CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball and USA Baseball Sports Properties within LEARFIELD today announced an exclusive multi-year relationship with Chinook Seedery to become the Official Sunflower Seed Supplier for the organization. Through this relationship, Chinook Seedery will supply sunflower seeds for all USA Baseball national team and national team development programs.

Additionally, Chinook Seedery will also supply promotional items to USA Baseball for its foul ball program. Beginning in 2023, fans will receive a complimentary pack of sunflower seeds when they return a foul ball during USA Baseball events at the National Training Complex.

"USA Baseball is pleased to name Chinook Seedery the Official Sunflower Seed Supplier for the organization,” said USA Baseball Chief Operating Officer David Perkins. “Chinook Seedery produces a flavorful variety of healthy snacks that will help fuel USA Baseball national team and national team development program athletes. We appreciate their support and look forward to collaborating with them to develop future sunflower seed flavors.”

"Few things are more Americana than baseball and sunflower seeds. Chinook's partnership with USA Baseball is a natural fit that is only bolstered by our recent flavor collaboration with Team USA alum Bobby Witt Jr. We could not be more excited to bring the 'best seeds ever' to the best ballplayers in our great country," said Chinook Seedery Founder Mark Pettyjohn.

Launched in 2020, USA Baseball Sports Properties within LEARFIELD is dedicated to representing USA Baseball by developing and managing sponsor relationships with brands looking to align with USA Baseball and its events and programming.

About Chinook Seedery

Based in Austin, Texas, Chinook Seedery is the country's fastest-growing sunflower seed brand, providing a "better-for-you option" that is lower in sodium, non-GMO certified, gluten-free, and Keto friendly. Chinook combines a unique small-batch process with the largest, most premium seeds grown in the US, resulting in the "best seeds ever.” For more information or to try the product, visit http://www.chinookseedery.com, or follow us on Instagram (@chinookseedery), Facebook (@chinookseedery), and Twitter (@chinookseedery).

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced organizational changes and a series of promotions and title changes, including the appointment of Ashley Bratcher as General Manager of National Teams and Eric Campbell as the General Manager of Collegiate and Professional National Teams.

Bratcher has served multiple critical roles in the organization since 2009 and will now oversee and support all three youth national team programs, the Women's National Team program, national team and athlete development programs, and national team identification events. Additionally, Campbell will continue to lead the Collegiate and Professional National Team programs.

"USA Baseball has grown tremendously over the past few years, and we are happy to announce several changes and promotions within our organization," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "The changes showcase the organization's growth as the national governing body for baseball in the United States. Notably, we are thrilled to elevate Ashley Bratcher to General Manager of National Teams. Ashley's outstanding leadership and wealth of experience will continue to impact our organization and the amateur baseball landscape significantly and profoundly."

USA Baseball also announced three additional promotions in the Baseball Operations department. First, Brett Curll will lead the defending world champion 18U National Team Program after serving in a support role with both gold-medal-winning 18U National Teams in 2022. Curll joined the organization in 2018 after spending seven years working in amateur baseball following his collegiate baseball career at the University of Maryland and Liberty University.

Ben Kelley is taking over the two-time defending world champion 15U National Team Program. Kelley joined the organization in 2017 and has helped manage facility operations at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and run the National Team Championships in Arizona over the last five years. In addition, he oversaw the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program and supported several youth national team programs. Cole Beeker joined USA Baseball full-time in the fall and will serve as the program director for the defending world champion 12U National Team. Beeker was an intern for the 18U National Team in 2021 and, most recently, was an amateur scouting assistant for the Detroit Tigers.

An additional change made within the Baseball Operations department is Director of Player Development Jim Koerner will now be responsible for guiding the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP) and 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). Koerner, who spent 20 years coaching at the collegiate level, joined USA Baseball full-time in 2021 and will simultaneously continue on as the Field Coordinator for the MLB/USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League as well.

The organization also made several changes within the Communications–formerly Media Relations–and Creative Services teams. Josh Spitz, who joined the organization in 2021 following four years working in the Athletic Communications office at Stony Brook University, was promoted to Assistant Director of Communications. Additionally, Mark Jenkins is the newest Director of Creative Services, and Kevin Jones currently serves as the Director of Brand for the organization. Jenkins joined USA Baseball in 2021 following stops working in creative services for Memphis, Southern Methodist (SMU), and UL Lafayette football programs. Jones has been with USA Baseball since 2012, serving as both a video producer and graphic designer, and spent the last five years as the Director of Creative Services. In his new role, Jones will oversee and develop the identity of USA Baseball in an expanding digital landscape.

Lastly, Lisa Braxton will continue to oversee BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education) in her new role as Director of Athlete Safety, in addition to holding expanded responsibility with the entire USA Baseball athlete safety program. Braxton spent nearly a decade at soccer.com, managing team sales, marketing, and institutional and club business before joining the organization in 2021. She also worked for two years for the NCAA.

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named its annual organizational award winners, recognizing the top athletes, coaches, and performances from its 2022 USA Baseball national teams and development programs. 18U National Team member Bryce Eldridge is the Richard W. “Dick” Case Award winner, the fifth 18U National Team alumnus to earn athlete of the year honors since 2011. The award is given annually to USA Baseball’s top player in honor of the organization’s founding Executive Director and CEO.

The 18U National Team collected honors in three additional categories in 2022, boasting Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Denny Hocking, International Performance of the Year winner Christian Rodriguez, and “Doc” Counsilman Science Award recipient Adam Moseley.

Seven-time Women’s National Team alumna Kelsie Whitmore is the 2022 Sportswoman of the Year, the 12U National Team earned Team of the Year honors, and Mike Bianco capped off an incredible 2022 by being named the USA Baseball College Coach of the Year.

The Developmental Coach of the Year Award went to 15U National Team Manager Drew Briese, and the Volunteer Coach of the Year honor went to André Butler. Rounding out the awards in 2022 is Coach Educator of the Year Bill Krejci, and Daisy Nelson, the organization’s Service Provider of the Year.

“It is our honor to recognize a group of talented people for their tremendous performances both on and off the field,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “2022 will go down as one of the most successful years in USA Baseball history. Our national teams combined to win four gold medals, three world championships, an international friendship series, and a bronze medal, and the efforts of this group of esteemed individuals were paramount to achieving such unrivaled success this year.”

The complete list of the 2022 USA Baseball organizational award winners is as follows:

• Richard W. “Dick” Case Award: Bryce Eldridge, 18U National Team
• Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year: Denny Hocking, 18U National Team
• Sportswoman of the Year: Kelsie Whitmore, Women’s National Team
• International Performance of the Year: Christian Rodriguez, 18U National Team
• Team of the Year: 12U National Team
• College Coach of the Year: Mike Bianco, Collegiate National Team
• Developmental Coach of the Year: Drew Briese, 15U National Team
• Volunteer Coach of the Year: André Butler
• Coach Educator of the Year: Bill Krejci
• “Doc” Councilman Science Award: Adam Moseley, 18U National Team
• Service Provider of the Year: Daisy Nelson

Bryce Eldridge earned Richard W. “Dick” Case Player of the Year honors after putting together a dynamic performance at the plate and on the mound at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup. The two-way star was named Tournament MVP after batting .316 with three homers and 13 RBIs – both tournament highs – and going 1-0 with a spotless 0.00 ERA and one save in three appearances as a pitcher. The Vienna, Virginia, native picked up at least one hit in five of his seven games at the plate and allowed just one hit over three innings pitched. Eldridge delivered in a major way in the first and last games of the tournament, kicking off the World Cup with a grand slam as part of a five-RBI game to beat the Netherlands in the tournament opener. Then, after leading the U.S. offense throughout the tournament, Eldridge cranked a three-run blast in the top of the seventh of the gold medal game before getting the final three outs on the mound as Team USA beat Chinese Taipei to secure its ninth world championship.

Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Denny Hocking led the U.S. to its ninth world championship at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida, and followed that up by leading another 18U National Team to gold at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Under his guidance in his Team USA managerial debut, the U.S. claimed a world title on its home soil. The 13-year MLB veteran pushed all the right buttons throughout the World Cup as the U.S. went 8-1 en route to a gold medal. Hocking demonstrated his leadership ability by guiding the U.S. to two wins on the final day. Team USA scored 68 runs – its most at a World Cup since 2015 – and struck out 73 batters to lead the tournament. With the gold medal victory over Chinese Taipei, the United States captured its fifth world title in the last six editions of the event. A second 18U National Team under the guidance of Hocking then traveled to Mexico to qualify for next year’s U-18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. Not only did the team qualify, but the U.S. left with a gold medal after outscoring its opponents 79-24, hitting .348, and tallying 10 home runs. In total, Hocking led the 18U National Team program to two gold medals and an overall 16-1 record in 2022.

Sportswoman of the Year Kelsie Whitmore made her seventh career appearance for the Women's National Team this past summer. She played a vital role in helping the stars and stripes clinch their friendship series against Canada in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Whitmore started all five games – two on the mound, one as the designated hitter, and two in the outfield – and tallied at least one hit in four games. In the series opener, Whitmore was lights out as she was a double short of the cycle, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs, while pitching 4.2 innings of shutout ball. She led all players in the series with seven runs, eight hits, 10 RBIs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Along with her accomplishments with Team USA, Whitmore made history this spring by becoming the first female to play baseball in a league affiliated with Major League Baseball, making her professional debut with the Staten Island FerryHawks on April 21. She made 39 appearances in her rookie season in the Atlantic League.

Trailing Japan 3-2 in the third inning with the bases loaded and no outs in a Super Round game that would send Team USA to the gold medal game with a win, a torrential downpour set the stage for what would become the 2022 USA Baseball International Performance of the Year. The 18U National Team called on Christian Rodriguez out of the bullpen for the restart the morning after. Rodriguez needed just 13 pitches to strike out the Japan side and strand his three inherited base runners to keep the game within one and the U.S. within striking distance of a berth in the final. He would follow his masterful third inning with four more shutout innings, striking out seven batters, before his teammates would rally for the 4-3 walk-off victory. Rodriguez's performance set the tone for Team USA on the final day of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup as the red, white, and blue capped off the event that afternoon with its ninth world championship following a 5-1 victory over Chinese Taipei in the finale.

The 12U National Team traveled to Taiwan in August and returned home with its fourth world championship in program history, earning gold at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and later being named the 2022 USA Baseball Team of the Year. Amidst strict Covid-19 protocols, the team was required to quarantine in its hotel for three days, but it was not enough to deter the red, white, and blue, as they took care of business by going a perfect 8-0 in tournament play and becoming the first team in 12U National Team history to go unbeaten at the World Cup. After posting four wins in the Opening Round, the U.S. opened the Super Round with a walk-off win over Mexico and a victory over Chinese Taipei before taking down Venezuela twice to claim the title. Team USA clubbed 27 home runs and outscored its opponents 99-31. Seven players for the gold-medal-winning squad earned spots on the All-World Team after the tournament, including Colin Anderson, who was named Tournament MVP. The U.S. now boasts four U-12 Baseball World Cup titles, the most in the world.

Ole Miss Head Coach and 2022 Collegiate National Team Manager Mike Bianco collected plenty of hardware in 2022 to earn USA Baseball College Coach of the Year honors. Bianco led Ole Miss to its first-ever national championship as the Rebels went the distance at the 2022 College World Series. After posting a 42-23 record in regular season play, his squad won the Coral Gables Regional and the Hattiesburg Super Regional before knocking off Oklahoma to win the national championship. Bianco then took the reins as manager of the Collegiate National Team and led the U.S. to a bronze medal at Honkbalweek in Haarlem, Netherlands. Competing against nations featuring numerous players with professional baseball experience, Team USA beat Japan in the bronze medal game, 5-1. The U.S. pitching staff posted a 0.70 ERA in the tournament, the lowest team ERA in Collegiate National Team history.

Developmental Coach of the Year Drew Briese made his managerial debut this past summer with the 15U National Team and led Team USA to its second-straight gold medal at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico. Under his guidance, the squad posted an 8-1 record, highlighted by back-to-back wins over Cuba in the semifinal and gold-medal games, as Team USA outscored its opponents 99-30 in the tournament. Briese played an instrumental role in the development of the players with his wealth of knowledge and experience at the youth and collegiate levels of baseball, helping them to prepare for the next level of their careers.

André Butler's impact in four significant events and national team programs for USA Baseball this year led to him being named the Volunteer Coach of the Year. He was a member of the Task Force at the USA Baseball National Team Championships, aiding in identifying players for the National Team Development Programs (NTDP), and a coach at the 16U/17U NTDP, where he helped prepare those kids for a future national team opportunity. Butler was also on the coaching staff at the PDP League and the 18U National Team Training Camp, where he helped identify and develop a group of athletes that would go on to win the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in September - its ninth in program history. Additionally, eight members of the 16U/17U NTDP later went on to win a gold medal at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in Mexico in November.

Coach Educator of the Year Bill Krejci has been involved with USA Baseball for nearly three decades as a coach and instructor for national teams and developmental programs, and most recently as a part of the Fun At Bat program. With the Fun At Bat program, he has impacted the growth of baseball among youth, serving as a lead instructor at numerous teacher training sessions and as a lead clinician at multiple USA Baseball Homegrown Clinics in 2022. Krejci spends his time with USA Baseball demonstrating the fundamentals of the game to physical education teachers from across the country, helping them implement it into their everyday curriculum. In 2022, his service to USA Baseball has reached more than 100 teachers and 50,000 students in eight school districts using Fun At Bat and over 200 kids who attended a Homegrown Clinic.

"Doc" Counsilman Award recipient Adam Moseley is one of the foremost leaders within the USA Baseball coaching community to use scientific data and state-of-the-art technology as part of his coaching. Under his guidance as the pitching coach for the 18U National Team at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, Moseley helped lead the U.S. to its ninth world championship thanks to his tireless work using analytical data and ball flight analysis. Not only did his commitment to data allow him to scout opponents in a tournament setting, but he was also able to utilize data from PDP Performance Assessments and Trackman to aid in identifying and selecting the roster for the 18U National Team. Team USA scored 68 runs – its most at a World Cup since 2015 – and struck out 73 batters to lead the tournament.

Daisy Nelson is an unsung hero for the tremendous success of USA Baseball and its many athletes. Nelson has been responsible for staffing and training certified athletic trainers for USA Baseball national teams, training camps, and identification events since 2016. Her contributions, and the extension of her work through USA Baseball's certified athletic trainers, contributed to an unprecedented run of success for the U.S. this year as the stars and stripes won four gold medals, three world championships, a friendship series, and a bronze medal in 2022.

CARY, N.C. -- Just two weeks ago, Cristian Matos was celebrating a world title at the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan.

Now, the world champ is back stateside and looking to continue progressing through USA Baseball programming.

Matos is currently playing for the Northeast Stars at the 12U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina. With a strong performance at the event, Matos can earn an invitation to the 2023 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP).

“It would mean a lot to be selected to the ADP from NTIS this year,” he said. “I am still trying to get familiar with the ADP, but I really want to make it.”

USA Baseball’s ADP is a highly developed four-day on- and off-field national team-level instruction and education program. The event features advanced on-field skills development in front of USA Baseball task force and coaches, in addition to an off-field component for athletes that focuses on education regarding subjects like the NCAA and recruiting process, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and more.

Twelve players will be selected from this year’s 12U NTIS to participate in next summer’s ADP.

Matos brings experience to the NTIS that only few players at his age have. The Belleville, New Jersey, native learned a lot both on and off the field during his 12U National Team trip to Taiwan and has brought that back with him to Cary.

A major thing that Matos learned in Taiwan was that any player can contribute to the game at any time. After not playing for the first six innings of Team USA’s super round game against Mexico, Matos came off the bench and launched a pinch-hit homer to tie the score in the game’s final frame.

