Not even two weeks ago, Davis Romejko, Duncan Mount, and Jack Carson stood on the other side of the world in Taiwan, gold medals draped around their necks as members of the 2025 USA Baseball 12U National Team. Today, they’re back in Cary, chasing the next step in their journey, and serving as proof that the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup can be the first step toward donning the red, white, and blue.

For these players, the road to the national team started exactly where they stand now – at the NTIS Champions Cup, competing against the top talent in their age group, hoping to hear their names called for the next opportunity.

For Mount, last year’s Champions Cup was where the dream took shape.

“It’s a great opportunity to be able to come down here for a second time,” Mount said. “I just want to play as hard as I can, just like I did in Taiwan for Team USA.”

That journey from NTIS to representing the United States on the world stage comes with lessons that go far beyond the diamond.

“In Taiwan, they really don't care how you play,” Mount said. “They really care about how you act outside of the field as a teammate, friend, family member. You’ve gotta carry yourself as an uptight gentleman and play the game how you usually play.”

Carson remembers his first NTIS Champions Cup for a different reason – the feeling of team success.

“I’ll never forget when my team won the gold medal at NTIS and we played a good week of baseball,” Carson said. “It was so much fun.”

Soon after, he learned he had been selected for the 12U National Team, and the next stage of his baseball career began. Now, having represented Team USA and faced international competition, Carson returns to the Champions Cup with a sharper edge.

“I have more experience, and I know what to bring to the table,” Carson said. “I’m just really excited.”

Romejko’s journey from NTIS to the gold medal podium is another nod to the Task Force’s power to identify and develop talent. He says the level of competition both at the NTIS Champions Cup and on the national team forces players to adapt quickly.

“Here in Cary, it’s a lot faster than it is back at home,” said Romejko. “There’s always really good players, and you have to compete every single time.”

That experience, combined with the confidence of winning gold, makes his return to NTIS a little different.

“I can be more relaxed and not as tense because you know what’s going to happen,” he said. “Coming off the gold medal win… you’re feeling good.”

And then there’s Ryder Serna. In 2023, Serna was in the same shoes as Romejko, Mount, and Carson are now, fresh off winning gold with the 12U National Team. This week, he’s back for the 14U NTIS Champions Cup, aiming to take the next leap in his USA Baseball journey. For him, the path hasn’t been a straight line, and that’s part of the message he wants to share.

“I won gold with the 12U team, but I also didn’t get selected for ADP,” Serna said. “I hope that inspires people, to remember to enjoy the moment and don’t play differently just because someone’s watching you.”

That perspective, combined with his international experience, shapes the way he approaches the NTIS process now.

“I just want to play my game, help my team, and not put pressure on myself,” he said.

For all four players, the message to those starting their own NTIS journey is the same: hard work pays off.

As Mount puts it, “I had to take the time and focus. If you want to do this, you gotta be centered on what you want to do here.”

Carson echoes that attitude: “Just really work hard, keep your head down, and be humble.”

From the NTIS Champions Cup to the national team and back again, these athletes are living examples of the USA Baseball pipeline at its best – proof that the dream of representing your country can start right here, and that for those willing to work, it’s only the beginning.