There’s no sport more connected to the Fourth of July than baseball.

It’s woven into the soundtrack of the holiday — the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the anthem before first pitch. It’s backyard wiffle ball, stadium fireworks, and the classic image of a kid with a glove, chasing foul balls with a flag draped over their shoulders.

So when the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Prospects team took the field Thursday night at Atrium Health Ballpark in Kannapolis, the moment felt bigger than just another summer game.

They weren’t playing for standings or medals.

They were playing on American soil, in front of a stadium full of fans, under red, white, and blue skies — on the country’s birthday.

And before they stepped onto that field, the third base coach, Dave Tollett, made sure they understood what this night meant.

Dave Tollett has spent decades coaching baseball. He recently wrapped up his 23rd season as the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he’s built one of the Atlantic Sun Conference’s most successful programs. But this afternoon, standing before his players, he put aside stats and scouting reports. What he shared went far beyond numbers or fastball velocity.

“When we met with the team, I told them: Wearing these colors on this day is something only 56 people get to do. They get to wear the red, white, and blue on this special day—a day you’ll never forget, “ Tollett explained. “You’re here as 19-,20-, and 21-year-olds, so go out there and play. A lot of people have given us the right to play today. Many lost their lives. Many have served. Be grateful.”

That perspective — how rare, how symbolic this opportunity is — mattered. But then Tollet went a step further.

He told a story.

Colonel Charlie Plumb was a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. On his 76th mission, his plane was shot down. He ejected, parachuted into enemy territory, and spent over six years in a POW camp.

He survived.

Decades later, Plumb was at a restaurant in Kansas City when a man walked up to him.

“I packed your parachute,” the man said.

He had worked below deck on an aircraft carrier — one of hundreds of sailors folding parachutes by hand, never knowing who they might be saving. That one saved Colonel Plumb’s life.

Tollet looked around the room at his players and made it clear: everyone has someone who packed their parachute.

“Text them,” he told his team. “Someone who’s had your back and helped get you to where you are today. Remember, when you’re out there, wearing the red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July, you’re representing more than just yourself. Take a moment to send a thank-you letter to someone who helped you get here. It could be your high school coach, your mentor, a teacher from your childhood—anyone who played a role in your journey. Take the time to show it.”

At that moment, the weight of the game changed. It was about this day. This game. This jersey. And the people who helped them earn it.

Out on the field, the setting felt like something from a movie: summer heat settling over the ballpark, kids in USA shirts chasing autographs, fireworks staged beyond the outfield wall.

But for players like Nolan Traeger (TCU) and Brady Ballinger (Kansas), the atmosphere only added to the meaning.

Neither took the moment lightly — especially knowing how many players across the country never get the chance.

“There's nothing more patriotic than playing baseball on American soil on the Fourth of July,” Traeger said. “I mean, just being here to be able to represent the United States, just for me, my family, my school, my country, it's something that I'll never take for granted.”

Ballinger agreed.

“It’s an honor to play for this great country — especially on its birthday. Wearing the nation’s name across your chest on the Fourth of July is a surreal experience.””

But the Prospects team didn’t take the field alone.
On the other side of the diamond stood the Appalachian League Select Team — a hand-picked group of standout players from a league that has grown into one of the best developmental platforms in the country.

For them, this was more than just a game. It was a statement.

Manager of the Greeneville Flyboys Jack Wilson brought valuable experience to the Appy League squad. Before joining the Appalachian League, Wilson coached the USA Baseball 18U National Team to a World Baseball Softball Confederation gold medal in 2022.

His son, Jacob Wilson, is also a USA Baseball Alumni, having earned a spot on the 2022 Collegiate National Team, later being drafted sixth overall by the Oakland Athletics in 2023.

“We might not have had the talent to play this kind of game a few years ago,” said Wilson. “But now? These guys belong. And this is the biggest stage they’ve had all summer.”

With nearly 3,000 fans in the stands, TV cameras rolling, scouts watching, and national attention focused on them, the opportunity was real — and so were the nerves.

“Some of these guys didn’t get many at-bats at their schools last spring,” Wilson said. “But here, they’re showing they belong. And for them, this is what the Appy League is all about — playing meaningful baseball, under pressure, in front of a crowd that cares.”

Whether it was a future draft pick making diving plays at shortstop or a backup catcher hitting the biggest double of his life, the scoreboard told only part of the story.

What truly mattered was what these players will take away from this night — the pride, the perspective, and the memory of playing the game they love, in the country they love, on the one day a year that ties them both together.

KJ Scobey (South Carolina) summed it up best:

“Touching the ground in a USA jersey — on the Fourth of July — that’s something I’ll never forget. Competing with the best. Representing something bigger than yourself. It’s been awesome.”

As the game wrapped up and fireworks lit up the Kannapolis sky, it was hard not to think back to what Coach Tollett said earlier in the day:

“You’ve earned the right to wear these colors. Now go out there and play for them.”

With the fly out to left field, the CNT Prospects secured the victory over the Appy League 9-3.

It wasn’t just a motivational speech. It was a reminder — that baseball on the Fourth of July isn’t just about tradition. It’s about gratitude. It’s about the people who made this moment possible. It’s about packing someone else’s parachute, and never forgetting the ones who packed yours.