“That game-tying home run against Mexico was really exciting for me,” Matos said. “I sat the entire game and then came in and tied the game with a home run. I was really pumped up and it was really exciting.”

It was one of three homers that Matos hit for the U.S. in the tournament. He batted .500 (4-for-8) with the three blasts, driving in five runs. He also made two appearances on the mound, striking out three batters in two innings of work. Team USA went unbeaten in the tournament, beating Venezuela, 10-2, to earn it’s world-best fourth gold medal.

After returning to the United States on August 8, Matos was back at the USA Baseball National Training Complex just a few days later. His older brother, Rafael, competed for the Northeast Region at the 15U NTIS which began on August 11. It’s now Cristian’s turn at the 12U event, his second consecutive year competing in the NTIS.

Last summer, Matos earned his spot at 12U National Team Trials after being selected from the 11U NTIS. With one day remaining in the tournament, Matos has been enjoying the return to the process.

“Being back at NTIS is great,” Matos said. “This tournament is really fun. Getting to know some of the coaches and the players is really cool. Last year, it didn’t go so well for us but we’re playing well this year.”

Matos is focused on the success of his team this week at the NTIS, but also has his eyes on hearing his name called during the NTIS Selection Show, which will air after all age groups have been completed.

After all, he is locked in on one thing as he continues his young baseball career.

“My goal is to make every single USA Baseball event,” Matos said.

BOX SCORE | PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Colin Anderson hit two homers and Team USA scored nine unanswered runs to beat Venezuela 10-2 in the gold-medal game of the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Sunday at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium.

With the victory, the U.S. has now won four world championships at the U-12 level (2013, 2015, 2017, and 2022). 2022 marks the first world title since the stars and stripes won its third-consecutive WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in 2017, and is the first time the red, white, and blue finished a world cup unbeaten.

Team USA (8-0) grabbed a lead in the bottom of the second inning on a Dylan Mercado solo home run; however, Venezuela (6-3) responded with a two-run home run of its own to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the third.

From there, Team USA’s offense took over.

Anderson came to the plate with a red-hot bat after Anthony Frausto III was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom half of the frame, and he delivered. The tournament’s home run king added another one to his tally with his go-ahead, two-run blast to right center. Not to be outdone, Jordan Leon followed by demolishing a ball over the left field wall, giving the U.S. a lead it would not relinquish.

Two batters later, Team USA started a rally to plate two more to cap a five-run inning. Mercado singled to left field with two outs and Tristin Gaines walked on four pitches to put two runners on base. Ty Chambless then split the gap in left-center field to put the U.S. ahead by four, 6-2, through three complete.

From there, Jimmy Stout III and the stout Team USA defense held the Venezuelan offense to just two hits over the final three innings as the stars and stripes’ offense continued to roll.

With two outs and nobody on in the fourth, Anderson continued his tear by hitting his seventh longball of the tournament with a moonshot home run that landed in the scaffolding of a nearby building. The U.S. continued to pull away in the fifth inning, putting five consecutive runners on base and scoring three runs. Anthony Ramon singled, Mercado walked, and Gaines singled before Chambless drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 8-2. Maximus Villalva capped the scoring for Team USA in the next at-bat with an RBI-single up the middle to score Gaines and Mercado, putting the U.S. ahead 10-2 with only three defensive outs keeping them from the world title.

After giving up a two-out walk in the top of the sixth, Stout coaxed a ground ball to Gaines, who stepped on second base for the final out, securing Team USA’s fourth world championship title.

Stout was stellar in relief of U.S. starting pitcher Frausto. He entered the game with the bases loaded in the second inning and escaped the jam unscathed to hold the stars and stripes’ one-run lead. After surrendering a two-run homer in the third, he shut down the Venezuela offense, retiring 11 of the next 15 batters to earn the win. The right-hander finished the night giving up four hits and striking out three in 4.1 innings.

Venezuela’s starter, Williangel Sánchez suffered the loss, giving up seven earned runs on nine hits in four innings.

Offensively, eight of the nine hitters in the lineup tallied hits on the day, paced by Anderson (2-for-3, 3 RBIs), Mercado (2-for-2, 3 runs), Gaines (2-for-2, 2 runs), and Villalva’s (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) multi-hit games.

The U.S. collected seven individual awards and placed six players on the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup All-World Team. After batting .556 (10-for-18) with a tournament-high seven homers and 21 RBIs, Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Anderson homered in five of Team USA’s eight games, posting two multi-home run games. The Evans, Georgia, native also earned a spot on the All-World Team as an outfielder.

Frausto received the honor as the leading hitter in the tournament after batting .700 (14-for-20). Frausto was a force in the lineup for the duration of the event, picking up at least one hit in each game he played in. He had five multi-hit games and scored 14 times to earn the crown for most runs scored.

Villalva was a stalwart in the middle infield for the U.S. to earn the Best Defensive Player award, playing second base in every game and making numerous key plays. Villalva was also a force at the plate, batting .467 (7-for-15) with a homer and five RBIs to earn a spot on the All-World Team at second base.

Additionally, Levi Kerr had the best win-loss record in the tournament at 3-0. Kerr threw 7.2 shutout innings for the stars and stripes, including a complete-game shutout in Team USA’s 10-0 win over the Dominican Republic in Group B play. He earned a spot on the All-World Team as a relief pitcher.

Jonah Saken (outfield) and Leon (designated hitter) rounded out the U.S. representatives on the All-World Team. After starting the tournament a perfect 5-for-5, Saken continued to produce at the top of the lineup for Team USA while patrolling the outfield. The Brentwood, Tennessee, native finished with a .455 (10-for-22) average while tallying a homer, three doubles, and six RBIs.

Leon opened the tournament with two homers in the first inning and never looked back, cranking four dingers and batting .438 (7-for-16). He picked up a hit in six of the team’s seven games and scored a run in each contest.

Team USA Awards

• MVP: Colin Anderson
• Best Defensive Player: Maximus Villalva
• Leading Hitter: Anthony Frausto III
• Pitcher Best Win-Loss Avg: Levi Kerr
• Most Runs Batted In: Colin Anderson
• Most Home Runs: Colin Anderson
• Most Runs Scored: Anthony Frausto III

VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup All-World Team

• SP: Cesar Altagracia (Dominican Republic)
• RP: Levi Kerr (USA)
• C: Po-Sheng Chen (Chinese Taipei)
• 1B: Anthony Frausto III (USA)
• 2B: Maximus Villalva (USA)
• 3B: Ezequiel Rivera (Mexico)
• SS: Woochan Jung (Chinese Taipei)
• OF: Sheng-Zhi Wu (Chinese Taipei)
• OF: Colin Anderson (USA)
• OF: Jonah Saken (USA)

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – The 12U National Team will meet Venezuela in the gold medal game of the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Sunday at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. local/6:00 a.m. ET and will be streamed live on GameTime OTT (login required).

It will be Team USA’s fourth appearance in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup title game, as the team looks to win its world-best fourth gold medal. The U.S. won gold in 2013, 2015, and 2017, earning the title in each of the first three years it participated in the tournament.

Team USA has won each of its first seven games at the tournament in 2022, going 4-0 in Group B pool play and 3-0 in Super Round action. The squad earned wins over the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Korea in pool play before topping Chinese Taipei, Mexico, and Venezuela in the Super Round.

Venezuela is 6-2 overall in the tournament, suffering its second loss against the U.S. on Saturday. After coming out of Group A at 4-1 – with its only loss coming to Mexico – Venezuela went 2-1 in Super Round play. The team clinched a spot in the title game after beating Korea on Friday.

The U.S. offense has been firing on all cylinders since the tournament began on July 29, leading across the board in most offensive categories. The club has gotten strong performances from a myriad of players, including Colin Anderson, who has launched five homers and driven in 18 runs, both good for tournament highs. Anderson homered twice in the win over Korea, driving in seven of the team’s eight runs.

Anthony Frausto has been a dynamic bat at the top of Team USA’s lineup, batting .722 (13-for-18) with four homers and 13 RBIs. Frausto, who has also pitched and played first base, leads the tournament in hits and has reached base in 15 of his 20 plate appearances.

