (23 in 2007, 21 in 2012).
Two-time Collegiate National Team member Spencer Torkelson became the eighth-consecutive Team USA alum to be taken first overall when the Detroit Tigers selected him with the No. 1 pick. Torkelson was then followed by four of his 2019 Collegiate National Team teammates: Heston Kjerstad (No. 2, Baltimore Orioles), Max Meyer (No. 3, Miami Marlins), Asa Lacy (No. 4, Kansas City Royals) and Austin Martin (No. 5, Toronto Blue Jays), marking the third time in USA Baseball history that alumni have been selected with the first five consecutive picks of the draft (2007, 2010).
The 41 alums that were selected in all five rounds of the 2020 MLB Draft represented four national team programs. Twenty-three players from the Collegiate National Team heard their names called, including eight more members of the 2019 squad, along with 16 athletes from the 18U National Team, seven from the 15U National Team and five from the 12U National Team.
Four-time Team USA alum Pete Crow-Armstrong (No. 19, New York Mets), two-time alum Drew Romo (No. 35, Colorado Rockies) and 2018 alum Jared Kelley (No. 47, Chicago White Sox) were teammates on the 2018 18U National Team that won the program's eighth-consecutive gold medal in international competition at the COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships.
Crow-Armstrong was also on the 2014 12U National Team and the 2017 15U National Team with Jackson Miller (No. 65, Cincinnati Reds) and Masyn Winn (No. 54, St. Louis Cardinals), who were both selected in the second round. Petey Halpin (No. 95, Cleveland Indians) was a member of the 2017 15U National Team as well, while J.T. Ginn (No. 52, New York Mets) and Cole Wilcox (No. 80, San Diego Padres) were both part of the 2017 18U National Team that won the program's fourth-consecutive world championship at the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup.
In addition to national team alumni, 44 athletes that participated in the inaugural 2019 PDP League and the USA Baseball National Team Development Program (NTDP) were also selected in the 2020 MLB Draft.
In total, 22 players that participated in the PDP League in 2019 were selected in the 2020 MLB Draft, including eight in the first round. 2019 USA Baseball Richard W. "Dick" Case Award winner and 18U National Team alum, Robert Hassell III, was the first to be drafted when the San Diego Padres took him with the No. 8 overall pick. Rounding out the first round PDP League alumni selections were Austin Hendrick (No. 12, Cincinnati Reds), Mick Abel (No. 15, Philadelphia Phillies), Ed Howard IV (No. 16, Chicago Cubs), Jordan Walker (No. 21, St. Louis Cardinals), Carson Tucker (No. 23, Cleveland Indians), Tyler Soderstrom (No. 26, Oakland Athletics) and Romo.
The second round featured six more PDP League players, as well as three participants taken in the third round, three in the fourth round and two in the fifth.
Nine past NTDP participants were also selected in the first round of the 2020 Draft, with Hendrick, Abel, Nick Yorke (No. 17, Boston Red Sox) and Crow-Armstrong taken in the top 20 picks. Tucker, Nick Bitsko (No. 24, Tampa Bay Rays), Austin Wells (No. 28, New York Yankees), Romo and Tanner Burns (No. 36, Cleveland Indians) rounded out the NTDP members drafted in the first round.
Additionally, 13 past NTDP athletes were taken in Rounds 2-5 with six selected in the second, four in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.
The full lists of USA Baseball alumni, PDP League participants and NTDP members selected in the 2020 MLB Draft are as follows:
National Team Alumni
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball Team(s)
1-1; Spencer Torkelson; Detroit Tigers; 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-2; Heston Kjerstad; Baltimore Orioles; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-3; Max Meyer; Miami Marlins; 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-4; Asa Lacy; Kansas City Royals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-5; Austin Martin; Toronto Blue Jays; 2014 15U, 2019 Collegiate National Teams
1-8; Robert Hassell III; San Diego Padres; 2019 18U National Team
1-10; Reid Detmers; Los Angeles Angels; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-12; Austin Hendrick; Cincinnati Reds; 2019 18U National Team
1-13; Patrick Bailey; San Francisco Giants; 2016 18U, 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-14; Justin Foscue; Texas Rangers; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-15; Mick Abel; Philadelphia Phillies; 2019 18U National Team
1-19; Pete Crow-Armstrong; New York Mets; 2014 12U, 2017 15U, 2018-19 18U National Teams
1-20; Garrett Mitchell; Milwaukee Brewers; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-22; Cade Cavalli; Washington Nationals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-23; Carson Tucker; Cleveland Indians; 2013-14 12U National Teams
1-26; Tyler Soderstrom; Oakland Athletics; 2019 18U National Team
1-32; Nick Loftin; Kansas City Royals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-35; Drew Romo; Colorado Rockies; 2018-19 18U National Teams
1-36; Tanner Burns; Cleveland Indians; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-37; Alika Williams; Tampa Bay Rays; 2019 Collegiate National Team
2-41; Ben Hernandez; Kansas City Royals; 2019 18U National Team
2-42; C.J. Van Eyk; Toronto Blue Jays; 2016 18U, 2018 Collegiate National Teams
2-44; Jared Jones; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2016 15U National Team
2-46; Chris McMahon; Colorado Rockies; 2019 Collegiate National Team
2-47; Jared Kelley; Chicago White Sox; 2018 18U National Team
2-51; Burl Carraway; Chicago Cubs; 2019 Collegiate National Team
2-52; J.T. Ginn; New York Mets; 2017 18U National Team
2-54; Masyn Winn; St. Louis Cardinals; 2014 12U, 2017 15U National Teams
2-56; Logan Allen; Cleveland Indians; 2016 18U, 2019 Collegiate National Teams
2-58; Jeff Criswell; Oakland Athletics; 2019 Collegiate National Team
2-62; Daniel Cabrera; Detroit Tigers; 2013 15U, 2018 Collegiate National Teams
2-65; Jackson Miller; Cincinnati Reds; 2014 12U, 2017 15U National Teams
2-70; Alec Burleson; St. Louis Cardinals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
3-80; Cole Wilcox; San Diego Padres; 2017 18U, 2019 Collegiate National Teams
3-85; Kyle Harrison; San Francisco Giants; 2019 18U National Team
3-95; Petey Halpin; Cleveland Indians; 2017 15U National Team
3-96; Hunter Barnhart; Tampa Bay Rays; 2014 12U National Team
3-101; Tyler Brown; Houston Astros; 2019 Collegiate National Team
4-106; Nick Frasso; Toronto Blue Jays; 2019 Collegiate National Team
4-119; A.J. Vukovich; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2019 18U National Team
4-124; Milan Tolentino; Cleveland Indians; 2019 18U National Team
2019 PDP League Participants
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team
1-8; Robert Hassell III; San Diego Padres
1-12; Austin Hendrick; Cincinnati Reds
1-15; Mick Abel; Philadelphia Phillies
1-16; Ed Howard IV; Chicago Cubs
1-21; Jordan Walker; St. Louis Cardinals
1-23; Carson Tucker; Cleveland Indians
1-26; Tyler Soderstrom; Oakland Athletics
1-35; Drew Romo; Colorado Rockies
2-40; Dax Fulton; Miami Marlins
2-41; Ben Hernandez; Kansas City Royals
2-44; Jared Jones; Pittsburgh Pirates
2-54; Masyn Winn; St. Louis Cardinals
2-65; Jackson Miller; Cincinnati Reds
2-72; Alex Santos; Houston Astros
3-85; Kyle Harrison; San Francisco Giants
3-90; Liam Norris; Arizona Diamondbacks
3-95; Petey Halpin; Cleveland Indians
4-111; Werner Blakely; Los Angeles Angels
4-119; A.J. Vukovich; Arizona Diamondbacks
4-124; Milan Tolentino; Cleveland Indians
5-132; Colt Keith; Detroit Tigers
5-147; Koen Moreno; Chicago Cubs
National Team Development Program Members
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; NTDP Team(s)
1-12; Austin Hendrick; Cincinnati Reds; 2018 17U NTDP
1-15; Mick Abel; Philadelphia Phillies; 2018 17U NTDP
1-17; Nick Yorke; Boston Red Sox; 2016 14U NTDP
1-19; Pete Crow-Armstrong; New York Mets; 2016 14U, 2018-19 17U NTDPs
1-23; Carson Tucker; Cleveland Indians; 2018 17U NTDP
1-24; Nick Bitsko; Tampa Bay Rays; 2016 14U, 2018 16U, 2019 17U NTDPs
1-28; Austin Wells; New York Yankees; 2016 17U NTDP
1-35; Drew Romo; Colorado Rockies; 2018 17U NTDP
1-36; Tanner Burns; Cleveland Indians; 2015 17U NTDP
2-40; Dax Fulton; Miami Marlins; 2018 17U NTDP
2-44; Jared Jones; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2015 14U, 2018 17U NTDPs
2-47; Jared Kelley; Chicago White Sox; 2018 17U NTDP
2-54; Masyn Winn; St. Louis Cardinals; 2016 14U, 2018 17U NTDPs
2-55; Cole Henry; Washington Nationals; 2016 17U NTDP
2-65; Jackson Miller; Cincinnati Reds; 2016 14U NTDP
3-90; Liam Norris; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2018 17U NTDP
3-94; Holden Powell; Washington Nationals; 2016 17U NTDP
3-95; Petey Halpin; Cleveland Indians; 2018 16U NTDP
3-96; Hunter Barnhart; Tampa Bay Rays; 2018 16U NTDP
4-102; Gage Workman; Detroit Tigers; 2016 17U NTDP
5-132; Colt Keith; Detroit Tigers; 2018 17U NTDP
5-134; Kyle Hurt; Miami Marlins; 2015 17U NTDP

