CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the coaching staff for the 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), including the appointment of Team USA alum and gold-medal-winning coach Brad Penny as pitching coordinator. Penny, along with field coordinator Jim Koerner, USA Baseball’s Director of Player Development, will lead the on-field programming at the event from July 26-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The NTDP, which features a 72-man roster, will include four days of games and workouts, skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters, USA Baseball staff, and national team coaches. Additionally, the coaching staff will assess and evaluate players for possible future participation in USA Baseball national team programming.

“The coaching staff for this year’s National Team Development Program is a collection of some of the nation’s best coaches across all levels of baseball,” said Koerner. “Year in and year out, the National Team Development Program serves as a valuable event for the country’s top amateur baseball players, and we look forward to watching them interact with the coaches on this year’s staff as they prepare for future national team opportunities. We are set for another great four days of baseball this summer in North Carolina.”

In addition to Koerner and Penny, the NTDP staff includes four managers for the event. Veteran major-league hitting coach Rick Eckstein will manage Team White, while longtime University of Illinois Head Coach Dan Hartleb will lead Team Light Blue. Grambling State skipper Davin Pierre will guide Team Navy, and Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson will be at the helm of Team Red.

The full coaching staff for the 2023 16U/17U NTDP is as follows (coaches’ bios enclosed below):

COORDINATORS

• Field Coordinator: Jim Koerner – USA Baseball
• Pitching Coordinator: Brad Penny

TEAM LIGHT BLUE

• Manager: Dan Hartleb – University of Illinois
• Pitching Coach: Kirk Champion
• Assistant Coach: Dave Webb – Corona Del Sol High School (Tempe, Ariz.)

TEAM NAVY

• Manager: Davin Pierre – Grambling State University
• Pitching Coach: Alex Sogard – Wright State University
• Assistant Coach: Xan Barksdale

TEAM RED

• Manager: Edwin Thompson – Georgetown University
• Pitching Coach: Marty Reed
• Assistant Coach: Curtis Pride – Gallaudet University

TEAM WHITE

• Manager: Rick Eckstein
• Pitching Coach: Tom Carty – Columbia University
• Assistant Coach: Steve Stone – Hebron High School (Carrollton, Texas)

The 2023 16U/17U NTDP will take place from July 26-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The roster will feature players identified from the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, as well as last year’s 2022 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. Twenty-four players from the 2022 15U and 16U NTIS Champions Cup have already been selected for the 2023 16U/17U NTDP.

For more information on the USA Baseball National Team Development Program, visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABDevelops on Twitter.

COACHES' BIOS

Xan Barksdale returns to the NTDP as an assistant coach for Team Navy this summer after previously working in the program as a coach from 2016-2018. He also served on the staff of the Collegiate National Team in 2022 as an assistant coach and in 2019 as the bullpen coach, the latter for which he earned USA Baseball’s first-ever Service Provider of the Year Award. At the collegiate level, Barksdale spent four years as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State and five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville. During that time, the Cardinals won three consecutive Big East Championships (2008-2010) and advanced to the 2007 College World Series. As a player, he spent two years in the Atlanta Braves minor league system from 2004-2006. Barksdale is also the author of Amazon Best Seller, “Catching-101: The Complete Guide for Baseball Catchers.”

Tom Carty will join the NTDP staff as a pitching coach for Team White, bringing many years of college coaching experience with him to the dugout. Carty is currently the pitching coach at Columbia University, a position he was hired for in August of 2022 after six years in the same role with Long Island University (LIU). During his tenure at LIU, he helped lead the Sharks to Northeast Conference championships and NCAA Regional appearances in both 2018 and 2022, the latter two being their first tournament berths since 1972. In that time span, six of his pitchers were named to All-NEC teams, and three of them went on to sign professional baseball contracts. Carty served as the head coach at Georgia College prior to working at LIU, where he recorded an overall record of 311-169.

