Spanning across the first three weeks in August, over 200 athletes from six regions of the country (Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast and Southwest) compete in the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup, hoping to be noticed by USA Baseball and its team of Task Force members. Their goal? To earn a spot on a national team trials or national team development program roster for the following year.
But to get there, athletes first undergo a series of tryouts across various states in each of their respective regions. And before they can fight for a chance to win the NTIS Champions Cup, and to show that they have what it takes make a USA Baseball national team program, they first need to prove they can represent their region.
For these athletes, representing their region is an honor. They have the rare opportunity to put on a uniform that displays where they are from, and for many of these athletes, where they learned to play the game of baseball. With pride and motivation to prove their region is the best, these athletes go head-to-head with one another in a battle for not only a gold medal in the NTIS Champions Cup, but a shot a representing their country. Earning an invite to represent your region Cary is an achievement only a handful of athletes have the privilege to experience. 
Bobby Brooks, who began his NTIS journey in La Mirada, California, is one of just 27 players to come from the Southwest region and will be competing for its Stars team in the 12U NTIS Champions Cup this year.
"Being able to represent the Southwest region is great. It is just an honor really. We get a chance to play with kids from our state and from out-of-state as well," Brooks said. "I feel like my hard work has paid off. I get to play with some of the best players from my country and that is what it is all about."
Like many of the athletes at the NTIS, Brooks wants to take full advantage of his time in Cary and has one goal in mind. 
"Nothing could come close to winning the gold medal while I'm here. Winning gold for my region would be the best experience I have ever had."
Another athlete who has been given the opportunity to represent their region, Oliver Service from Detroit, Michigan, is representing the Midwest region on the Stars team in the 14U NTIS Champions Cup. Service feels confident in his abilities and is eager to prove himself this in the tournament.
"It feels good to know you are one of the guys that people are talking about in your region. I know I am good; I just have to show out there on the field," Service said.
When asked about what it means to play for his region, Service was quick to point toward his experience at the Little League World Series and the bond he has built with his teammates during his NTIS process. 
"It was great playing for my region at the Little League World series, so it is a great honor to play in something that big again. I am just ready to show off my talents," Service said. "All the kids here have been so welcoming and very friendly. Along with my teammates, I have worked so hard to get here. We have become so close and just to have that bond with them will be something to remember forever."
Jorge Barba, an outfielder from Miami, Florida, and a member of the 14U Southeast Stars, echoed Service's feelings, acknowledging the importance of impressing scouts at the Champions Cup, but also having another driving force at play when he steps on the field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina 
"It is incredible to be able to be out here and competing with all of these great baseball players," Barba said. "I work hard and I love this sport. After this experience, I'm hoping that I can play for Team USA one day. But winning a gold medal for the Southeast region is a different story."
For many of these athletes, proving themselves and representing their region can be the first step in their baseball careers outside of playing in their hometowns. Competing in the NTIS Champions Cup comes with the unique opportunity of meeting other athletes from around the country and gauging themselves against some of the best young talents in their age group.
But, after the numerous tryouts around their region that have led them here to the NTIS Champions Cup, it is obvious to them that winning and representing your region is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not take lightly. 
These athletes have earned their chance to represent their regions in Cary so that may one day be able to represent their country abroad.