Tempe, Ariz. – USA Baseball today named the final 20-man roster for the 2022 15U National Team. The announcement comes with four days remaining of the 15U National Team Training Camp, which will continue at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, through August 23.
The 15U National Team will look to defend its world title at the V World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup from August 26-September 4 in Hermosillo, Mexico. Team USA claimed its first world title in the 15-and-under age group in 2018 after defeating Panama 7-1 in front of a sold-out crowd at Estadio Kenny Serracin in David, Panama.
“This team will feature a group of dynamic position players who can play all over the field and a group of pitchers who offer both power and command,” said 15U National Team Manager Drew Briese. “I am excited about the mental toughness and high level of competitiveness in this group. During a grueling Training Camp, they displayed a desire to play, and win at a high level. I look forward to bringing this group together to represent the United States on an international stage.”
Two members of the 15U National Team have donned the stars and stripes before. Jack McKernan (Missouri City, Texas) and Alexander Mercurius (Las Vegas, Nev.) both played in the V WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup as members of the 12U National Team in 2019. Additionally, five members of the 20-player roster have participated in the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program, including Brady Ebel (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Ryan Harwood (Chandler, Ariz.), Coy James (Advance, N.C.), McKernan, and Brady Murrietta (Yorba Linda, Calif.).
This year’s roster features 14 players that participated in the USA Baseball National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, the primary identification event for the 15U National Team. Additionally, four athletes were invited to Training Camp after their performances in the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program, including Grady Emerson (Argyle, Texas) and James Tronstein (Los Angeles, Calif.), who earned their invitations after competing in this year’s event from August 1-4 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Murrietta was selected from the National Team Identification Series.
Leading Team USA in the pursuit of a gold medal at the V WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup is Manager Drew Briese. Briese is making his Team USA managerial debut after beginning his national team coaching career in 2016, serving as an assistant coach for the 15U National Team that earned bronze at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup. Recently, Briese served as the field coordinator at the 2021 13U/14U Athlete Development Program and has held numerous other roles as a pitching coach, assistant coach, and evaluator for Team USA since 2013. He finished his sixth season as the head coach at his alma mater Centre College (Danville, Ky.) in 2022.
Joining Briese on the 15U National Team coaching staff in 2022 are assistant coaches Steve Butler and Jeff Sherman, as well as pitching coach Rob Shabansky.
Sixty-seven athletes were invited to the 15U National Team Training Camp, which began on August 13. During Phase I, players were divided into four teams and played three games apiece with workouts in between games. On August 17, the roster was trimmed to 34 athletes for Phase II and players participated in a two-game Stars vs. Stripes series, giving the coaching staff opportunities to evaluate, teach and observe players in live-game situations.
Training Camp will continue on Saturday, August 20 as Team USA will play exhibition games against GCU Thunder (August 21; 6 p.m. PT) and AZ Sandlot (August 22; 4:30 p.m. PT) before traveling to Mexico for the World Cup.
Fans are encouraged to follow along with the action by following @USABaseball15U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
2022 15U National Team Roster
(Name; Position; Hometown)
- Chase Bentley; RHP; Granite Bay, Calif.
- Carson Bolemon; LHP/INF; Greenville, S.C.
- Zane Burns; RHP; Chandler, Ariz.
- Andrew Costello; C; Fairview, Pa.
- ^Brady Ebel; INF/RHP; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
- ^Grady Emerson; INF; Argyle, Texas
- Alex Harrington; INF; San Diego, Calif.
- Chandler Hart; LHP; Allen, Texas
- ^Ryan Harwood; RHP/INF; Chandler, Ariz.
- Ethan Holliday; INF; Stillwater, Okla.
- ^Coy James; INF/RHP; Advance, N.C.
- *^Jack McKernan; LHP/OF; Missouri City, Texas
- *Alexander Mercurius; RHP; Las Vegas, Nev.
- Ryan Mitchell; INF; Germantown, Tenn.
- ^Brady Murrietta; C; Yorba Linda, Calif.
- Sebastian Norman; OF/RHP; Springfield, Mo.
- Dane Perry; C/RHP; Friendswood, Texas
- John Short; INF/RHP/OF; Anaheim, Calif.
- ^James Tronstein; INF; Los Angeles, Calif.
- Joshua Woodworth; INF/RHP; Ventura, Calif.
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* denotes national team alumni_
^ denotes national team development programs participant