CARY, N.C. -- Twenty USA Baseball alumni were selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday night, including number one overall pick Spencer Torkelson. USA Baseball has had 524 total athletes drafted in the first round since 1972, and 2020 marks the 18th time in the last 20 years that the first overall pick played for Team USA.
Torkelson (No. 1, Detroit Tigers) became the eighth consecutive USA Baseball alum to be selected number one overall following Adley Rutschman (2019), Casey Mize (2018), Royce Lewis (2017), Mickey Moniak (2016), Dansby Swanson (2015), Brady Aiken (2014) and Mark Appel (2013). The Tigers have selected a member of Team USA with the first overall pick for the second time in three years after also drafting Mize in 2018.
In total, 33 alumni have been selected with the number one overall pick since 1972.
Five consecutive USA Baseball players were taken to begin the Draft for the third time in the organization's history (2007, 2010) with Torkelson, followed by Heston Kjerstad (No. 2, Baltimore Orioles), Max Meyer (No. 3, Miami Marlins), Asa Lacy (No. 4, Kansas City Royals) and Austin Martin (No. 5, Toronto Blue Jays), respectively. All five were teammates on the 2019 Collegiate National Team.
Additionally, 11 of the first 15 selections in the 2020 Draft have donned the red, white and blue in their career. 2019 USA Baseball Richard W. "Dick" Case Award winner and 18U National Team alum, Robert Hassell III, was taken with the eighth overall pick by the San Diego Padres and was followed by Reid Detmers (No. 10, Los Angeles Angels), Austin Hendrick (No. 12, Cincinnati Reds), Patrick Bailey (No. 13, San Francisco Giants), Justin Foscue (No. 14, Texas Rangers) and Mick Abel (No. 15, Philadelphia Phillies).
Four-time national team alum Pete Crow-Armstrong was the next USA Baseball player taken with the 19th pick by the New York Mets and the first round ended with eight more Team USA members being selected: Garrett Mitchell (No. 20, Milwaukee Brewers), Cade Cavalli (No. 22, Washington Nationals), Carson Tucker (No. 23, Cleveland Indians), Tyler Soderstrom (No. 26, Oakland Athletics), Nick Loftin (No. 32, Kansas City Royals), Drew Romo (No. 35, Colorado Rockies), Tanner Burns (No. 36, Cleveland Indians), and Alika Williams (No. 37, Tampa Bay Rays).
Four national team programs were represented in the 2020 Draft, including 13 players from the Collegiate National Team, seven from the 18U National Team, and two from both the 12U and 15U National Teams. In total, the 20 alumni selected in the opening round have won a cumulative five international gold medals and nine silver medals.
The 2020 MLB Draft will continue on Thursday, June 11, at 5 p.m. ET.
The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft is as follows:
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball Team(s)
1-1; Spencer Torkelson; Detroit Tigers; 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-2; Heston Kjerstad; Baltimore Orioles; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-3; Max Meyer; Miami Marlins; 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-4; Asa Lacy; Kansas City Royals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-5; Austin Martin; Toronto Blue Jays; 2014 15U, 2019 Collegiate National Teams
1-8; Robert Hassell III; San Diego Padres, 2019 18U National Team
1-10; Reid Detmers; Los Angeles Angels; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-12; Austin Hendrick; Cincinnati Reds; 2019 18U National Team
1-13; Patrick Bailey; San Francisco Giants; 2016 18U, 2018-19 Collegiate National Teams
1-14; Justin Foscue; Texas Rangers; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-15; Mick Abel; Philadelphia Phillies; 2019 18U National Team
1-19; Pete Crow-Armstrong; New York Mets; 2014 12U, 2017 15U, 2018-19 18U National Teams
1-20; Garrett Mitchell; Milwaukee Brewers; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-22; Cade Cavalli; Washington Nationals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-23; Carson Tucker; Cleveland Indians; 2013-14 12U National Teams
1-26; Tyler Soderstrom; Oakland Athletics; 2019 18U National Team
1-32; Nick Loftin; Kansas City Royals; 2019 Collegiate National Team
1-35; Drew Romo; Colorado Rockies; 2018-19 18U National Teams
1-36; Tanner Burns; Cleveland Indians; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-37; Alika Williams; Tampa Bay Rays; 2019 Collegiate National Team

CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball announced today a modified schedule of events for its 2020 summer season due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Created in adherence to the regulations set forth by the appropriate federal, state and local governments, the updated schedule is tentatively set to begin with the 14U Cup from July 24-26 at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
All of these events continue to be subject to cancellation or postponement based on the future state of the evolving coronavirus situation. The organization will monitor the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), as well as consult its Medical/Safety Advisory Committee in order to evaluate the status of its upcoming tournaments.
All further decisions will be made in as timely a manner as possible with respect to the safety and well-being of all the participating athletes, coaches and fans. If these tournaments run as scheduled, teams and fans will be required to follow a series of return to play guidelines developed by USA Baseball. These guidelines will be shared with all participants within an appropriate timeframe leading up to the event.
"As the national governing body for baseball in the United States, we feel it is in the best interest of the thousands of baseball athletes in our country to postpone our return to the field due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "We share in the longing for baseball's return, but we believe it is prudent to continue assessing the situation and finalizing a course of action that prioritizes the overall health and safety of our participants and their families in light of the continued transmission of this disease.
"This schedule was structured in an effort to secure as many opportunities as possible for athletes who hope to one day play for Team USA. We will remain steadfast in our commitment to this charge; however, we will continue to evaluate the situation on a daily basis and monitor the guidelines set forth by the CDC and the USOPC in case additional modifications need to be made."
The following events have been tentatively rescheduled on the 2020 calendar:
• 17U National Team Championships North Carolina (July 27-30)
• 14U and 15U National Team Championships Arizona (July 27-30)
• 16U and 17U National Team Championships Arizona (July 31-August 3)
• 15U National Team Championships North Carolina (August 4-9)
• 10U Futures Invitational (August 6-9)
• 16U National Team Championships North Carolina (August 11-16)
• 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U NTIS Champions Cup (August 19-23)
• 15U and 16U NTIS Champions Cup (August 26-30)
The following events and national team programming have been cancelled:
• 11U Futures Invitational
• 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP)
• 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP)
• National Team Championships Florida
The 14U Cup (July 24-26) and 11U/13U Futures Series Irvine (August 28-30) are set to take place as originally scheduled.
Additionally, USA Baseball continues to work closely with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) with respect to the international baseball calendar. To date, the WBSC has postponed the Americas Baseball Olympic Qualifier, U-15 Baseball World Cup and the Women's Baseball World Cup until further notice. The U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier has also been postponed but will not take place this year.
"USA Baseball fully supports the WBSC and its decision to indefinitely postpone the events on the baseball calendar in an effort to protect our national team athletes at this time," continued Seiler. "When the time comes for Team USA to return to the field, we will be ready to continue our longstanding tradition of excellence on the international stage."
Corresponding to the status of the international baseball calendar, USA Baseball has cancelled all 12U National Team programming events for 2020, meanwhile any future events planned for the 15U National Team, 18U National Team, Collegiate National Team and Women's National Team this year will be announced as necessary.
The Medical/Safety Advisory Committee has published a free Athlete Preparation Plan that provides a series of at-home exercises aimed to prepare young athletes for their return to the diamond following a prolonged disruption from on-field activity. To access this plan and to read its recommendations for baseball players during the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.
Further information on USA Baseball updates relating to COVID-19 can be found here. For up-to-the-minute updates on the organization and its events, follow @USABaseball on social media.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is a four-time USA Baseball alum and one of a select few athletes who have participated on all of the organization's youth national teams, including 2018 18U National Team teammate Anthony Volpe and Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora.
Crow-Armstrong has won two gold medals with Team USA as a member of the 2017 15U National Team that won gold at the COPABE "AA" Pan American Championships and the 2018 18U National Team that claimed the title at the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Championships. As a member of the 2019 18U National Team, he was named the All-World Center Fielder at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup, where the U.S. earned a silver medal. He has a .365 lifetime batting average with Team USA.
Additionally, he participated in the 2019 USA Baseball National High School Invitational with Harvard-Westlake, which advanced to the championship game for the third time in the school's history.

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USA Baseball (USAB): What got you into baseball?
Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA): It was just running around the backyard, probably playing every sport I possibly could and then years after that, I just happened to stick with baseball. We had a good-sized backyard that I was lucky enough to get to tear up and just a bunch of wiffle ball with my buddies and my dad and playing until we couldn't see the ball anymore. So, I think that that probably kind of sparked my love for the game and ultimately when I was probably we, I just stuck with baseball.
USAB: What do you love most about the game of baseball?
PCA: [I love that] it doesn't matter how old you are, what level you play, you can kind of just run around and be free. I play the outfield so I love being able to roam that area of the field and control that and be myself. It's another place I can be a little different than who I am off the field and it's a really great outlet. It's a great escape sometimes and I think it's this really strategic game, but it's competitive and crazy at moments too. So, I think there's a ton to just absolutely love about the sport.
USAB: You mentioned starting out playing baseball at a very young age but at what age do you think you started to come around confidence-wise and figured out, not only do I love this game, but I might be pretty good at it?
PCA: I would say probably 11 or 12 [years old]. I play Little League all my life, I never really played much club ball or anything like that, so hearing about all these club teams was kind of crazy at that age and [hearing about] all these really good players at that age. But once I hit 11 or 12, I started playing with guys a little bit older than me - some of whom are my best friends now - and then I was lucky enough to make the 12U National Team. I think that was probably the moment where I was like, 'okay, I can hang with the rest of the people in the country.'
USAB: You are one of a very small number of athletes to play on all of the USA Baseball youth national teams - along with players like Albert Almora and Anthony Volpe. What has USA Baseball meant to you throughout your playing career so far?
PCA: I think I can speak on behalf of pretty much everybody that's played for a program like this: you get to experience things that you probably never imagine that you'd be able to experience at 12, 15, 18 [years old] and even some in college. I think that being introduced to new ways of life in different countries and new styles of play and a bunch of new guys from around the country that - like I said earlier, some of whom are my best friends now - I think that there's a lot to be thankful for. Just being able to play with them a handful of times, I've met so many great players, so many great people, and I've gotten to experience so many crazy things that I never imagined I would when I was younger just only being a high schooler.
And obviously, being able to say that I played for each level and being able to say that Albert Almora and [Anthony Volpe] did it too is an honor. Those are two great players. I was lucky enough to play with Anthony a couple summers ago and he's one of the best people to be around; he's a great guy. So yeah, USA Baseball means a lot and, heck, if I get to find myself playing with them again someday, that's be the best.
USAB: If I asked you to pick a favorite memory from each Team USA experience, do you think you could do that? You were on the 12U National Team in 2014, the 15U National Team in 2017 and the 18U National Team each of the past two years. Do you have a favorite memory from each?
PCA: I think 12U would probably have to be trials; it was a whole new kind of format, and I'd never experienced anything like that before. I ended up rooming with Carson Tucker, who's one of my best friends now, so I think actually 12U as a whole, I'd say. Just the people I met, I still keep in touch with probably more than half that team and that was six years ago at this point, so I'd say the whole thing and meeting new people [was my favorite part] from 12U.
From 15U, I think it was honestly the gold medal game. We didn't come out on top necessarily - we got named co-champions - and that was humbling because you kind of go in there expecting to win every time. You're surrounded by absolutely amazing baseball players on your team and you kind of expect to go in there and kick butt so I think that was humbling. That was good for me to experience something like that - it wasn't defeat because we still played our tails off but it wasn't success either.
Then 18U, [in 2018] we won gold in Panama so that's my favorite experience of them all. That was a great team and I was super lucky to play with guys older than me and I got to learn from them. And then, similar to 15U, I think that this past year's 18U team we battled from the start, before we even got to playing, flying in Rawley Hector and Drew Bowser a little late. Those guys came and they brought it and we couldn't have asked for better teammates and performances from them too. But I think the adversity that we faced this past fall - again, similar to 15U - it was humbling and it really kind of makes you well-versed in how to handle obstacles like that. So I would say that as a whole too.
USAB: With Team USA, having gone through it so many times, you've gotten to do a lot of traveling - there was Panama, Taiwan, Korea, Colombia. What have those different experiences been like for you?
PCA: Country to country, each one was different. I went to each place not really knowing what to expect. One thing you kind of know is that you have to be prepared to have everybody rooting against you. So, there's going to be that and there are going to be different obstacles you have to jump over, whether that's different kind of weather than you're used to, different playing conditions, whatever it may be, so you have to go in there prepared that you're not going to be really rooted for. But each place that I went to was beautiful. We have some downtime so we get to see different parts of the country and Colombia was especially cool. We got to go see some old towns they had there that were kind of transformed into touristy attractions. In Korea, again it was beautiful, the backdrops behind the fields were great and I think the fans were especially cool to play in front of there and also in Panama. Being able to play against the host country, everybody comes out and it's a crazy atmosphere. So, I think that each country I went to was different but a lot of the challenges you face and the things you experience are kind of the same from place to place.
USAB: Was there one place that stood out as far as just a travel destination? Baseball aside, can you pick a favorite?
PCA: If we're talking travel destination, I would say Korea or Colombia. In Korea, there's a lot I'd love to explore there if I wasn't going for a baseball trip and Colombia, we only got to see a little glimpse of what else the country was about besides baseball. So, I'd like to go deeper there and explore the country there too. Either of those, I'd be perfectly happy traveling to.
USAB: What are you doing right now to stay sharp and stay in shape as best you can while we're all holed in right now?
PCA: My routine hasn't really changed, I think I just have a little more time on my hands. I'm working out every day, hitting every day; I'm lucky enough to be able to go to a family friend's backyard and sneak in there and use their cage, they've been nice enough to let [me and my dad] do that. It's nice because I haven't done anything baseball-related with [my dad] since I was probably nine or ten so it's cool to get that little chance. And then, I have Zoom classes for school, we're kind of winding down and we've got finals coming up, but yeah, I think the only difference is I just have a little more time on my hands when school gets out and when I finish working out and doing my baseball stuff.
USAB: So, nothing new to the regimen that's been added because of the circumstances that you like and might keep doing going forward?
PCA: No, I think right now it just kind of prepares you for a time when, years down the road, if you're in the big leagues where you may have a ton of downtime before a game. It's cool to see how you can kind of conserve energy and be prepared for the nine innings that night or that afternoon or whatever. Also, this is a good time for everybody to pick up a new hobby or something that they can take with them, so I started trying to play the guitar. I read a lot, so I've been reading a little more than usual and then [watching] a bunch of movies. But I just think as tough as it is right now, it could come out as a blessing in disguise for a lot of us.
USAB: How is learning the guitar going?
PCA: It's good, I'm starting to get some calluses on these parts of my fingers. There are still a couple of chords I can't get down but if you kind of have the C, B, G chords, you can kind of just fiddle around.
USAB: Who are your top five favorite baseball players of all time?
PCA: So, when I looked at this question, I had a hard time trying to rank them, but my number one if kind of a runaway. Griffey is my number one. The fun that he had on the field and just the sheer athleticism that he played with when was in his prime and even younger is special and once in a lifetime - so him for sure. I'm also a huge Javy Baez fan. We're a Cubs household so when he got brought up I thought he was awesome. He just plays with so much energy, so that's one thing that I really liked about him. I like a lot of young guys right now but I was always a Ricky Henderson fan, the way he ran and also, just absolutely powerful. I like Juan Soto a lot right now - a new face for MLB who can bring that flare that we see a lot of young guys having right now. And then, he's probably going to make fun of me but Cole Tucker and Jack Flaherty. I think there are just a lot of young guys who are going to make this game even better than it already is and [Tucker and Flaherty] are just great people on and off the field and I look up to them a lot. So, I'd say those are my top five right now. It changes a lot with new guys coming around or I learn about an older player that I like but I think for me it's a more than just baseball, so those five right now would be guys I like to talk about.
USAB: I get the younger guys, the current players, but how did you learn about guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Ricky Henderson? What first exposed you to those guys?
PCA: My dad and then YouTube and me just liking baseball and wanting to dive deeper when I was younger and coming up. I mean, I don't think you have to be a baseball player to know who Griffey is, he's kind of the iconic swing man, or whatever you want to call him. So, I immediately gravitated towards his aura and how he played. I think it's pretty infectious and I think I try to take some stuff from his game for sure. But Ricky Henderson, I think just watching TV, being on YouTube, you kind of stumble upon these people and I've liked those two for a while now.
USAB: How much are you looking forward to the MLB draft in June? What would it mean to you to hear your named called relatively early on in that?
PCA: It would be great. It would definitely be a dream come true but I think once anybody gets drafted, it's kind of just a checkpoint. So, I'm really looking forward to that if the opportunity presents itself and I'm taking it day by day. I also am committed to Vanderbilt, so I have a great home in them. Coach Corbin, Coach Baxter, Coach Brown and Coach Macias, they're all absolutely amazing people and great families and I love Vanderbilt for more than just baseball. So, I'm super fortunate to be in the position I am and I think that there is really no stream going into this, it's just a 'whatever happens, happens' mentality for me and I'm going to be happy either way.