At the top of the U.S. lineup is Jonah Saken, who is posting a .526 (10-for-19) average to go along with a homer, three doubles, and six RBIs. Saken has played all over the outfield for Team USA.

As a group on offense, the stars and stripes are batting .433 (77-for-178) with 23 homers and 89 runs scored. The team has a .534 on-base percentage, a .921 OPS, and has set the Team USA record for most home runs at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

On the mound, Team USA has accumulated a 4.00 ERA. Of the 41 hits the staff has allowed, only nine of them have gone for extra bases. The group has been led by Levi Kerr, who has turned in 7.2 innings of shutout baseball, allowing just two hits in his three appearances. Kerr has three wins for the U.S., giving him the team led in front of Major Ciers, who has two. Dylan Mercado has made two starts for the United States and is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA, striking out eight batters over six innings of work.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster comprises players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell is joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

BOX SCORE | PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Team USA hit four home runs to power past Venezuela, 12-7, and secure a sweep of the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Super Round on Saturday afternoon in Tainan, Taiwan.

It was the first of two games that the nations will play in as many days, with the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game set for Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. local/6:00 a.m. ET.

Three of the team’s four homers came in the first inning of the contest as the U.S. jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Leadoff hitter Jonah Saken got the scoring started with a line drive blast to left, immediately followed by Anthony Frausto’s sky-scraping homer over the left field wall to give Team USA a quick two-run lead. Dylan Mercado hit the final dinger of the inning, a two-run shot off the light pole beyond the left field wall that handed the United States a 4-0 lead after its first turn at bat.

After Venezuela put together a two-out rally to tie the game in the third inning, Team USA got RBI hits from Jimmy Stout III, Trent O’Malley, and Anthony Ramon to retake the lead at 9-5. Jordan Leon then helped the offense pull away even further with the fourth and final home run of the day for the stars and stripes, a three-run roundtripper to make it a seven-run lead for the U.S in the fifth.

Hibiki Suzuki started on the mound for Team USA, surrendering five runs on as many hits but giving the U.S. three innings of work. Major Ciers entered and turned in two shutout innings to earn the win, giving him his second victory of the tournament. Eli Martinez got the final three outs on the mound for the red, white, and blue.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The U.S. offense got to work quickly in the bottom of the first, hammering back-to-back homers to open the frame. Jonah Saken hit the first blast of the inning, a line drive shot to left, followed by Anthony Frausto’s dinger over the left field wall to give Team USA a 2-0 lead.
• With a runner on first and two outs, Dylan Mercado smoked a two-run blast off the light pole in left center field as Team USA’s lead became four in the first.
• Venezuela put up a four-spot in a busy third inning to tie the game, scoring all of the runs with two outs. The first run came on an RBI single by Jose Calderon and Ayverson Rodriguez followed with a three-run home run to make it a 4-4 game.
• Anthony Ramon doubled in between a pair of hit-by-pitches to load the bases for Jimmy Stout III, who singled to right center to drive in two runs and give the United States a 6-4 edge in the bottom of the third.
• Daniel Perez homered to right field in the top of the fourth as Venezuela got within a run at 6-5.
• The U.S. grabbed a pair of insurance runs to pad its lead in the bottom of the fourth when Trent O’Malley hit an RBI double and Anthony Ramon drove in a run with a single to give Team USA an 8-5 advantage.
• Anthony Frausto picked up his second RBI of the day and extended the U.S. lead to 9-5 with a single through the left side in the bottom of the fifth.
• With two on and two outs in Team USA’s half of the fifth, Jordan Leon deposited a three-run homer over the left field fence to put the game out of reach at 12-5.
• Venezuela scored two runs in the top of the sixth on Daniel Perez’s second homer of the day, but Eli Martinez got a game-ending fielder’s choice to give the United States the 12-7 victory.

OF NOTE

• The U.S. will enter Sunday’s VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game with an unbeaten record for the first time in team history.
• The United States’ all-time record against Venezuela improves to 2-2 at the U-12 level.
• Team USA’s offense continued to flex its muscles in the first inning, scoring four runs to increase its first-inning run total to 29 over seven games.
• The 12U National Team has now won five consecutive WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Super Round games, with its last loss coming in the 2017 Super Round opener against Chinese Taipei.
• Saturday’s win featured contributions from all over the lineup as seven different players drove in at least one run.
• Major Ciers earned the win to improve his tournament win-loss record to 2-0. Ciers and Levi Kerr (3) have combined for five of Team USA’s seven wins on the mound.
• After picking up two more hits on Saturday, Anthony Frausto now leads the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in hits with 13.
• A trio of U.S. players sit atop the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup leaderboard in home runs and RBIs: Colin Anderson (5, 18), Anthony Frausto (4, 13), and Jordan Leon (3, 11).

ON DECK

The two teams will meet again in Sunday’s VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. local/6:00 a.m. ET from Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

SOCIAL

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – After clinching a spot in the gold medal game on Friday, Team USA concludes World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Super Round play with a matchup against Venezuela. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET from Asia Pacific Main-Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

The game will be a preview of Sunday’s gold medal game, which will also feature the United States against Venezuela.

The U.S. defeated Chinese Taipei, 8-6, on Friday night to clinch its spot in the title game. The stars and stripes rallied for six runs in their final two turns at bat to win the game, getting a grand slam from Anthony Frausto and a go-ahead single by Max Villalva. Frausto’s grand slam was his second of the tournament.

Colin Anderson homered in the win over Chinese Taipei, giving him four round trippers in his last three games. The outfielder, who leads Team USA in most offensive categories, has 11 RBIs over the three-game span.

Levi Kerr earned the win on Friday for the second straight day, as he also got the victory against Mexico on Thursday. Kerr has thrown 7.2 spotless innings in three appearances for the U.S., allowing just two hits.

Venezuela enters the contest at 6-1 on the tournament. The club only lost one game in Group A pool play, falling 7-1 to Mexico, while beating Chinese Taipei, Italy, Panama, and South Africa. Venezuela has won each of its first two Super Round games, knocking off Korea and the Dominican Republic to secure a spot in the title game.

Saturday’s matchup will be the third all-time meeting between the U.S. and Venezuela at the U-12 level. Venezuela has the upper hand throughout history, winning two of the three games the teams have played. They most recently met at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, where Venezuela picked up a 7-6 win over Team USA.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster comprises players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell is joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

To follow along with all the action at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

BOX SCORE | PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Team USA rallied for six runs in its final two turns at bat to beat Chinese Taipei, 8-6, and clinch a spot in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game.

The United States will take on Venezuela in the title game on Sunday.

With the game tied at six in the bottom of the fifth, Jordan Leon and Anthony Ramon hit back-to-back singles and Ty Chambless was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Max Villalva followed that by sneaking a ground ball through the left side for an RBI single, giving the U.S. a 7-6 lead, which eventually grew to 8-6 on an RBI groundout by Jonah Saken. Chinese Taipei then put the tying run at the plate in the top of the sixth, but Levi Kerr was able to coax a game-ending groundout to secure the win.

The fifth inning was not the first time Team USA cashed in after loading the bases. Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth, two hits and a walk put runners on every base with just one out. Then, for the second time in the tournament, Anthony Frausto hit a grand slam and gave Team USA a 6-4 lead, smoking an outside pitch over the wall in right center field to ignite the late scoring outburst.

