CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball announced today that it has cancelled all 2020 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) events due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. All regional tryouts, as well as the NTIS Champions Cup scheduled to take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in August, will not be rescheduled.
"Due to the ongoing transmission of COVID-19 and its continued impact within the United States, all 2020 National Team Identification Series events have been cancelled," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "It is disappointing for us to withdraw this truly unique and comprehensive national team identification opportunity from our calendar as it provides every young athlete in our country the opportunity to play for Team USA; however, the health and safety of our participants and their families continues to be our top priority during this unprecedented crisis."
The NTIS is the organization's most comprehensive player identification program and includes six age groups ranging from 11U-16U. Under the direction of USA Baseball Regional Directors, tryouts are held in every region of the country for athletes to be identified and selected for their region teams. Each region team then travels to Cary, North Carolina, for the Champions Cup, where the athletes are evaluated and scouted by national team coaches and task force members for the chance to play on a future USA Baseball national team or participate in a national team development program.
Regional identification events for the 2021 edition of the NTIS Champions Cup may begin on September 4, 2020. USA Baseball will continue to closely monitor the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and diligently evaluate the status all remaining events scheduled on the 2020 calendar, which continue to be subject to cancellation or postponement.
For more information on the USA Baseball NTIS, visit USABaseballNTIS.com.