CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today finalized the 36-man roster for the 2021 12U National Team Trials with the selection of 12 athletes from the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. The selected players will compete in Flower Mound, Texas, from November 8-11, for 18 spots on the final 12U National Team. The final roster will be announced at the conclusion of Trials on November 11.
The final 12 invitees participated in the 2021 NTIS Champions Cup, which took place earlier this summer in Cary, North Carolina. The NTIS, which is the most comprehensive player identification program offered by USA Baseball, concluded in August at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and Thomas Brooks Park.
“We are excited to take this next step and finalize our thirty-six-man trials roster,” said Will Schworer, USA Baseball’s 12U National Team Program Director. “The players who have been selected have demonstrated elite baseball ability and are high-character kids, and we look forward to watching them compete at Trials in November.”
In addition to the 12 players selected from this year’s Champions Cup, 24 athletes were identified during their participation in the Futures Invitational in June. The Futures Invitational, which are elite youth championship events exclusively reserved for the best 10U and 11U teams featuring the top youth talent in the nation, took place at Thomas Brooks Park and Middle Creek Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Fourteen different states are represented on the 36-man roster, with 10 players hailing from California. Texas has the second most athletes with six, while Florida and Georgia tout four players each.
The 12U National Team will be led in 2021 by first-time manager RJ Farrell, who has previously served as an assistant coach with the 12U National Team three times. He will be joined by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistants Erik Johnson and Tanner Vesely. Johnson and Kenny will make their national team coaching debuts, while Vesely, who led the 2015 12U National Team to gold as manager at the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, is on the staff for the fourth time.
The schedule for the 2021 12U National Team is to be determined following the postponement of the 2021 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-12 Baseball World Cup to the summer of 2022. A formal schedule announcement will be made at a later time.
For the most up-to-date information on the 12U National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseball and @USABaseball12U on Twitter.
- 2021 NTIS Champions Cup Selections
- (Name; Hometown; School)
- Caleb Alexander; Houston, Texas; Wood Creek
- Brady Bickham; Claremont, Calif.; El Roble
- Caden Borcherding; McDonough, Ga.; Ola
- Easton Brunson; Highlands, Texas; Goose Creek
- Valentin Ceballos; New Braunfels, Texas; New Braunfels
- Zachary Estrada; Covina, Calif.; Las Palmas
- Jacob Gray; Benicia, Calif.; North Hills Christian
- Kekahupono Kong; Mililani, Hawaii; Kamehamena
- Jackson Maddix; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Chartiers Valley
- Logan Pascarella; Corona, Calif.; Centennial
- Blake Ragsdale; Burr Ridge, Ill.; Pleasantdale
- Jacob Seamon; Rolling Meadows, Ill.; Grace Academy
- 2022 12U National Team Trials Roster
- (Name; Hometown; School)
- *Caleb Alexander; Houston, Texas; Wood Creek
- *Brady Bickham; Claremont, Calif.; El Roble
- *Caden Borcherding; McDonough, Ga.; Ola
- ^Konnor Briggs; Oxford, Fla.; The Villages Charter
- ^Hudson Brown; Iola, Texas; Iola Intermediate
- *Easton Brunson; Highlands, Texas; Goose Creek
- ^Nathan "Brodie" Campbell; Newnan, Ga.; Will at Newnan
- *Valentin Ceballos; New Braunfels, Texas; New Braunfels
- ^Chase Cotton; Lincoln, Calif.; Whitney
- ^Landen DeRouen; Delcambre, La.; Erath
- ^Adan Diaz; Gavilan Hills, Calif.; Amelia Earhart
- *Zachary Estrada; Covina, Calif.; Las Palmas
- ^Jackson Fetters; Montgomery, Texas; Oak Hills
- ^Aaron Garcia; Pico Rivera, Calif.; EM Speed & Power
- ^Angel Gonzalez; Whittier, Calif.; Resurrection Catholic
- *Jacob Gray; Benicia, Calif.; North Hills Christian
- ^Jared Grindlinger; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Mesa View
- ^Caleb Hudson; Carrollton, Ga.; Carrollton
- ^Levi Kerr; Holly Springs, N.C.; Marvin Ridge
- *Kekahupono Kong; Mililani, Hawaii; Kamehamena
- ^Brayden Landry; Puyallup, Wash.; Stahl Junior High
- *Jackson Maddix; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Chartiers Valley
- ^Julian Martinez; New York, N.Y.; Thompson Square
- ^Duncan McLeod; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Marine View
- ^Carter Moon; Bogart, Ga.; Malcom Bridge
- ^Roberto Negron; Land o' Lakes, Fla.; Florida Virtual
- *Logan Pascarella; Corona, Calif.; Centennial
- *Blake Ragsdale; Burr Ridge, Ill.; Pleasantdale
- ^Julian Rodriguez; Boca Raton, Fla.; Don Estridge
- ^Colt Sampson; Magnolia, Texas; Tomball
- ^Jael Santos; Paterson, N.J.; Woodrow Wilson
- *Jacob Seamon; Rolling Meadows, Ill.; Grace Academy
- ^Derek Vazquez; Charlotte, N.C.; Charlotte Preparatory
- ^Issac Vidal; Miami, Fla.; Ethel Koger Beckham
- ^Adrian Villela; Tucson, Ariz.; Dodge
- ^Jake Welch; Lehi, Utah; River Rock
- *denotes identification at NTIS Champions Cup
- ^denotes identification at Futures Invitational