Dylan Mercado started on the mound for the United States and threw four innings, allowing four runs and striking out five. Levi Kerr worked the final two innings in relief and earned his third win of the tournament, permitting just one baserunner to reach via a walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Chinese Taipei opened the scoring in the top of the first when Po-Yuang Chuang walked and was eventually plated on Tzu-Chiao Ou’s sacrifice fly to give Chinese Taipei a 1-0 lead.
• With one out and Anthony Frausto on first base in the bottom of the first, Colin Anderson unloaded on a first-pitch curveball for a two-run homer to give the U.S. a 2-1 advantage.
• Chinese Taipei took a one-run lead in the third inning when Rui-Xi Chen hit a two-run home run over the left field wall, making the score 3-2 in favor of Chinese Taipei.
• In the top of the fourth, Chinese Taipei loaded the bases with nobody out but was only able to scratch across one run on a double play as the U.S. deficit grew to 4-2.
• After Ty Chambless doubled, Max Villalva walked, and Jonah Saken singled to load the bases in the fourth, Anthony Frausto took an outside pitch the other way for a go-ahead grand slam, giving Team USA a 6-4 lead.
• Chinese Taipei rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game. The first run scored on a fielder’s choice by Pin-Han Gao, and Rui-Xi Chen later scored on a wild pitch as the score became 6-6.
• Jordan Leon singled to lead off the United States’ half of the fifth and later scored when Max Villalva hit a single through the left side, giving Team USA a 7-6 lead.
• Jonah Saken gave the U.S. an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, driving in Anthony Ramon with a groundout to extend the lead to 8-6.
• Chinese Taipei put the tying run at the plate with one out in the top of the sixth, but a batter’s interference and a groundout induced by Levi Kerr secured the victory for the United States.

OF NOTE

• Team USA will appear in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game for the fourth time in its five trips to the tournament. The U.S. has won gold each time it has made it to the title game (2013, 2015, 2017).
• Friday’s win was the second consecutive game that the United States trailed in the fourth inning or later and won, as the team came back from a late deficit in Thursday’s win over Mexico.
• Team USA has hit 19 home runs in the tournament, surpassing its home run totals from all four previous WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cups it has played in.
• After another error-free game, the stars and stripes raised their team fielding percentage to .965.
• The U.S. has now scored at least one run in the first inning in all six of its games, giving the squad 25 first-inning runs.
• Team USA’s all-time record against Chinese Taipei improves to 4-2 at the U-12 level.
• Colin Anderson has now homered in three straight games, leaving the yard four times and driving in 11 runs over that span.
• By walking twice and hitting the game-winning single, Max Villalva reached base in all three of his plate appearances in the victory.
• Levi Kerr has won three games on the mound for the U.S. and owns a spotless 0.00 ERA, allowing just two hits in 7.2 innings of work.
• Friday’s game was delayed for 90 minutes after the first inning due to rain.

ON DECK

Team USA wraps up Super Round play against Venezuela on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET.

SOCIAL

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – The 12U National Team continues VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Super Round play on Friday with a matchup against host Chinese Taipei. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. local/6:30 a.m. ET from Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

Team USA is coming off a dramatic walk-off win against Mexico on Thursday. The team battled back on multiple occasions and won on a walk-off single by Anthony Ramon, which came after a game-tying homer by Cristian Matos.

The United States owns a 5-0 overall record at the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Per WBSC rules, the squad is 3-0 in the Super Round after beating Group B representatives, the Domincan Republic and Korea, in pool play action.

Colin Anderson homered again on Thursday against Mexico and now has four homers and 16 RBIs on the tournament. He is batting .636 (7-for-11), with all his hits going for extra bases.

Anthony Frausto had three hits in the win over Mexico and is now batting .818 (9-for-11) to lead all players. Frausto has two doubles and two homers under his belt so far in the tournament.

Batting from the leadoff spot, Jonah Saken has gotten a hit in every game of the tournament thus far. The outfielder is batting .571 (8-for-14), also scoring a team-best 10 runs.

On the mound, the U.S. has combined to post a 2.89 team ERA. Levi Kerr, who got two clutch outs out of the bullpen against Mexico, is now 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and five strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Four other Team USA arms have posted scoreless outings.

Friday’s Super Round contest will be the sixth-ever meeting between the U.S. and Chinese Taipei at the U-12 level. Team USA leads the all-time series, 3-2, and won most recently in 2017.

The Super Round battle will be the fourth all-time meeting between the U.S. and Mexico at the U-12 level. Team USA has a 2-1 record in the matchup, with Mexico picking up its win at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster comprises players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell is joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

To follow along with all the action at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

BOX SCORE | PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Anthony Ramon hit a walk-off single to cap a sixth-inning comeback as Team USA beat Mexico, 6-5, in the Super Round opener at the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Thursday afternoon in Tainan, Taiwan.

With the win, Team USA moves to 5-0 overall and inches closer to securing a spot in the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game.

Down by one in the bottom of the sixth, the U.S. rallied for a pair of runs to secure the dramatic win. The tying run came with Team USA down to its final two outs, as Cristian Matos cranked a pinch-hit solo homer over the right field wall to knot the game at five. After Max Villalva walked and advanced to third, Anthony Frausto was intentionally walked to put Anthony Ramon at the plate. Ramon then swung at the first pitch he saw and dumped it into center field for a base hit, plating Villalva and giving the U.S. the walk-off win.

The sixth-inning comeback was not the first time Team USA clawed back from a deficit in the game. Down by two in the bottom of the fifth, Anthony Frausto and Colin Anderson each hit solo homers to straightaway center field to tie the game. Mexico grabbed a run in the top of the sixth to take the lead back, setting up for the U.S. offense to eventually walk it off in the bottom half of the frame.

Team USA’s pitching staff worked around traffic all afternoon to keep the game within striking distance. Jordan Leon started the game and pitched three innings, allowing three runs and striking out four. Jimmy Stout III turned in 2.1 innings of relief and allowed two runs before Levi Kerr took over in the top of the sixth and got two big outs to earn the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Mexico’s offense came out strong in the top of the first to score the game’s first run. Johnny Martinez led off the game with a single and later scored on a two-out base-hit by Ivan Chaires to give Mexico the 1-0 lead.
• As it has all tournament, Team USA scored a run in the first inning to tie the game. Anthony Frausto doubled and came around to score on an RBI double off the left field wall by Colin Anderson to even the score at one.
• Mexico plated its second run in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Leonardo Garza and Ivan Chaires homered in the top of the third to extend Mexico's lead to 3-1.
• Team USA cut its deficit to one in the bottom of the third. Jonah Saken singled and Anthony Frausto doubled to put runners on second and third, and Saken scored on an RBI groundout by Trent O’Malley to make it a 3-2 lead for Mexico.
• Mexico loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fourth, but Jimmy Stout III allowed just a sacrifice fly and nothing more as Mexico’s lead became 4-2.
• Team USA had a chance to score in the bottom of the fourth when it put runners on second and third with no outs, but Mexico’s Alfredo Itturalde evaded trouble to keep it a two-run game.
• With Team USA down 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Anthony Frausto led off with a solo homer to center and Colin Anderson followed with a mammoth shot over the batter’s eye to knot the game at four.
• Mexico scratched a run across on an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth to regain the 5-4 lead, but Levi Kerr picked up a big strikeout to give the U.S. offense a chance in the bottom of the inning.
• With one out and nobody on in the final inning, Cristian Matos turned on a 3-1 pitch and hit it over the right field wall to tie the game at five.
• Max Villalva drew a walk, advanced to second on a balk, and moved over to third on a groundout to put the winning run on third base in the sixth. After Anthony Frausto was intentionally walked, Anthony Ramon hit a bloop single to center field to plate Villalva and secure the come-from-behind win for the United States.

OF NOTE

• Team USA has now scored a first-inning run in all five of its games, combining for 23 total first-inning runs in the tournament.
• Overall, the U.S. is batting .462 (60-for-130) with 17 homers and 69 runs scored. Nearly half of the team’s hits have been for extra bases as it has 29 extra-base hits in the tournament.
• Team USA is now 3-1 all-time against Mexico at the U-12 level.
• The United States’ defense did not make an error in the win and now owns a .958 team fielding percentage.
• According to WBSC rules, Team USA now owns a 3-0 record in the Super Round after beating Group B representatives, the Dominican Republic and Korea, in pool play.
• Anthony Frausto went 3-for-3 in the win to raise his tournament-best batting average to .818 (9-for-11). He hit two doubles and a homer in the victory.
• Jonah Saken picked up a hit in the win to continue his hitting streak, as the outfielder has now gotten a knock in all five games and is batting .571 (8-for-14).
• Three of Cristian Matos’ four hits in the tournament have been home runs after his roundtripper in the win.
• With his two-hit, two-RBI day, Colin Anderson raised his stat line to a .636 average (7-for-11) with four homers and 16 RBIs.

