BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic – The United States is set to play Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Pan-American Championship Super Round at 1:00 p.m. ET at the IPL Academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
LAST TIME OUT
Due to inclement weather and unplayable field conditions, yesterday’s Super Round matchup against Panama was postponed.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Puerto Rico went 2-2 in the Opening Round and owns a 2-0 Super Round record, with its only losses coming against Canada and Panama.
Puerto Rico is batting .226 as a team led by Adniel Torres and Fabian Rodriguez, who are both hitting .333. The team has only three extra-base hits and have a 71% stolen base percentage.
The pitching staff owns a 1.41 ERA and ranks second among all nations in strikeouts (32). Its arms hold opponents to a .198 batting average and three extra-base hits.
HISTORY AGAINST PUERTO RICO
The 18U National Team is 8-1 all-time against Puerto Rico, with the first matchup being at the 2005 COPABE Pan Am Junior Championships in Mexico. The United States is riding a three-game winning streak against the nation, with its lone loss coming in a one-run affair at the 2023 World Cup.
Team USA last played Puerto Rico at the 2025 World Cup held in Japan. In that contest, the United States beat Puerto Rico, 7-0, behind 6.0 strong innings from starter Matthew Sharman and multi-hit, multi-RBI efforts from Coleman Borthwick and Brody Schumaker.
TEAM USA STAT LEADERS
- BA: Chase Fuller (.583)
- HITS: Chase Fuller (7)
- RBIs: Sebastian Wilson (10)
- RUNS: Sebastian Castillo (7)
- TB: Chase Fuller, Sebastian Wilson (10)
- BB: Sebastian Castillo, Drake Hawpe, Broder Katke (4)
- SB: Sebastian Castillo, Lubin Rincon, Dylan Seward (2)
- IP: Ethan Gustus (5.0)
- Ks: George Ferguson (8)
SUPER ROUND STANDINGS - ALL STANDINGS
- Puerto Rico (2-0)
- United States (2-0)
- Panama (1-1)
- Venezuela (1-1)
- Dominican Republic (0-2)
- Nicaragua (0-2)
SCHEDULE
- October 29 - Medal Round - TBD
INSIDE THE ROSTER
The 2026 roster features Isaac Vidal, who will appear on a USA Baseball national team for the third time, in addition to 15U National Team alums Cooper Collins and Samir Mohammed. Nine players on the roster have participated in USA Baseball national team development programming, while four players have participated in a past development event jointly hosted in partnership with Major League Baseball. Additionally, top ranked 2027 MLB Draft prospects Dylan Seward (No. 3), Malachi Butler (No. 8), and George Ferguson (No. 16), and Lubin Rincon (No. 20) are featured on the roster. More information on the 2026 18U National Team Roster can be found HERE.
AT THE HELM
The 2026 18U National Team is led by Team USA alum and 13-year major leaguer Brian Schneider, who makes his managerial debut with the program. Alongside Schneider is 11-year MLB reliever and two-time Team USA alum Luke Gregerson, who will serve as pitching coach. Former professionals Doug Mientkiewicz and Tim Raines Jr. round out the staff as assistant coaches.
FOLLOW ALONG
To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 18U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball18U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.
