MÉRIDA, Mexico – The United States will play in its final World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Super Round contest against Japan Saturday at 3:00 p.m. local/5:00 p.m. ET at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Mexico.
At the end of Super Round play on October 3, the two teams with the best records will advance to the gold medal game, which will be played on October 4. All team records and standings can be found HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
The United States fell to Mexico, 7-1, in extra innings Friday night on day two of the Super Round. Team USA moved to 3-1 in the Super Round and remains tied with Japan for first place in the standings. Raylen Hunter led the U.S. offense with a 2-for-4 performance, while Nate Handley-White and Lathan Boddie combined to hold Mexico to one hit through six innings. Boddie struck out six over four hitless innings before Mexico rallied late to win in extras.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Soru Narukawa (JPN) vs. LHP Noah Osterman (USA)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Japan is the defending World Cup champion and posted a 4-1 record in the Opening Round to secure a spot in the Super Round, where it is tied with the United States for first place with a 3-1 record. Japan has simply dominated its opponents in the tournament, as four of its six wins have been by double digits, while the other two were wins by a one-run margin. Its only loss came to the Dominican Republic, 7-1.
As a team, Japan boasts a .371 average at the plate, strikes out less than five times a game, and leads the tournament in stolen bases with 37. Japan is led by Soru Narukawa and Kengo Wada, both of whom lead the team in batting average and are hitting .500. Five players are batting above .400, while its leadoff man, Takumi Ibata, leads the tournament in stolen bases with seven.
Its pitching staff is just as strong, boasting a 2.00 ERA while holding opponents to a .184 batting average across 42.0 innings pitched. Japan has allowed the fewest free passes (18) while surrendering an average of less than four hits a game.
Japan will start left-handed pitcher Soru Narukawa against the U.S. Narukawa has made three appearances, one start this week, and has yet to allow a hit or a run across 4.2 innings pitched. A 5-foot-7 southpaw, Narukawa has six strikeouts and only two walks to his name.
HISTORY AGAINST JAPAN
The 15U National Team is 3-1-1 all-time against Japan, with the teams first competing at the 2014 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup.
Since the two teams first met in 2014, Team USA has outscored Japan 26-18. Across five contests, only one has been decided by three runs or fewer. Additionally, all five contests have been in a World Cup setting.
The United States’ last loss in 24 games came against Japan in 2022. In that game, Japan used a five-run third inning to power past the U.S., 12-6.
TEAM USA STAT LEADERS
- BA: Raylen Hunter (.577)
- HITS: Raylen Hunter (15)
- RBIs: Paxton Scoggin, Greyson Wuis (7)
- RUNS: Raylen Hunter (9)
- TB: Raylen Hunter (21)
- BB: Matti Di Maggio, Paxton Scoggin (6)
- SB: Tyler Early (6)
- IP: Lathan Boddie (7.1)
- ERA: Many tied (0.00)
- Ks: Lathan Boddie, Nate Handley-White, Michael Ohman (10)
SUPER ROUND STANDINGS
- Japan (3-1)
- United States (3-1)
- Chinese Taipei (2-2)
- Dominican Republic (2-2)
- Mexico (2-2)
- Nicaragua (0-4)
INSIDE THE ROSTER
The 2026 roster features seven USA Baseball national team alumni, with all seven having been on either the 2023 12U National Team World Cup Qualifier roster, World Cup roster, or both. Eleven players on the roster have participated in USA Baseball national team development programming, while one player boasts experience in past development events jointly hosted in partnership with Major League Baseball. Twelve states are represented on the 2026 15U National Team roster, with California leading all states with four players, while Alabama follows with three players. Florida and Texas each boast a pair of athletes, while nine states–Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin–each account for a player apiece. More information on the 2026 15U National Team Roster can be found HERE.
AT THE HELM
The 2026 15U National Team will be led by the same coaching staff that guided last year’s gold medal-winning squad. Three-time Team USA coach Casey Scott returns as manager for a second consecutive summer, while two-time Team USA medalist and former 15U National Team manager Drew Briese serves as pitching coach. Four-time assistant coach Steve Butler returns to the dugout, and JD Pruitt will make his second straight stint as assistant coach. More information on the 2026 15U National Team coaching staff can be found HERE.
FOLLOW ALONG
To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 15U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball15U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. All games will be streamed on GameTime.Sport, while fans in the United States can also view games on BallySports.com or in the Bally Sports Live app on the MiLB Channel and MiLB Extra Channel. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.