Former USA Baseball coach Kirk Champion rejoins the organization this summer at the 2023 NTDP as Team Light Blue’s pitching coach. Champion has featured on the coaching staffs of many high-profile national teams in the past, including at the 2001, 2009, and 2011 International Baseball Federation Baseball World Cups, the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 2010 Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament, and the 2011 Pan American Games. When not coaching Team USA, he has been a longtime member of the Chicago White Sox organization. Champion started in Chicago in 1989 when he was named the pitching coach of the Class-A South Bend White Sox. From there, he made his way up the minor league ladder, working in the same role with the High-A Sarasota White Sox, Double-A Birmingham Barons, and the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, Calgary Cannons, and Charlotte Knights. Champion became the minor league pitching coordinator for the organization in 2003, and he has since gone on to work as their minor league field coordinator, Director of Minor League Instruction, and most recently, Director of Minor League Pitching Instruction.

Rick Eckstein is set to take the reins as the manager of Team White at the 2023 NTDP, bringing a wealth of professional and collegiate coaching experience along with him. Eckstein started his coaching career in 1997 when he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Florida following the end of his playing career at the school. In 1999, he joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a bullpen coach and batting practice pitcher before taking the same role with the Minnesota Twins a year later. Eckstein got his first hitting coach position shortly after this, joining the University of Georgia’s coaching staff during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In the subsequent years, he bounced around multiple different minor league teams in that role, including the Harrisburg Senators, Vermont Expos, New Orleans Zephyrs, Memphis Redbirds, and Columbus Clippers. He got his first major league coaching role at the end of 2008 with the Washington Nationals, where he served as the hitting coach until the end of the 2013 season. Eckstein joined the Los Angeles Angels as a player information coach in 2014 before returning to the college ranks as an assistant coach for the University of Kentucky, a position he held for two years. After that, he was brought on by the Minnesota Twins as a minor league hitting coordinator and worked in that role from 2016-2018. His most recent coaching position was as the hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he held until the end of the 2021 season. Eckstein also has prior experience with USA Baseball, serving on the coaching staff for the Professional National Team from 2005-2008. He was an assistant at both the 2005 and 2007 International Baseball Federation’s Baseball World Cups as well as the 2006 Olympic Qualifier before serving his most recent tour with the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China. He was named USA Baseball’s Doc Counsilman Science Award winner in 2008 for his coaching efforts through scientific data and technology with the stars and stripes in Beijing.

University of Illinois Head Coach Dan Hartleb joins the NTDP as manager of Team Light Blue in 2023 after wrapping up his 18th season leading the Fighting Illini. Hartleb is the winningest head coach in Illinois program history, recording 530 victories and counting across his tenure with the school. He has led the Illini to a pair of Big Ten titles, four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and the program’s first Super Regional appearance in 2015. He was also named the Big Ten Coach of the Decade for the 2010s. Hartleb has previously worked with USA Baseball on a number of different occasions, including as an assistant coach for the 2021 Collegiate National Team and as a member of the staff at the 14U and 17U NTDP in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

Brad Penny rejoins the NTDP staff as a pitching coordinator after featuring in the program as a pitching coach and roving instructor last summer. He has also served as the pitching coach for the 18U National Team in each of the past two years, leading the staff to a 1.53 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 59 innings in a seven-game friendship series against Canada in 2021. In 2022, Penny was the pitching coach for the U.S. at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Penny’s pitching staff went 8-0 at the event, posting a 2.56 ERA and striking out 65 batters in 52 innings en route to a gold medal. In addition to his USA Baseball coaching experience, Penny also donned the stars and stripes as a player when he suited up for the organization’s first Professional National Team in 1999. The squad won a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, qualifying Team USA for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, where the U.S. earned the gold medal with a 4-0 defeat of Cuba. The right-hander was selected in the fifth round of the 1996 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and had a 14-year MLB playing career that included two All-Star selections and a World Series championship. The Blackwell, Oklahoma, native finished his career with 121 wins, 1,273 strikeouts, and a 4.29 ERA in 1,925.0 innings pitched in the big leagues. After making his major league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2000, he helped lead the team to the organization’s second World Series Championship in 2003 with a 4.13 ERA in 32 starts during the season. Penny made his first All-Star Game appearance in 2006 and finished that season with a 4.33 ERA, a career-high 148 strikeouts, and a league-leading 16 wins for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander made his second All-Star Game appearance amidst a 2007 season in which he had an MLB-best .800 (16-4) win percentage and finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting. He finished his playing career with stints playing for the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Detroit Tigers before returning to the Marlins in 2014 for his final season.

