It’s easy to be the underdog, it’s hard to be the favorite.

But at Harvard-Westlake High School, players are taught to embrace the constant pressure that comes with wearing the Wolverine name across their chest. For rising seniors Justin Kirchner and James Venick, this mentality taught by Harvard-Westlake skipper and USA Baseball national team coach, Jared Halpert, helped them earn a chance at representing their country with an invitation to Phase One of 18U National Team Training Camp this summer.

“[Coach Halpert] tries to frame Harvard-Westlake as Team USA a lot of times, where everyone's out to get you, everyone's going to get your best,” said Kirchner. “That's the nature of where we are as a program at Harvard-Westlake, it's the nature of where we are as a country in the world.”

Halpert joined the Wolverines staff in 2012 as an assistant, a position he held for four years before taking over as head coach in 2016. Throughout his tenure, he’s instilled this mindset in his players, always pushing them to elevate their game and embrace the pressure.

“He wants to be the favorite. He brings on the challenge,” Kirchner said. “He wants to go to other places, he wants to go beat them at their house.”

Heading into their junior season, Kirchner and Venick weren’t in the spot they wanted to be. As upperclassmen, they knew the expectations were going to continue to rise, that the pressure was going to increase, so their skills needed to match. Last summer, they put in the extra work to bridge the gap between where they were and where they wanted to be. The duo would often stay late after practice ended to continue refining their skills.

“One of the reasons I had the year I had and had the improvements I had was because he was right there beside me, and I know he's told me the same thing,” Kirchner said about Venick. “If it wasn't us doing it together, honestly, neither of us probably would have had the years that we were able to have. I'm forever grateful to James, he's a big reason for the success I had at Harvard-Westlake this year.”

The extra hours under the Los Angeles sun paid off as both pitchers put together strong junior campaigns to help the Wolverines win another Mission League title and earn their invitations to Training Camp.

In addition to his full-time role, Halpert has been a fixture with USA Baseball for over a decade, contributing to the organization in a variety of assistant positions, and as the 2021 15U National Team manager. Most recently, he was the coach of Team Red during the 2025 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). Even when he isn’t in Cary, North Carolina, at the National Training Complex, Halpert always holds his players to a gold medal standard both on and off the field.

“Coach Halpert has played a huge role in not only developing me as a baseball player, but also as a person,” said Venick. “I think he's taught us a lot of extremely important values and ways to go about not only our life on the baseball field, but also everyday lives. Whether it's at school, with family, whatever it is.”

This coaching style not only helps the team to win games, but helps his players earn regional and national recognition. Since Halpert joined the program, Harvard-Westlake has amassed numerous accolades, including several Mission League championships, a pair of CIF Southern Section Division I titles, and a number one ranking by Baseball America at the end of the 2014 season. He also consistently produces Division I and big-league talent, including MLB Draft first rounders Pete Crow-Armstrong, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito, and Bryce Rainer.

“[It gives me] the confidence to know that I've been challenged to the greatest degree in high school possible, and that I can be successful at Harvard-Westlake with the schedule we play,” Kirchner said. “With the way that we practice and everything, I feel the utmost confidence and really prepared going forward.”

The talent Halpert helps develop is also consistently recognized by USA Baseball, as his players regularly earn invitations to development programs and national team training camps. Last year, two-time 15U National Team alum and recent Harvard-Westlake graduate, James Tronstein, was invited to 18U National Team Training Camp, but did not make the final roster. Halpert believes that although it wasn’t the result Tronstein hoped for, it was the result he needed.

“It readjusted his work ethic and the details of things that he knew he needed to improve upon, and he did those things. He recommitted himself to growth, and honestly put together one of the best single seasons I think I've ever seen in person at any level,” Halpert said. “[He was California’s] Gatorade State Player of the Year, and the honors just kept coming for what he was able to accomplish on both sides of the ball.”

Tronstein batted .531 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 46 runs scored on the year, but his leadership is what stood out to his teammates.

“He was obviously an incredible player for us this year, but he was also an extremely selfless leader, which I really admired,” Venick said. “Senior year, draft year, it's easy to focus on yourself, but I truly admired what a selfless leader he was.”

When the pitching duo received their Training Camp invitations this year, they knew just who to turn to for advice heading into the week.

“His first advice was to just be a sponge. You're around the best people in the world, best coaches, best players. Take it all in, take everything that you can,” Kirchner said. “Everyone's got something to offer you, and use this week to really better yourself. If you make it, if you don't – go play well, obviously go have fun, and enjoy the experience.”

Though it was their first time in a training camp setting, it wasn’t Kirchner and Venick’s first time at the National Training Complex. Each year, USA Baseball hosts the National High School Invitational, bringing 16 of the best high schools from around the country to Cary for a week of elite competition. Since the tournament’s inception in 2012, Halpert and Harvard-Westlake have attended five times, and twice since Kirchner and Venick have been with the program. Both players said it’s one of the best experiences they’ve had so far in their high school careers.

“It's the most fun tournament we do. We get to come to North Carolina as a team. We get to bond. We get to play against the best at the best complex,” Kirchner said. “The games are just so much fun, and I've been lucky I've had good performances here the last two years.”

The pair looks to return to Cary for Phase Two of Training Camp at the end of August, but regardless of the outcome, Halpert hopes they walk away acknowledging what an achievement it is to be in their position. He hopes they recognize that every goal is attainable as long as they continue to put in the work. Though there is great pressure that comes with being the favorite, there is an even greater reward.

And after all, pressure makes diamonds.