USA Baseball had the opportunity to talk with the 2015 12U National Team Manager, four-time national team assistant coach and 2020 12U National Team Assistant Coach, Tanner Vesely, to reflect on his time with the organization and a life full of baseball. 
USA Baseball: What does it mean for you to be able to coach the 12U National Team this year?
Tanner Vesely: Anytime you get the opportunity to represent [USA Baseball], represent your country and get to put that uniform on, it's a special thing. It's not something you can put into words. It's a huge honor and to be thought of as an individual and to be able to do that is a tremendous honor. Not a whole lot of people in the world get to put the jersey on and to be able to do that is one the highest honors in the game.
USAB: What's different about coaching Team USA compared to coaching any other team? Did you ever think your career would bring you to be as involved with USA Baseball as you have been over the years?
TV: Growing up in a small town in northern Arizona, if you would've told me that I get the chance to work for USA Baseball and do some of the things I have, I would've said you were crazy. There is no way growing up I would've thought baseball would take me all over the world and I would've gotten to do some of the things I've gotten to do.
What's different is the pace of everything. When you're back home you get your kids for an extended time. You get them for a season and practice more than three or four days before getting thrown into eight or nine of the most important games that some of the kids get to play in their lives. We're going up against teams that get to be together 10 months to a year, but that's what's special. We get the buy-in aspect and the talent level is fun to coach, and banding together as a group representing your country and trying to accomplish the ultimate goal of bringing a gold medal home. It's the time frame where you get to create relationships and develop those players. With USA Baseball, the team-building is a big piece you can't build in 3 to 4 days, but yet somehow you still do.
USAB: From any point in your life, what is your greatest/most fond baseball memory?
TV: Two of my biggest moments would be: 1. Getting to share the dugout with my dad and getting to be around him every day after I was done playing; 2. Being the manager of the 12U [National] Team in 2015 and to win gold in Taiwan. Also, getting Development Coach of the Year was a tremendous honor and was pretty special for me. But, yeah, coaching with my dad was big in my baseball life.
USAB: Growing up, and as you progressed through the sport, who was your baseball role model? Why?
TV: There were two people who directed the baseball influence in my life: 1. My father. He was there every single day whether it was BP or ground balls he was a humongous influence in my life and what I got to do. 2. Derek Jeter was also huge for me and the way he did his business. Whether it was at-bat number one or 572 he was approaching it the same way.
USAB: Looking back, if you could give younger Tanner advice from what you've learned over the years, what would it be?
TV: Be diligent about being a lifelong learner. When it's time to hang up the spikes - the day comes for everybody - you've got to figure out what to do next. I always knew I wanted to stay in the game and coach. When you're having fun playing and you're young, you think you know everything. You've walked the road and know how it's done and you have to continue the road. There was a five-year span where maybe I didn't treat umpires well [laughs] but I continued - and still am continuing to learn and grow, and be a better coach for the kids you get to impact down the road. Coaches need to make that effort to get to be better every day as well.
USAB: What is the biggest piece of advice you would pass on to young athletes wanting to play for Team USA one day?
TV: Never take no for an answer. If it doesn't work out when you're younger, prove people wrong. Use it as motivation not as anger. Hunter Haas (2019 18U National Team alum and member of Veseley's Corona del Sol High School team) tried out for the 12U [National] Team twice, the 15U [National] Team twice, made it to trials and NTDP, and never got over that hump. As an 18-year-old, he called me and said he made the team and you could hear the tears in his voice. He used it as motivation for six years and became the starting second baseman and won a silver medal. Whether it's a coach or anyone, don't ever accept no. Enjoy the game and have fun, you only get to play for so long. You never know. It's not just what you do on the baseball field. It's what you're doing off the field. It's what you're doing in the community and social media and how you're representing you and your family and your community and state. It's more than just your baseball ability. It's being a great person and having high character and not caving in. Everyone else is doing these things and are you doing it too? It's about being uncommon.

DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball today named the coaching staff for the 2020 12U National Team that will compete for a second consecutive World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier gold medal, highlighted by the naming of three-time 12U National Team assistant coach R.J. Farrell as manager.
Farrell will be joined on staff in 2020 by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Erik Johnson and Tanner Vesely. The 12U National Team will look to defend its Americas Qualifier title and qualify for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in 2021.
"R.J. has been a remarkable representative and coach for our organization over the years and we are excited to have him leading the 12U National Team in 2020," said USA Baseball 12U National Team Director Will Schworer. "We are confident that he, and the rest of his staff, will serve as exceptional mentors for these young athletes both on and off the field as they look to defend the U.S.'s title at the U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier this summer."
2020 marks Farrell's fourth consecutive year serving on the 12U National Team coaching staff and his first as manager. Currently, he is in his first year as an assistant coach and Athletic Support and Compliance Coordinator at Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) after spending seven years as the head coach at Rancho Cucamonga High School (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), where 30 of his former players went on to play collegiate baseball.
Prior to coaching at Rancho Cucamonga High School, he spent one year as an assistant coach at Orange Lutheran High School in 2012, was an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Patten University (Oakland, Calif.) from 2009-2011 and served as an assistant coach at De La Salle High School (Concord, Calif.) from 2007-2008.
In his three years as an assistant coach for the 12U National Team, Farrell helped to lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan-American Championships. In addition, Farrell has worked with USA Baseball at the 11U National Team Identification Series (NTIS), 12U National Open and the USA Baseball Futures Invitational, and also served as a 12U National Team Trials coach in 2016.
Kenny, who is making his USA Baseball national team coaching debut as the pitching coach for the 2020 12U National Team, is currently in his 10th year as the Director of Player Development and Youth Director for Top Tier Baseball. Kenny started his 20-year coaching career as a pitching coach for the Danville Dans, Austin Peay State University and Illinois State University from 2000-2008. Following his time at Illinois State, he returned to his role as pitching coach at Austin Peay, while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator until joining Top Tier Baseball in 2010. In his career with USA Baseball, Kenny has coached at the 12U National Open since 2015, was a member of the 11U NTIS Task Force in 2017 and 2019, and was a 12U National Team Trials coach in 2018 and 2019.
Johnson is also making his USA Baseball national team coaching debut in 2020. However, he is no stranger to donning the red, white and blue, having first played for Team USA on the 1985 Collegiate National Team before suiting up as a coach. He has been involved with the NTIS since its inception in 2007, serving as a coach of the Northern California region until 2017 when he became a scouting director and coach for the Northwest Region. Additionally, he was a member of the 12U National Open coaching staff in both 2018 and 2019 and then served as a 2019 12U National Team Trials coach. Currently, he is the President and General Manager of EJ Sports where he has also been a coach since 1997.
Rounding out the staff is Vesely, who returns to the 12U National Team coaching staff after leading the 2015 squad to the program's second consecutive world championship at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Prior to his time as manager, Vesely helped guide the 12U National Team to its first-ever gold medal at the 2013 International Baseball Federation and a silver medal at the 2014 COPABE "A" Pan-American Championships as an assistant coach.
Vesely began his national team coaching career more than a decade ago with back-to-back gold medals as an assistant coach with the 2008 and 2009 14U National Teams. In addition, he has served as a member of the Task Force at the National Team Championships in Arizona since 2008, a member of the 12U National Open coaching staff since 2013 and was a coach at the Women's National Team Trials in 2019. He was also part of the inaugural 2019 13U Athlete Development Program coaching staff and served on the NTIS Task Force in 2009, 2016 and 2018. Currently in his 15th season as an assistant coach at Corona del Sol High School (Tempe, Ariz.), Vesely also helped lead his team to the USA Baseball National High School Invitational in 2019.
The 2020 12U National Team identification process started with the 2019 11U NTIS and will continue with the 2020 11U Futures Series held in both Irvine, California, and Melissa, Texas, in March and May 2020, respectively, as well as the 2020 11U Futures Invitational from June 25-28 in Cary, North Carolina.
The 12U National Team Trials will take place immediately following the conclusion of the 11U Futures Invitational from June 28-July 3 in North Carolina. The final 18-man 12U National Team roster will then reconvene at a later date for training before participating in the 2020 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier.
For more information on the 12U National Team, follow along on Twitter @USABaseball and @USABaseball12U.

	1	2	3	4	R	H	E
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Team USA	11	1	6	X	18	0	0

Win: A. Mercurius (1-1) Loss: J. Jonathan (0-1) Save: None

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan - Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.) combined to throw a no-hitter as the USA Baseball 12U National Team dropped South Africa, 18-0, to conclude the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Saturday at ASPAC B stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
 


Team USA concluded the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a 6-2 overall record, while South Africa finished the tournament with a 1-7 overall record. The U.S. outscored its opponents 118-21 in the tournament. Saturday's second game of the doubleheader marked the team's first no-hitter of the tournament. The U.S. held opponents to one hit or less in four games of the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
Mercurius set the tone on the mound for Team USA after striking out three in two hitless innings on the mound to earn the win. Lewis entered the game in the third inning and struck out all three batters that he faced to complete the no-hitter. South Africa's Jaedon Jonathan (0-1) suffered the loss.
Jaiden Lo Re (Oakland, Calif.) led the U.S. at the plate after going 3-for-3, including a double and a home run, while recording three RBIs and scoring two runs. Lo Re became the seventh different player to log a home run for Team USA with a two-RBI home run in the first inning. Three members of Team USA added two hits on the day, including Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas), who picked up his sixth multi-hit game of the tournament. Tinajero picked up his team-leading fourth home run with a two-RBI shot in the bottom of the first.
Key Moments

• Team USA jumped out to an early lead as Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) hit an RBI-single before Lucas Tinajero hit his team-leading fourth home run to plate Fien and give Team USA a 3-0 lead with no outs in the bottom of the first.
• The U.S. continued the scoring two batters later as Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) and Gustavo Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) hit an RBI-single and an RBI-double, respectively, before Jaiden Lo Re hit the team's second homer of the inning to stretch the lead to 7-0.
• Fien added two more RBIs to his total with a double and Dillon Adkins hit an RBI-single to center field to give Team USA an 11-0 advantage.
• Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) brought home Team USA's lone run of the second inning with a sacrifice fly to right field.
• The red, white and blue used four hits to plate six more runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a two-RBI single by Sebastian Segura (Spring, Texas).
• Team USA's Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) was lights out on the mound, pitching three hitless innings while striking out five before Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.) entered the game in the top of the fourth and struck out the side to end the game due to the run rule.

Notable Information

• Team USA earned two wins on Saturday after defeating Czech Republic,11-0, and South Africa 18-0.
• The U.S. closed the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a 6-2 overall record.
• The red, white and blue recorded four shutouts in the tournament, including shutting out its final three opponents.
• Saturday's second contest against South Africa marked the team's first no-hitter at the tournament and the 15th in program history.
• The U.S. held opponents to one hit or less in four games of the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
• Lucas Tinajero picked up his sixth multi-hit game of the tournament after going 2-for-2 at the plate.
• Tinajero led the U.S. squad in hits (14), home runs (4) and batting average (.667) in the tournament while tying for second with 11 runs scored and RBIs.
• Dillon Adkins scored 11 runs and drove in 12 RBIs to pace the red, white and blue.
• Noah Meza led the team with eight stolen bases at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
• Bryce Nixon drew eight walks, tying a program record for the most walks in a season.
• Brenden Lewis paced Team USA with two wins on the mound and tied for the team lead with seven. 

