CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced the 2021 15U National Team roster, following the completion of 15U National Team Trials held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
The 20-man roster was selected after a week of trials that featured five games, daily on-field workouts, and Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) Performance Evaluations.
Major General M. Todd Hunt and the North Carolina National Guard will hold a special ceremony for the 15U National Team on Thursday night, presenting the athletes with their national team jerseys.
“Selecting a final roster is always an exciting yet challenging process,” said 2021 15U National Team Manager Jared Halpert. “We saw some very talented players and high-character people throughout the trials process, and the future of baseball in our country is very bright. When it came time to select a roster, we feel that we’ve selected the best twenty players to represent USA Baseball.”
The roster features three athletes who have previously played on a USA Baseball national team. Tristan Bristow (Helotes, Texas), Masa Chilcutt (San Antonio, Texas), and Michael Torres (Miami, Fla.) will reunite after playing together on the 2018 12U National Team that won gold at the 2018 COPABE U-12 Pan-American Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Bristow, Chilcutt, and Torres also all participated in the 2019 13U Athlete Development Program (ADP), a highly developed four-day on-and off-field national team-level instruction and education program.
Of the 20 players selected to the 15U National Team, 19 participated in the 2021 National Team Championships, which are elite championship events that serve as the primary identification event for the 15U National Team program. Ten of those athletes competed in the event in Arizona, while the other nine were identified from the event in North Carolina.
Halpert, who recently finished his sixth season as head coach at Harvard-Westlake High School (Studio City, Calif.), was named the national team manager for the first time in his career. He made his national team coaching debut as an assistant coach with the 2019 15U National Team that won gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation U-15 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Halpert is joined on the staff by pitching coach Rob Shabansky and assistant coaches Steve Butler and Jeff Sherman.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 15U National Team will not participate in international competition in 2021.
For the most up-to-date information on the 15U National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseball and @USABaseball15U on Twitter.
- 2021 15U National Team Roster
- (Name; Position; Hometown; School)
- Henry Allen; INF; Auburn, Ala.; Team Elite
- *^Tristan Bristow; RHP; Helotes, Texas; Banditos Scout Team
- Slade Caldwell; OF; Jonesboro, Ark.; BPA Black
- *^Masa Chilcutt; INF/C; San Antonio, Texas; Canes West Black
- Jase DeSantis; INF; Las Vegas, Nev.; GBG Vegas
- Konnor Griffin; OF/RHP; Florence, Miss.; Knights Knation
- Ryan McPherson; RHP; Hollywood, Fla.; Scorpions Marucci
- Carson Messina; RHP; Summerville, S.C.; Canes National
- Cal Miller; INF; Centerville, Utah; MBA Green
- Austin Nye; RHP; Roseville, Calif.; Alpha Prime
- Carson Page; INF; Hahira, Ga.; Team Elite
- Henry Phifer; RHP/IF; Concord, Calif., Alpha Prime
- Ethan Puig; INF; Miami, Fla.; Elite Squad
- Mason Russell; LHP; Santan Valley, Ariz.; Canyon Thunder
- Ethan Schiefelbein; LHP; Corona, Calif.; Easton Prime Red
- Joshua Springer; C; Corona, Calif.; Easton Prime Red
- Zach Strickland; RHP; Arcadia, Calif.; PFA Matadors
- *^Michael Torres; LHP/OF; Miami, Fla.; Elite Squad
- Nolan Traeger; C; Spring, Texas; Texas Twelve
- George Wolkow; OF/INF; Downers Grove, Ill.; Canes National
- *Denotes USA Baseball National Team alum
- ^Denotes past ADP participant
