CARY, N.C. – Earlier this summer, elite young athletes around the country joined the National Team Identification Series (NTIS), looking to eventually earn a spot in future USA Baseball programming.
On Wednesday night at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, the best of that group took the next step toward the goal.
The NTIS Champions Cup kicked off with an opening ceremony at Coleman Field, the beginning of a weekend full of competition as players represent their regions and try to catch the eyes of the USA Baseball task force.
“The NTIS is USA Baseball’s individual route of player identification,” said USA Baseball Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Ann Claire Roberson. “It is a six-region system in which players go through the tryout process locally in hopes of being named to their all-region team.”
Each age group will be comprised of two teams per region, making a 12-team tournament. The regions – Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast, Southwest – will each have a Stars and Stripes team. After the players undergo Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) testing and photo day on Thursday, the tournament will begin with pool play on Friday before bracket play begins on Saturday, with a champion crowned on Sunday.
The rosters are filled with the best players from each region, selected through regional camps and tryouts.
“The NTIS allows individual players to come together on their all-region team,” Roberson said. “Players are coming from all around the country to play against one another and compete for a spot in next year’s national team programming.”
Because the players are representing their regions, there is more on the line than just a shot at playing for Team USA.
“One of the things about NTIS that I especially like is that players from around the U.S. come and compete,” said USA Baseball Task Force member Xan Barkdsdale. “This event is different because these are guys who are representing their regions, their home states, and their hometowns, and they get to come and fight for a spot to play on Team USA.”
As this weekend’s 15U/16U participants gathered at Wednesday’s opening ceremonies, the magnitude of the event started to set in as former 2017 12U National Team Manager – and leader of this week’s 15U Task Force – David Sharp spoke about winning a world championship in Taiwan with Team USA.
Sharp spoke about how the roster included players initially identified at NTIS and reminded players to focus on the huge opportunity they have at the NTIS this week but to not get too far ahead of themselves. Because no matter what, they’ve already made it to hallowed ground.
“This is the mecca of amateur baseball,” Sharp said. “Where else would you rather be?”