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

TAINAN, Taiwan - Friday's contest between the USA Baseball 12U National Team and the Czech Republic was postponed due to rain with the U.S. leading 11-0 in the top of the third inning. The game will resume on Saturday, August 2, at midnight ET at ASPAC B stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
Team USA will now conclude the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Saturday, August 2, with a doubleheader. The U.S. and the Czech Republic will complete its scheduled game at ASPAC B Stadium, before the red, white and blue, takes on South Africa at 2 a.m. ET.

Key Moments

• Josiah Hartshorn (Anaheim, Calif.) led off the top of the first for Team USA with a single up the middle before stealing second base. Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) drew a walk in the next at-bat to put runners on first and second.
• Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) doubled down the right-field line two pitches later to clear the bases and give the U.S. a 2-0 lead.
• Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) continued the scoring for Team USA two batters later with a three-run homer that sailed out of the stadium, giving the red, white and blue a 5-0 advantage.
• Lucas Tinajero then hit his third home run of the tournament with an opposite-field home run that scored two to give Team USA a 9-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the first.
• Team USA added a pair of runs in the bottom of the second after Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) and Lo Re hit an RBI-double and an RBI-single, respectively, to stretch the lead to 11-0.
• Friday's contest will resume on Saturday, August 3, at 12 a.m. ET with Jack Ruckert at the plate and two outs in the top of the third.

Notable Information

• Dillon Adkins and Lucas Tinajero each hit a home run in the top of the first as Team USA jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. The U.S. added two more runs in the second before the game was delayed and later postponed with two outs in the third.
• The game will resume on Saturday with Jack Ruckert at the plate and two outs in the top of the third.

On Deck

• Friday's matchup against the Czech Republic will resume on Saturday, August 2, at 12 a.m. ET, with two outs in the top of the third inning and the U.S. leading 11-0.
• The U.S. will wrap up the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a game against South Africa on Saturday, August 3, at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

	1	2	3	4	R	H	E
Team USA	9	2	4	0	15	12	0
Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	0	1	2

Win: J. McKernan (1-0) Loss: J. Novak (0-1) Save: None

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan - The USA Baseball 12U National Team registered 12 hits including three home runs and the pitching staff hurled a shutout as Team USA defeated the Czech Republic, 15-0, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, August 3, at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup at ASPAC B stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
The U.S. will conclude the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup with game two of Saturday's doubleheader against South Africa (1-6). Team USA moved to 5-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the win, while the Czech Republic finished the tournament with a 4-4 record overall record. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 100-21 through the first seven games of play.
Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) went 2-for-2, with a double and a home run, and registered four RBIs at the plate to lead Team USA offensively. Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) hit a home run apiece in the contest to tie for the team-lead with three. Hayes and Adkins scored three runs each in the game, while four members of the U.S. squad scored twice.
Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) earned the win for Team USA after striking out five and allowing one hit in the first two innings of the game. Logan Shields (Manvel, Texas) entered the game in the third inning and pitched two hitless innings while striking out four, before the game was called due to the international run rule. Czech Republic's Jan Novak (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing 11 runs in 1.1 innings on the mound.
Key Moments

• Josiah Hartshorn (Anaheim, Calif.) led off the top of the first for Team USA with a single up the middle before stealing second base. Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) drew a walk in the next at-bat to put runners on first and second.
• Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) doubled down the right field line two pitches later to clear the bases and give the U.S. a 2-0 lead.
• Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) continued the scoring for Team USA with a three-run homer that sailed out of the stadium, giving the red, white and blue a 5-0 advantage.
• The U.S. added two runs on a RBI-single from Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) and a RBI-groundout from Jaiden Lo Re (Phoenix, Ariz.).
• Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) then hit his third home run of the tournament with an opposite-field home run that scored two to give Team USA a 9-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the first.
• Team USA added a pair of runs in the bottom of the second after Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) and Lo Re hit an RBI-double and an RBI-single, respectively, to stretch the lead to 11-0.
• Starting pitcher Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) was on fire through the first two innings, striking out out five and allowing one hit.
• The game was suspended after heavy rain began with Team USA batting in the top of the third inning.
• The game continued on Saturday, August 3, at 12 a.m. ET with Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, La.) at the plate and two outs in the top of the third.
• Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif) hit a three-run homer to left field to stretch the lead to 14-0.
• Lo Re wrapped up the scoring after registering his second RBI of the game with a double that brought Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) home.
• Logan Shields (Manvel, Texas) finished the game on the mound for Team USA, recording four strikeouts in two hitless innings of relief.

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 5-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the win, while the Czech Republic closed the tournament with a 4-4 record.
• Team USA now holds a 1-0 record against Czech Republic in international play.
• Team USA held the Czech Republic to one hit in the contest, marking the third time at the 2019 WBSC U-12 World Cup that the U.S. has held an opponent to one hit.
• Jack McKernan (1-0) earned the win after striking out five, while allowing one hit in two innings of work.
• Logan Shields punched out four batters in two hitless innings of relief.
• Dillon Adkins, Rashad Hayes and Lucas Tinajero hit a home run each in the contest.
• Hayes led the U.S. offensively after going 2-for-2 with a home run and a double, while recording four RBIs and scoring three runs.

On Deck

• The U.S. will wrap up the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a game against South Africa on Saturday, August 3, at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

	1	2	3	4	R	H	E
Fiji	0	0	0	0	0	2	7
Team USA	6	22	0	X	28	12	0

Win: J. Armijo (1-0) Loss: G. Lee (0-1) Save: None

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan - Jack Armijo (San Lorenzo, Calif.) struck out six batters in two innings on the mound and Team USA tied a program-record in runs scored as the team defeated Fiji, 28-0, at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup at Shan-Hwan Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
Team USA moved to 4-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the win, while Fiji fell to 0-6. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 87-19 through the first six games of play. Team USA registered 14 stolen bases in the game, topping the previous record of 13 against Colombia in 2016. The U.S. tied a program record in runs scored after plating 28 runs for the second time in the tournament.
Sebastian Segura (Spring, Texas) led Team USA offensively after going 3-for-3, with a double, and registering four RBIs on the day. Lucas Tinajero picked up his fifth multi-hit game of the tournament after going 2-for-4 at the plate. Nine players scored at least two runs in the game, while Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.), John Dolan (Camarillo, Calif.) and Gustavo Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) scored four times each. Logan Shields (Manvel, Texas) led the team with five RBIs on the day, becoming the seventh player in program history to reach the milestone. Bryce Nixon (Huffman, Texas) tied a program record for most walks in a season with eight, after drawing two against Fiji.
Armijo (1-0) earned his first win of the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup after striking out six while allowing one hit in two innings of work. Jayden Stroman (Medford, N.Y.) entered the game in the third inning and pitched two scoreless innings before the game was called due to the international run rule. Fiji's George Lee (0-1) suffered the loss after 17 runs in one inning of work.
Key Moments

• Team USA led from start to finish after Bryce Nixon (Huffman, Texas) drew to lead off the game before scoring on a wild pitch. Gustavo Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) and Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) scored on a fielder's choice and a wild pitch to push the lead to 3-0 with no outs in the first inning.
• Team USA continued the scoring as Logan Shields (Manvel, Texas) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home John Dolan (Camarillo, Calif.) before Sebastian Segura (Spring, Texas) and Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) scored on a balk and a wild pitch, respectively, to extend the U.S. lead.
• The U.S. batted through the order twice in the bottom of the second as it scored 22 runs on 12 hits and six errors by Fiji, highlighted by RBI-doubles from Shields, Segura and McKernan.
• Shields and Segura drove in four runs in the inning, while four players recorded a pair of RBIs each.
• Starting pitcher Jack Armijo (San Lorenzo, Calif.) recorded all six putouts with a strikeout through the first two innings before Jayden Stroman (Medford, N.Y.) struck out three in the final two innings as the game was called due to the run rule.