ON DECK

Team USA returns to Super Round action on Friday night when it takes on Chinese Taipei at 6:30 p.m. local/6:30 a.m. ET at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

SOCIAL

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – After finishing unbeaten in Group B, the 12U National Team will begin Super Round play against Mexico on Thursday at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan. First pitch is set for 10:30 a.m. local time/10:30 p.m. ET.

The matchup will pin the two number one seeds against each other, as Mexico won Group A and Team USA emerged as the top team from Group B.

Team USA enters the contest with a 4-0 record and is the only undefeated team remaining in the field. The stars and stripes begun their pool play sweep with a 24-0 defeat of the Czech Republic on Friday, then followed with a 21-6 victory over Japan, a 10-0 win against the Dominican Republic, and an 8-5 win over Korea.

The United States have gotten offense up and down the lineup so far throughout the tournament. Colin Anderson has supplied the power for the U.S., hitting three homers – including two grand slams – and driving in 14 runs. Anthony Frausto (.750) and Jonah Saken (.700) have each picked up hits in each game they have played in, with Saken notching three doubles.

On the mound, Team USA has posted a 2.29 staff ERA. Levi Kerr tossed a shutout in the team’s win over the Dominican Republic, and five other U.S. pitchers have clean 0.00 ERA’s in the tournament.

Mexico will bring a 4-1 record to the Super Round matchup. It has picked up wins over Italy, Panama, South Africa, and Venezuela, and dropped a 3-1 decision to Chinese Taipei. Mexico is led offensively by Ezequiel Rivera Velarde, who is batting .636 (7-for-11) with three homers and seven RBIs. The club has posted a 0.89 ERA in 27.0 innings throughout the tournament, striking out 38 batters.

The Super Round battle will be the fourth all-time meeting between the U.S. and Mexico at the U-12 level. Team USA has a 2-1 record in the matchup, with Mexico picking up its win at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster comprises players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell is joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

To follow along with all the action at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

BOX SCORE | PLAYS | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Colin Anderson hit two homers and drove in seven runs to propel the 12U National Team past Korea, 8-5, in its pool play finale at the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Tuesday afternoon in Tainan, Taiwan.

With the performance, Anderson tied the 12U National Team record for most RBIs in a single game in international play. The U.S. clinched the top seed in the Super Round out of Group B with the win.

Team USA responded quickly after falling into a 1-0 hole in the first. Jonah Saken and Jordan Leon both walked to open the bottom half of the inning, and Trent O’Malley was hit by a pitch as the stars and stripes loaded the bases for Colin Anderson. The outfielder then stepped up to the plate and delivered, clobbering a grand slam just inside the left field foul pole as Team USA took a 4-1 lead.

Then, with the U.S. leading 5-4 with two outs in the second inning, Anderson pounced on an 0-2 pitch and went the other way for an opposite-field, three-run homer to extend Team USA’s lead to four. Korea chipped into its deficit with a run in the fifth but was not able to get anything more as the U.S. bullpen held strong in the win.

Major Ciers was clutch in relief for the United States, turning in 2.2 innings of one-run ball to earn the win. After entering in the second inning and allowing two unearned runs to score, Ciers permitted just one baserunner over the next two innings to keep Korea off the scoreboard. Trent O’Malley earned the save for the stars and stripes, throwing a hitless sixth inning to clinch the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Korea jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the first, as Woochan Jung drew a leadoff walk and scored on a balk to give Korea a 1-0 lead.
• The U.S. responded immediately in the bottom of the first, scoring first-inning runs for the fourth consecutive game. After a pair of walks and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Colin Anderson snuck a grand slam inside the left field foul pole to give Team USA a 4-1 advantage.
• Korea answered in its half of the second inning when Seungwoo An hit an RBI single before two more runs scored on an error to knot the game at four.
• Team USA had a quick answer in the bottom of the second, as Max Villalva got hit by a pitch and Jonah Saken singled to put a pair of runners on. Jordan Leon then delivered with a single through the right side to plate Villalva and make it a 5-4 lead for the United States.
• With two out and two on in the bottom of the second, Colin Anderson took an 0-2 pitch the opposite way for a three-run homer, his second blast of the day, to give Team USA an 8-4 lead.
• After entering the game in the second inning, Major Ciers tossed two key scoreless innings in the third and fourth as Team USA maintained its 8-4 edge.
• Korea scratched a run across in the top of the fifth when Woochan Jung singled and scored on a wild pitch to creep within three runs.
• Trent O’Malley took the mound in the top of the sixth and worked around a leadoff walk to notch the save and secure the 8-5 victory for Team USA.

OF NOTE

• With seven RBIs in the win, Colin Anderson ties the 12U National Team record for RBIs in a single international game (Also: Nathan Aguilar, seven vs. Colombia on 8/4/2016).
• Team USA has hit 14 homers through its first four games, already surpassing the 12U National Team’s home run totals at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cups in 2013, 2015, and 2019.
• By scoring four runs in the first inning on Tuesday, the U.S. has now scored 22 runs over four first innings in the tournament.
• The U.S. went 4-0 in WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup pool play for the third time in team history. The team also completed the feat in 2015 and 2017, when it went on to win gold both times.
• Jonah Saken picked up another hit on Tuesday and has now hit safely in all four games to post a .700 batting average (7-for-10).
• After the massive day in Tuesday’s win, Colin Anderson has driven in a tournament-most 14 runs. He has three homers and sixteen total bases in four games.
• Team USA’s pitching staff lowered its ERA to 2.29 in the win. The group has struck out 20 batters in 21.0 innings and held opponents to a .234 batting average against.

ON DECK

Team USA has the day off on Wednesday and will return to action for the first game of the Super Round on Thursday, August 4. The time and opponent are to be determined.

SOCIAL

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – The unbeaten 12U National Team will wrap up World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup pool play action on Tuesday afternoon against Korea. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

The contest will be streamed live on Gametime OTT (login required) and live stats will be provided here.

The U.S. enters Tuesday’s contest as the only unbeaten team in Group B after winning its first three contests. The stars and stripes topped the Czech Republic in Friday’s opener, 24-0, before beating Japan (21-6) on Saturday and the Dominican Republic (10-0) on Sunday.

The Team USA offense has been paced by Anthony Frausto and Jonah Saken, who are both posting a .750 (6-for-8) batting average for the tournament. Saken started the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup with five hits in his first five at-bats, and Frausto has picked up two hits in each contest.

The U.S. offense has hit a tournament-best 12 homers in its first three games. Jordan Leon and Cristian Matos are tied for the team lead with two, as Leon hit a pair in Friday’s 14-run first inning against the Czech Republic and Matos homered on Friday and on Sunday.

Team USA’s pitching staff owns a 2.00 ERA in 15 innings so far in the tournament. Levi Kerr was the latest member of the stars and stripes to dominate on the mound, as he turned in five shutout frames in Sunday’s win over the Dominican Republic.

Tuesday’s game will mark the fourth all-time matchup between the U.S. and Korea at the U-12 level. The United States have won all three contests so far, with the most recent game coming in 2019, where the U.S. picked up a 12-11 victory.

Korea is 2-1 in the tournament, with wins against the Czech Republic and Japan.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster comprises players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell is joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

The U.S. is in Group B – which includes Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Japan, and Korea – for the pool play portion of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Three nations from the group will emerge to the Super Round, where they will be joined by the three advancing teams from Group A (Chinese Taipei, Italy, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, and Venezuela).

To follow along with all the action at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

BOX SCORE | PLAY-BY-PLAY | CUMULATIVE STATS

TAINAN, Taiwan – Levi Kerr tossed a complete-game shutout and Cristian Matos and Dylan Mercado each homered as the 12U National Team defeated the Dominican Republic, 10-0, in pool play action at the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Sunday morning at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium.

