Two years ago, they helped the United States capture gold in Panama City as teenagers. This summer, they arrived in Cary as collegiate standouts, carrying with them a bond only they could understand.

Five members of USA Baseball’s 2024 18U National Team — Ethin Bingaman, Trent Grindlinger, Brayden Jaksa, Nico Partida, and Aiden Stillman — are among the select group of athletes currently competing at this year's Collegiate National Team Training Camp.

Since helping the United States capture gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier, each has continued their path at the collegiate level. Bingaman completed his breakout freshman season at Auburn, Grindlinger earned 2026 SEC All-Freshman Team honors during his first year at Tennessee, Jaksa made an immediate impact at Oregon, Partida starred at Texas A&M, and Stillman made eight appearances with four starts on the mound in his freshman campaign at Vanderbilt.

While much has changed since their championship run in Panama, the opportunity to reunite in a Team USA uniform has brought back memories of one of the most meaningful experiences of their baseball careers.

“It kind of just brought me back to when I first found out I was going to have the chance to play on Team USA,” Stillman said. “How honored I am and how excited I am to even get that opportunity.”

For many of the players, putting on the red, white, and blue again serves as a reminder of their first experiences with a national team.

“Hearing the national anthem in that uniform for the first time is something that will always stick with me,” Stillman said.

“You don’t get a lot of chances to put it on,” Bingaman added. “If you get the chance to wear those colors, I think you should always take it. It’s just a blessing.”

For Partida, returning to a USA Baseball environment was something he had hoped for throughout his freshman season at Texas A&M.

“It’s still probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” Partida said. “Just the opportunity to be able to do it again is unreal.”

The excitement was shared throughout the group.

“There’s nothing better than wearing U-S-A across your chest,” Jaksa said.

As invitations rolled out, players immediately reached out to one another, looking forward to reconnecting and eager for another opportunity to share the field together.

“I just texted them all,” Grindlinger said. “I was super happy to be able to play with them again.”

The reunion comes two years after the group helped Team USA capture its seventh consecutive WBSC U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier title. The United States finished the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record, defeating Panama 4-2 in the gold-medal game.

“Nothing’s better than dogpiling on that field in Panama,” Jaksa said. “I felt like at some points during that tournament, they were all against us. We just battled and were able to come through.”

Yet when the players look back on that summer, many of their favorite memories have little to do with baseball itself.

“A lot of the memories were made off the field,” Stillman said. “I think it was just a group of guys that would have loved to hang out regardless of baseball.”

From poolside hangouts and bus ride karaoke sessions to games of Mafia during rain delays and go-karting, the team formed friendships that have lasted well beyond the tournament.

“Those are still my best friends to this day,” Partida said. “I had never met them before USA Baseball, and now I still have a really tight bond with them.”

The close-knit nature of the group also played a significant role in the team’s success. While the roster featured some of the nation’s top high school talent, the athletes have consistently pointed to the team’s character and selflessness as the foundation for its gold-medal run.

“I think it was everyone’s mentality,” Bingaman said. “Everyone wanted to win, and everyone was willing to do whatever it took to win.”

“No one cared about themselves,” Jaksa said. “Everyone was selfless and we were striving for the other person’s success. If anyone did anything well, we would all be super excited.”

Partida credited the culture established by manager Rick Eckstein and the coaching staff for helping create an environment where individual accomplishments took a back seat to team goals.

“No one’s egos were too high,” Partida said. “We all bought into the same mentality.”

Eckstein is among the coaches at 2026 Collegiate National Team Training Camp, managing the Stripes team and serving as a familiar face for many of the athletes, including the five members of the 2024 18U National Team.

“Coach Eckstein did a great job of bringing us all together,” Grindlinger said. “The bond we had was super special.”

The experience of competing for Team USA also provided valuable lessons that extended beyond the tournament itself. For many players, representing something larger than themselves helped prepare them for the transition to college baseball.

“It allowed me to play for something one hundred times bigger than myself,” Partida said. “Honestly, it made me more of a better person than a better player.”

For these players, the structure and expectations of representing the United States served as an early introduction to the responsibilities that come with college athletics.

“Everything USA Baseball asks of you is a lot like college baseball,” Bingaman said. “It helped prepare me for that.”

“The high-pressure moments,” Jaksa said. “Obviously, you’re representing your country. That’s the most stressful it gets. So, taking those experiences into college helped a ton.”

Since their gold-medal run, the members of the 2024 team have continued to develop at the collegiate and professional levels.

“It’s awesome to see how much success everybody has had,” Grindlinger said.

Partida feels the same way. “It brings me joy to see that they didn’t stop after USA Baseball,” he said. “It’s great seeing all of them succeed.”

As Training Camp continues in Cary, the five alumni once again have the opportunity to compete alongside one another. While it has been some time since they celebrated gold in Panama, the friendships and memories that defined the 2024 team remain as strong as ever.

For a group that still keeps in touch and cherishes the experiences they shared, putting on a Team USA uniform together again feels less like a reunion and more like picking up where they left off.