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 4-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the win, while Fiji fell to 0-6.
• Team USA now holds a 1-0 record against Fiji in international play.
• Jack Armijo (1-0) earned the win after striking out six while allowing one hit in two innings of work.
• Jayden Stroman allowed just one hit while striking out three in two innings of relief.
• Lucas Tinajero picked up his fifth multi-hit game of the tournament after going 2-for-4 at the plate.
• Tinajero is tied for second with 11 hits the first six games of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and while ranking third in batting average (.688) and on-base percentage (.773).
• Dillon Adkins scored his team-leading ninth run of the tournament against Fiji, placing him in a tie for fourth on the tournament leaderboards.
• Bryce Nixon drew his tournament-leading eighth walk against Fiji, tying a program record for the most walks in a season.
• Jayden Stroman leads the tournament with a perfect 0.00 ERA in three appearances on the mound. Teammate Brenden Lewis ranks second with a 0.67 ERA.
• Lewis leads all pitchers at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in innings pitched (9.0) and is tied for first with two wins.

On Deck

• Team USA continues play at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup on Thursday, August 1, against Czech Republic. First pitch is slated for 2:00 a.m. ET at from ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
• The U.S. will wrap up the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a game against South Africa on Saturday, August 3, at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Team USA	0	1	1	3	2	1	4	12	10	2
Korea	4	0	3	1	0	0	3	11	8	3

Win: Brenden Lewis (2-0) Loss: T. Lee (0-1) Save: Gavin Fien (1)

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan - Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) went 3-for-3 with two home runs and recorded four RBIs to lead Team USA to a come-from-behind win over previously unbeaten Korea, 12-11, in the final game of the opening round at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup at ASPAC Youth Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.
Team USA concluded the opening round of the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a 3-2 record, while Korea (4-1) suffered its first loss of the tournament. Korea finished first in the Group B standings despite the loss, while the U.S. placed fourth.
Adkins led the U.S. offensively after going 3-for-3 with two home runs and driving in four RBIs. He also led the team with three runs scored. Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) added a pair of hits and scored two runs in the win. Tinajero recorded a .750 batting average in the opening round, tying Japan's Kazuki Takahata for the best in the tournament. Tinajero ranks second in the tournament in on-base percentage (.824) and third with a 1.417 slugging percentage. Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) stole his sixth base of the tournament against Korea, putting him in a three-way tie for second.
Team USA's Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.) earned his second win 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup after allowing four runs on three hits in four innings of relief. Lewis joined Chinese Taipei's Yu An Chen as the only pitchers to earn two wins in the tournament. Lewis leads the tournament in innings pitched (9.0) and ranks second with a 0.67 ERA. Logan Shields started the game for the U.S. and struck out three in two innings in the no-decision. Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) earned Team USA's lone save of the tournament after forcing a fly out to end the game. Korea's Taeoh Lee (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing two runs in 0.1 innings.
Key Moments

• Korea jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first after scoring on an RBI-single and a three-run homer.
• Team USA responded in the top of the second inning when Jaiden Lo Re (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored on an error by Korea's shortstop.
• The U.S. posted its second run of the game as Bryce Nixon (Huffman, Texas) led off the top of the second with a single to third base, before scoring on the next play after two consecutive throwing errors by Korea.
• Korea added three more runs in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer and a pair of RBI-singles to extend the lead to 7-2.
• The scoring continued in the top of the fourth as Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) hit a 2-2 pitch over the wall in deep-center to lead off the inning. Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) sparked a two-out rally in the inning with a single through the right side, before advancing to third on back-to-back wild pitches from Korea.
• Nixon then drew his sixth walk of the tournament, as McKernan scored on a wild pitch. Nixon scored on Korea's fourth wild pitch of the inning to cut the lead to 7-5.
• Korea capitalized on Team USA's first error of the game in the bottom of the fourth to add to the lead.
• Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) led off the top of the fifth with a walk, before Adkins hit his second round-tripper of the game with a blast to left field to cut the lead to one heading into the sixth inning.
• Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) led off the final scheduled inning with a single that bounced off the left field wall. He advanced to second as Nixon laid down a sacrifice bunt, before scoring the tying run of the game on back-to-back balks.
• Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.), who entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the third, retired the side in order for the second straight inning to send the game into extras.
• Team USA began the top of the seventh with Jayden Stroman (Medford, N.Y.) and Tinajero standing on first and second, respectively, due to the international tiebreaker. Adkins led off the inning by plating Tinajero with a single to right-center, giving Team USA its first lead of the day.
• Gustavo Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) continued the scoring with a sacrifice to right field to bring home Stroman. Adkins then crossed home on a wild pitch, before Nixon plated Lo Re with a sacrifice fly to left field to give Team USA a 12-8 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
• Lewis remained in the game in the home half of the inning and recorded two outs while allowing three runs, before Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) stepped on the mound and forced Korea to fly out to center to earn his first save of the tournament.
   

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 3-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the win, while Korea fell to 4-1.
• Korea secured first place in the Group B standings despite the loss, while the U.S. placed fourth.
• Team USA now holds a 3-0 record against Korea at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup after earning an 18-1 win in 2015 and a 27-6 victory in 2017.
• Lucas Tinajero picked up his fourth multi-hit game of the tournament after going 2-for-2 at the plate.
• Tinajero has recorded a .750 batting average through the first five games of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, tying Japan's Kazuki Takahata for the best in the tournament.
• Tinajero ranks second in the tournament in on-base percentage (.824) and third with a 1.417 slugging percentage.
• Noah Meza stole his sixth base of the tournament against Korea, putting him in a three-way tie for second.
• Bryce Nixon is tied for second with six walks through the first five games while ranking fourth in on-base percentage (.800).
• Lewis tied Chinese Taipei's Yu An Chen in wins after earning his second win of the tournament on Wednesday.
• Lewis leads all pitchers at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in innings pitched (9.0) and ranks second with a 0.67 ERA.
   

On Deck

• Team USA continues play at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup on Thursday, August 1, against Fiji, before facing South Africa on August 2. Both games will begin at 2:00 a.m. ET.
• The U.S. wraps up the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with a game against South Africa on Saturday, August 3, at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

GAME	Team USA vs. Korea
TIME	10:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION	ASPAC B (Tainan City, Taiwan)

Team USA (2-2):TBA Korea (4-0): TBA

Live Stats | Watch Live | Team USA Overall Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan -  The USA Baseball 12U National Team wraps up the opening round of the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup with a matchup against Korea. First pitch is set for 10:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 31 or Tuesday, July 30, at 10:00 p.m. ET at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan. 
Team USA looks to bounce back after suffering its second loss of the tournament against Mexico, 2-1, on Tuesday. The loss eliminated the U.S. from medal contention.
The U.S. holds a 2-0 record against Korea at the WBSC U-12 World Cup after earning an 18-1 win in 2015 and a 27-6 victory in 2017. Korea sits atop the Group B standings in the tournament with a 4-0 record, before Super Round play begins on Thursday.