With the win, the U.S. secures its spot in the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Super Round.

After grabbing a quick lead and blanking the Dominican Republic offense in the first five innings, Team USA’s offense exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull away and win. Dylan Mercado’s three-run homer helped the U.S. blow the game open in the fifth, and RBIs by Jonah Saken and Colin Anderson put the finishing touches on the victory.

Team USA’s offense got off to a hot start for the third straight day, scoring in the first inning on an RBI double by Colin Anderson. Then, with the U.S. up by just one run in the third, Cristian Matos hit a two-run blast to right field as the stars and stripes got some breathing room before the seven-run fifth.

Levi Kerr was dominant from start to finish for Team USA, earning the win with a complete-game shutout. After walking the first two batters he faced, Kerr allowed just four more baserunners for the remainder of the game and coaxed two massive double plays to keep the Dominican Republic off the scoreboard.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Dominican Republic had an immediate scoring opportunity in the top of the first, putting its first two runners on with nobody out. But Levi Kerr escaped the jam, sandwiching a groundout between a pair of strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
• The U.S. struck for a run in the first inning for the third consecutive game when Jonah Saken led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on Colin Anderson’s two-out double to give Team USA a 1-0 lead.
• The United States loaded the bases in its half of the second inning but Dominican Republic pitcher Marlon Polanco got two big outs to keep the score at 1-0.
• With two outs in the bottom of the third, Anthony Frausto singled before Cristian Matos worked an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in a two-run homer into the trees in right field, giving Team USA a 3-0 edge.
• Down by three in the top of the fifth, the Dominican Republic notched its second hit of the day but it was immediately erased when Levi Kerr induced a 1-4-3 double play.
• After back-to-back singles by Anthony Frausto and Cristian Matos to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Dylan Mercado clubbed a three-run homer to center field to make it 6-0 in favor of the U.S.
• Tristin Gaines singled and scored on an RBI double by Jonah Saken as the stars and stripes’ lead became 7-0 in the fifth.
• Team USA clinched the win in the fifth when Jonah Saken and Jordan Leon scored on wild pitches before Colin Anderson plated a run on a groundout to give the U.S. the 10-0 victory.

OF NOTE

• The win was Team USA’s second shutout victory of the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup (24-0 over Czech Republic on Friday).
• With another first-inning run on Sunday, the U.S. has now scored 18 first-inning runs through three tournament games.
• Sunday’s game was the first all-time matchup at the U-12 level between the United States and the Dominican Republic.
• Dylan Mercado (3), Colin Anderson (2), and Cristian Matos (2) combined for seven of Team USA’s eight RBIs in the game.
• After each picking up at least one hit on Sunday, Anthony Frausto and Jonah Saken are tied for the team lead with a .750 batting average (6-for-8).
• The stars and stripes lead the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in most offensive categories, including runs (55) and homers (12).
• The U.S. remains atop the Group B standings at 3-0. Korea (1-0), Japan (0-1), the Dominican Republic (0-1), and the Czech Republic (0-2) round out the standings.

ON DECK

Team USA has the day off on Monday before taking on Korea in its final pool play game on Tuesday, August 2, at 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET.

SOCIAL

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

Box Score | Plays | Cumulative Stats

TAINAN, Taiwan – Team USA erupted for fourteen runs in the sixth inning to storm past Japan, 21-6, in pool play action at the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Saturday afternoon at Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan.

With the win, Team USA is now 2-0 in Group B play.

Leading 7-6 entering the final frame, the U.S. rallied for 14 runs on nine hits, including two homers, to pull away and secure the 15-run victory. Japan used four pitchers in the sixth-inning outburst as the U.S. plated all 14 batters that reached base. The run-scoring began when Jordan Leon hit a sacrifice fly and Jonah Saken scored on a balk before Anthony Ramon gave the U.S. a five-run lead with a two-RBI double. After five more runs scored, Colin Anderson and Jimmy Stout III hit back-to-back homers to put a cap on the inning.

The game went back and forth in the early stages, as the stars and stripes scored three runs in the first inning to take the lead and built on it with four more in the fourth. Japan put up a four-spot in the fourth inning to make it a one-run game before the U.S. put the contest out of reach in the sixth.

Jordan Leon got the start for Team USA and pitched three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits. Cristian Matos pitched the final two frames for the U.S., allowing just one hit and striking out three to secure the second win of the tournament for Team USA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a single, error, and walk loaded the bases to open the game, Anthony Ramon capped an eight-pitch at-bat with an RBI groundout to put the U.S. up 1-0.
• Anthony Frausto singled to plate Dylan Mercado and Trent O’Malley, giving Team USA a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
• Japan got right back into the game in the bottom of the third when Shunei Kashiwagi hit a two-run homer to left to trim Japan’s deficit to 3-2.
• The U.S. answered back in the top of the fourth, loading the bases before Jonah Saken bounced a two-run single up the middle to put Team USA’s lead back at three.
• The stars and stripes extended their lead to 7-2 in the top of the fourth when Ty Chambless and Jonah Saken both scored on a wild pitch.
• Japan responded in the bottom of the fourth to get within a run. Akihiro Kobayashi hit a sacrifice fly to make it a four-run game and Rio Ishikawa hit an RBI infield single as Japan trimmed the lead to 7-4.
• Junto Tsuchiya and Shunei Kashiwagi hit back-to-back doubles to cut Team USA’s lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the fourth.
• The 14-run sixth for Team USA started when Levi Kerr walked and Jonah Saken doubled to put the first two hitters in scoring position. Jordan Leon followed with a sacrifice fly and Saken was plated on a balk to put Team USA in front, 9-6.
• Anthony Ramon doubled in two runs and Tristin Gaines put down an RBI bunt single to make it 12-6 Team USA, and Levi Kerr and Jonah Saken each drove in runs to extend the lead to eight.
• Jordan Leon and Trent O’Malley notched back-to-back RBI base hits as the U.S. lead grew to 16-6 in the sixth.
• With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Colin Anderson launched a pinch-hit grand slam and Jimmy Stout III followed with a pinch-hit solo homer to give Team USA the 21-6 lead it would go on to win by.

OF NOTE

• Twenty-one runs are the most Team USA has scored against Japan in team history. The U.S. is now 4-0 all-time against Japan.
• The stars and stripes have outscored opponents 45-6 through their first two games, giving them the best run differential through two WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup games in team history.
• By scoring 24 runs on Friday against the Czech Republic and 21 runs on Saturday against Japan, the U.S. has posted the two highest run totals so far at the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
• Jonah Saken posted a perfect 4-for-4 night at the plate and owns a 1.000 batting average (5-for-5) through two tournament games.
• Colin Anderson’s grand slam was the second of the tournament for Team USA (Anthony Frausto vs. Czech Republic).
• Colin Anderson (4), Anthony Ramon (3), Jonah Saken (3), and Jordan Leon (2) combined for 12 of Team USA’s 15 RBIs in the win.
• Dylan Mercado drew three walks and scored each time, tying him with Trent O’Malley and Jonah Saken for the game-high in runs scored.
• With his two RBIs in Saturday’s win, Jordan Leon has now driven in a tournament-best seven runs through two games and just six at-bats.
• The U.S. now sits atop Group B with a 2-0 record, followed by Korea (1-0), Japan (0-1), and the Czech Republic (0-2). The Dominican Republic (0-0) has not yet played a game at the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

ON DECK

Team USA will take on the Dominican Republic on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. local time (Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET) in more Group B action.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

Box Score

TAINAN, Taiwan – Team USA cranked a record-breaking eight home runs en route to a 24-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the opening game of the VI World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Friday afternoon in Tainan, Taiwan.

The eight homers are the most Team USA has ever hit in a WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup game.