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 2-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup after falling to Mexico on Tuesday.
• Tuesday's loss eliminated the U.S. from medal contention at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
• Korea sits atop the Group B standings in the tournament with a 4-0 record.
• Team USA holds a 2-0 record against Korea at the WBSC U-12 World Cup after earning an 18-1 win in 2015 and a 27-6 victory in 2017.

 
On Deck

• Team USA will conclude the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with three consolation games from August 1-3. The full schedule will be announced following Wednesday's matchup.

 
Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
Team USA	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	5	1
Mexico	1	0	1	0	0	X	2	4	0

Win: Y. Canizales Loss: A. Mercurius Save: None

Box Score | Play-by-Play | Cumulative Stats

TAINAN, Taiwan - Team USA (2-2) was eliminated from medal contention at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup after suffering a 2-1 loss to Mexico (4-1) on Tuesday at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Team USA's starting pitcher Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) pitched suffered the loss on the mound after allowing two runs on four hits and striking out two in 4.2 innings on the mound. Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) struck out the only batter he faced in relief for red, white and blue. Mexico's Yustin Canizales earned the win on the mound after pitching a complete game and allowing just one run.

Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) and Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) led the U.S. offensively, recording two hits each on the day. Tinajero recorded Team USA's lone extra-base hit in the game with a double in the first inning, while Josiah Hartshorn (Anaheim, Calif.) scored The U.S. squad's lone run of the game. Canizales used a single and a home run to drive in both of Mexico's runs in the contest.

Key Moments

• Mexico struck first after Yustin Canizales led off with the bottom of the first with a home run to left field. Canizales extended Mexico's lead in the bottom of the third with an RBI-single through the left side.
• Team USA responded in the top of the fourth inning after Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Josiah Hartshorn (Anaheim, Calif.) led off the frame with back-to-back singles.
• Hartshorn and Tinajero advanced to second and third base, respectively, after Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, La.) grounded out to second. Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.) then hit a 3-2 pitch that bounced to Mexico's third baseman, who then threw Tinajero out on a close play at home.
• Hartshorn scored on the next pitch after a balk by Mexico's pitcher to cut the lead to 2-1.
• Team USA put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth as Ruckert reached base with two outs after getting hit by a pitch, before advancing to second on a balk. The U.S. couldn't capitalize, however, as Mexico forced a groundout to end the game in the next at-bat.
• Team USA's starting pitcher Alexander Mercurius was solid on the mound throughout the game pitching all but one out for the red, white and blue, while striking out two.
  

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 2-2 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with the loss, while Mexico clinched a spot in the Super Round with a 4-1 record.
  
• The U.S. has officially been eliminated from medal contention with the loss after falling to fourth place in the Group B standings.
  
• The series between the U.S. and Mexico is now tied at three, while Mexico earned its first win over Team USA at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
  
• Team USA outhit Mexico 5-4 in the contest.
  
• Alexander Mercurius (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for Team USA, while Mexico's Yustin Canizales (1-0) earned the win.
  
• Lucas Tinajero picked up his third multi-hit game of the tournament after going 2-for-3 with a double.
  

On Deck

• Team USA will wrap the opening round of the WBSC U-12 World Cup on Wednesday, July 31, against Korea. First pitch is set for 10:00 p.m. ET.
  

  Social Media
  

  • Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.
    

	1	2	3	4	R	H	E
Italy	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
Team USA	11	10	7	X	28	21	1

Win: Jayden Stroman Loss: Alessandro Gamberini Save: None

Box Score | Play-by-play | Cumulative Stats

 
TAINAN, Taiwan - Team USA (2-1) scored a program-record 28 runs and its pitching staff allowed just one hit as it powered past Italy (1-3), 28-1, in the third game of the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup, at ASPAC B Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan on Monday.
 


Team USA notched one of the best offensive games in the history of the 12U National Team on Monday. The U.S. set a program record with 28 runs on the day, besting the previous mark that was set in a 27-6 win over Korea in 2017. The red, white and blue, also finished second in two team categories, RBIs (23) and walks (10), falling one RBI and a walk short of tying the team records.
Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) led the U.S. offensively after recording four RBIs on a pair of hits, including a home run, and scoring four runs in the contest. Hayes' four runs placed him in a tie with 10 other players for the most in a game. Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) added a pair of home runs and contributed four RBIs in his two appearances at the plate. Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, La.) became the eighth player in program history to record four hits in a game. Eleven total batters recorded a hit for Team USA, while 10 earned an RBI.
Team USA's starting pitcher Jayden Stroman (Medford, N.Y.) earned the win on the mound after allowing just one hit and striking out a batter in two innings of work. Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) entered the game in the third inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced in his lone inning of work. Italy's starting pitcher Alessandro Gamberini suffered the loss after giving up six runs while failing to record an out.
Key Moments

• Bryce Nixon (Huffman, Texas) and Rashad Hayes (Oakland, Calif.) each drew a walk to lead off the game for Team USA, before Lucas Tinajero (Corpus Christi, Texas) brought them home with a three-RBI home run.
• The U.S. continued the scoring in the inning as Gavin Fien (Temecula, Calif.) hit an RBI-double to plate Jack Ruckert (Baton Rouge, La.), giving Team USA a 4-0 lead with no outs in the bottom of the first.
• Jaiden Lo Re (Phoenix, Ariz.) brought Fien home with an RBI-single to left field, before Noah Meza (Chino Hills, Calif.) stole home to stretch the U.S. lead. Lo Re crossed home on a throwing error by Italy two batters later.
• Hayes made the most of his second plate appearance in the inning as he hit a three-run homer to left field that brought Gustavo Melendez (Cayey, P.R.) and Nixon home.
• Tinajero followed Hayes' home run with his second homer of the inning to give Team USA an 11-0 lead.
• Team USA kept its bats hot in the second inning, scoring 10 runs on eight hits to take a commanding 21-0 lead. Nixon and Brenden Lewis (Santee, Calif.) recorded two RBI's in the inning, while Hayes, Ruckert, Meza, and Melendez drove in a run each. Meza and Melendez also scored on a wild pitch.
• The U.S. added seven runs to take a 28-0 lead in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Dillon Adkins (Mechanicsville, Md.) that broke the program record for the most runs scored in a game.
• Italy scored its lone run in the top of the fourth before the game was called due to the run rule.

Notable Information

• Team USA moved to 2-1 at the 2019 WBSC U-12 World Cup with the win, while Italy fell to 1-2.
• The U.S. set a program record with 28 runs on the day, while ranking second in RBIs (23) and walks (10).
• Eleven total batters recorded a hit for Team USA, while nine earned at least two RBIs.
• Rashad Hayes led the U.S. offensively after recording four RBIs on a pair of hits, including a home run, and scoring four runs in the contest.
• Hayes' four runs scored placed him in a tie with 10 other players for the most in a game.
• Bryce Nixon tied Brandon Olivera (July 30, 2019, against Korea) for the program record in walks in a game, with three.
• Jack Ruckert became the eighth player in program history to record four hits in a game.
• Jayden Stroman (1-0) earned the win on the mound after allowing just one hit and striking out a batter in two innings of work. Italy's Alessandro Gamberini (0-1) suffered the loss.
• Team USA's pitching staff allowed just one hit in Monday's contest, marking the second time that the U.S. has held an opponent to one hit at the 2019 WBSC U-12 World Cup.

On Deck

• Team USA will continue the opening round of the WBSC U-12 World Cup on Monday, July 29, against Italy, before facing Mexico on Tuesday, July 30. Both games are set to being at 2:00 a.m. ET and will be played at ASPAC B Stadium.
• The U.S. will wrap the opening round of the WBSC U-12 World Cup on Wednesday, July 31, against Korea.
   

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 12U National Team.