The U.S. offense came out firing in the bottom of the first, hitting four homers in a 14-run frame. Jordan Leon (Northridge, Calif.) hit a pair of home runs in the inning, starting with a two-run blast to plate Jonah Saken (Brentwood, Tenn.) and give Team USA an immediate 2-0 lead. Leon followed with another blast later in the frame, cranking a three-run homer to left field before Trent O’Malley (Great Falls, Va.) followed with a roundtripper in the following at-bat. Eli Martinez (Beaumont, Calif.) capped off the rally with a three-run homer to left field, giving Team USA a 14-0 advantage after the first.

The U.S. hit another four homers in a 10-run third inning. Major Ciers (Conroe, Texas) hit the first blast of the inning, a two-run shot to left center, before Cristian Matos (Belleville, N.J.) and Max Villalva (El Cajon, Calif.) went back-to-back for the sixth and seventh home runs of the game. Anthony Frausto (New Braunfels, Texas) put the finishing touches on the win with a grand slam over the left field wall, making it 24-0 in favor of the U.S.

Dylan Mercado (Houston, Texas) got the start on the mound for Team USA, tossing two scoreless frames with three strikeouts to earn the win. Jimmy Stout III (Artesia, Calif.) entered in relief and turned in a pair of hitless innings, allowing just one walk and striking out four.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Czech Republic threatened with a two-out rally in the top of the first, putting two runners on base before Dylan Mercado picked up a strikeout to keep the visitors off the board.
• After Jonah Saken socked a double into right center field to open the bottom of the first, Jordan Leon deposited a two-run homer over the wall in center field to make it 2-0 in favor of Team USA.
• Trent O’Malley tripled and scored on an RBI double by Colin Anderson to extend the U.S. lead to three in the first, and Tristin Gaines made it a 5-0 advantage with a two-run single through the right side.
• Ty Chambless hit a sacrifice fly and Max Villalva had an RBI single to plate two more runs for the stars and stripes and make it an 8-0 lead in the first.
• Jordan Leon and Trent O’Malley hit back-to-back homers to extend Team USA’s lead to 11-0 in the bottom of the first.
• Colin Anderson and Levi Kerr each walked and Eli Martinez clubbed a three-run homer to cap the 14-run bottom of the first for the U.S.
• Levi Kerr led off Team USA’s half of the third with a triple and immediately scored on a two-run homer by Major Ciers to give the stars and stripes a 16-0 lead.
• Team USA’s advantage grew to 19 in the bottom of the third when Cristian Matos homered to left center and Max Villalva followed with a solo shot to center.
• Major Ciers picked up his third RBI of the game with a run-scoring single up the middle in the third, plating Alan Parker, who reached on a walk.
• Anthony Frausto smoked a line-drive grand slam to left field to give Team USA a 24-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
• Jimmy Stout III retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, striking out a pair to secure the opening-game win for Team USA.

OF NOTE

• Team USA’s 14 runs in the first inning were the team’s most first-inning runs scored in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup since 2013 against Pakistan (15).
• By scoring 24 runs, the U.S. set a new team record for most runs scored in a WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup opening game.
• The stars and stripes remain unbeaten in the opening game of the VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, improving to 5-0 all-time.
• Jordan Leon had a game-high five RBIs in the win. His homer in the bottom of the first was the first of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.
• Seven U.S. players had at least two hits in the victory, with Trent O’Malley notching three knocks to lead the way.
• Levi Kerr and Trent O’Malley each scored a game-high three runs in the win.
• Dylan Mercado and Jimmy Stout III struck out seven batters in the shutout victory and allowed no hits after the Czech Republic had two singles in the first inning.
• Team USA moved to 2-0 all-time against the Czech Republic.

ON DECK

• Team USA is back in action on Saturday, July 30, at 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET, continuing pool play action with a matchup against Japan.

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball12U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2022 12U National Team.

Watch Live | Live Stats

TAINAN, Taiwan – Team USA will face-off against Czech Republic in its first game of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CST/2:30 a.m. ET from Asia-Pacific Main Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan. The game will be streamed live on Gametime OTT (login required) and live stats will be provided here. It is also the free game of the day on YouTube.

Friday’s game marks the second all-time meeting between the U.S. and Czech Republic. The first contest between the two countries came at the 2019 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, where the stars and stripes picked up a 15-0 victory.

The U.S., which owns a world-best three world titles at the U-12 level, won all three of its championships in three consecutive events (2013, 2015, 2017). Team USA went 6-2 in the tournament in 2019 but did not earn a medal for the only time in program history.

The 2022 U.S. roster comprises players who were selected from two USA Baseball identification events. Fourteen players on the roster participated in the 2022 Futures Invitational in June and four athletes played in the 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup last summer. In addition, the roster features players from nine different states. California leads all states with six representatives, while Texas follows with five players.

The stars and stripes are led by skipper RJ Farrell in 2022, who returns to the post for the second consecutive season. Farrell led the U.S. to an unbeaten record in a three-game exhibition slate in 2021, outscoring opponents 55-3. The manager has a plethora of experience on 12U National Team coaching staffs, spending three seasons as an assistant coach. In that role, he helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships.

Farrell will be joined on staff by pitching coach Seth Kenny and assistant coaches Troy Gerlach and Tanner Vesely. Kenny will reprise his role as pitching coach in 2022 after making his national team coaching debut a summer ago, when his pitching staff posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 21 innings pitched. Gerlach assumes the role of assistant coach on the 2022 staff, bringing with him a gold medal from the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, where he was an assistant coach. Also serving as an assistant is four-time gold medalist Vesely for the second consecutive year. Vesely, who has been a member of six national team staffs, won the 2015 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as manager and has been an assistant on three other gold-medal winning squads.

The U.S. is in Group B - which includes Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Japan, and Korea - for the pool play portion of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Three nations from the group will emerge to the Super Round, where they will be joined by the three advancing teams from Group A (Chinese Taipei, Italy, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, and Venezuela).

To follow along with all the action at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

Game 1 Box | Game 1 Plays | Game 2 Box | Game 2 Plays | Cumulative Stats

STOCKTON, Calif. -- The 12U National Team picked up a pair of wins in exhibition action on Wednesday afternoon at Billy Hebert Field in Stockton, California. The team competed in a pair of five-inning games in a tune-up for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan, from July 29-August 7.

Team USA competed against the Challenger Squad, which comprised travel players from around the area, some who have competed in past USA Baseball programming. The U.S. rallied for seven unanswered runs in the opening game to win, 9-8, and then picked up a 12-3 win in the nightcap to secure the perfect day.

Several players had standout performances for Team USA throughout the day, highlighted by Trent O'Malley (Great Falls, Va.), who hit a pair of homers and drove in five runs across the two games. O'Malley's first round-tripper came in the form of a two-run blast in the first game before he clobbered a three-run dinger to extend Team USA's lead in game two.

The stars and stripes also got home runs from Levi Kerr (Marvin, N.C.) and Mateo Mier (Sylmar, Calif.) in the wins. Kerr's homer came in the first game and was a big one as he mashed a go-ahead, three-run homer to give Team USA the one-run lead it would eventually win by. Mier's four-bagger was part of a five-run first inning in the second game of the day.

Anthony Ramon (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the offensive attack for the U.S. with a team-best three hits on the day, including a double in the second game. Anthony Frausto's (New Braunfels, Texas) two RBIs made him the third player with multiple runs batted in as he drove in two in the opener. Dylan Mercado (Houston, Texas) was one of six U.S. players to drive in one run, with his coming on an RBI double in the nightcap.

On the mound, Team USA had five pitchers turn in scoreless performances. Major Ciers (Conroe, Texas), Levi Kerr (Marvin, N.C.), Jordan Leon (Northridge, Calif.), Trent O'Malley (Great Falls, Va.), and Hibiki Suzuki (Cypress, Calif.) all posted zeroes for the stars and stripes, with Leon striking out a pair of batters in 1.1 innings of work. Mercado started game one and had a team-best three punchouts on the mound.

Team USA will continue training before departing for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup on Saturday, July 23. The team will play in its first game on Friday, July 29, at 2:30 am ET against Czech Republic.