Davin Pierre makes his USA Baseball coaching debut as a manager at the NTDP this summer, where he will lead Team Navy. Pierre is the current head coach at Grambling State University, a position he was named to last October after leading the team as the interim head coach during the 2022 season. Prior to this, he served as an assistant under former head coach James Cooper for 12 seasons, working with the team’s hitters and infielders while also doubling as the program’s recruiting coordinator. During his lengthy tenure with the Tigers, Pierre helped the program win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2010, the school’s first conference title in 25 years, and has overseen the development of 27 all-conference selections and eight MLB Draft selections.

MLB veteran Curtis Pride joins the NTDP staff in 2023 as an assistant coach for Team Red. Pride played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues with seven different teams after being taken in the 10th round of the 1986 MLB Draft. Upon his debut with the Montreal Expos in 1993, he became the first deaf player to make the majors in 48 years, and he later became the first deaf player to play a full season in MLB three years later. For his career, Pride hit .250 with 20 home runs and 82 RBIs. Pride became the head coach at Gallaudet University after his retirement from professional baseball and has held the position for the last 14 years. During his tenure with the school, he has led the program to 161 wins and has been named the Northeastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on two separate occasions. Additionally, Pride was a part of the coaching staff at the 2013 NTDP and coached Team USA to a gold medal in the World Physically Challenged Tournament in 2014.

Former major league coach Marty Reed brings over 30 years of coaching experience to the NTDP this summer, where he will be working as a pitching coach for Team Red. Reed was most recently in the Atlanta Braves organization, where he last served as the team’s bullpen coach from 2016-2020. Prior to that, he worked as the pitching coach for the Mississippi Braves and the Gwinnett Braves, the club’s AA and AAA affiliates. He also previously worked in the minor leagues with the Dodgers, serving as the pitching coach for the Vero Beach Dodgers and the Jacksonville Suns before being promoted to Los Angeles’s general minor league pitching coordinator from 2006-2008. At the collegiate level, Reed helmed the Pfeiffer University baseball team from 1996-1999.

Returning to the USA Baseball coaching ranks as Team Navy’s pitching coach is Alex Sogard, who previously managed Team Stars on the 2021 Collegiate National Team staff. Sogard has been the head coach at Wright State University since 2019, and since he took over, he has helped bring the program to new heights. In Sogard’s first year at the helm, he led the Raiders to a 42-17 record, which stands as the best performance under a first-year head coach in school history. This performance carried over following the COVID-shortened 2020 season, with the team winning the Horizon League Baseball Championship and qualifying for an NCAA Tournament berth in each of the past three seasons. Sogard has won two Horizon League Coach of the Year awards at the helm of the program. Prior to his coaching career, Sogard won two national championships as a player at Oregon State and played five years in the minor leagues.

Steve Stone will serve as an assistant coach at the 2023 NTDP this summer, returning to the USA Baseball ranks after previously coaching in the Tournament of Stars from 2016-2018. Stone recently wrapped up his 24th year as the head baseball coach at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. He founded the program upon the school’s inception in 1999 and has won over 500 games at the helm in the years since. In total, Stone has 28 years of coaching experience, previously spending time at Rider and Euless Trinity High Schools. He is a former standout catcher at Texas Christian University, where he was named team MVP in 1988.

Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson will serve as the manager of Team Red at the 2023 NTDP following the conclusion of his season with the Hoyas. He was named to his current position in September 2020, and in his second season at the helm in 2022, Thompson won Big East Coach of the Year while helping the team achieve a historic season. Thompson led the Hoyas to a program-record 32 wins–a 26-win jump from the year prior–and a Big East Conference Tournament appearance for the first time since 2018. Additionally, he guided freshman Owen Carapelloti to a Second-Team All-American nomination and the team’s first-ever Big East Freshman of the Year award. Prior to taking over at Georgetown, he worked as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky and Bates College and as an assistant coach at Duke, Georgia State, and UMaine Farmington. Thompson has also worked with USA Baseball in the past, serving as the manager of Team Stripes during the 2016 Tournament of Stars and a pitching coach during the 17U NTDP in 2015. Most recently, he was a field manager at the 2021 NTDP.

Four-time gold medal-winning coach and 2013 USA Baseball Developmental Coach of the Year David Webb returns to the staff at the 2023 NTDP as an assistant for Team Light Blue after working in the same role last year. Webb has served as a coach on four USA Baseball national teams over the years, including three stints as manager, with his teams accumulating a 38-1 overall record in international play. As an assistant for the 2007 14U National Team, he helped lead the squad to a perfect 14-0 record in both the qualifier and COPABE Pan Am Championships in Guatemala and Puerto Rico, respectively. Webb then took the helm of the 14U team for the next two years, winning another qualifier in Guatemala in 2008 before leading the 2009 team to a gold medal at the COPABE Pan Am Championships in Ecuador. Most recently, he guided the inaugural 12U National Team to gold at the 2013 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. Webb is also one of the most successful high school coaches in the nation, with over 300 wins in 18 seasons as the head coach at Corona del Sol High School (Tempe, Ariz.). His 2009 team claimed the Arizona 5A state championship, and his Aztec squads finished among the top three teams in the state for three consecutive years from 2018-2020.

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 revealed the 72 athletes selected from the 2022 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) for its 2023 national team programming, following the conclusion of the NTIS Champions Cup, which was held from August 11-28 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Selections were first announced on the USA Baseball NTIS Selection Show, which can be found on USABaseball.com and the organization’s YouTube channel, USABaseballTV.

Additionally, USA Baseball announced that the Southwest region won the 2022 NTIS Champions Cup for the fourth consecutive summer.

The NTIS is the most comprehensive player identification program offered by USA Baseball. Using a six-region system for the initial player identification process, the NTIS holds tryouts in each region of the country for players to be identified and selected for their regional teams, and invited to the NTIS Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina.

The NTIS Champions Cup consists of tournament-style play, with over 1,200 of the country’s top players competing in 144 games in addition to skill testing and on-field evaluations run by the USA Baseball Task Force and national team coaches.

“We are very excited to reveal the seventy-two athletes who have been selected out of the National Team Identification Series for next year’s national team programming,” said USA Baseball Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Ann Claire Roberson. “As always, the event was full of immense talent in every region and every age group, making the selection process a difficult one. We are eager to watch the selected players continue to grow within our programming and look forward to seeing their impact on the future of USA Baseball.”

Twelve athletes from each age group were invited to compete in the following year’s age-appropriate national team programming events, including 2023 12U National Team Training Camp, the 2023 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP), 2023 15U National Team Training Camp, and the 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP).

In total, the 72 athletes selected represent twenty-two different states and all six regions from across the U.S.

The 2023 National Team Identification Series selections are as follows:

Name; Position; Hometown; Region

2023 12U National Team Training Camp invitees:
(from 11U NTIS)

• Colton Byrnes; INF/C; Truckee, Calif.; Northwest
• Tyler Early; INF/LHP; Alexandria, La.; South
• Kingston George; OF/RHP; Gunter, Texas; South
• Adam Gonzalez; RHP/INF; Canyon Country, Calif.; Southwest
• Paris Head; INF/RHP; Chicago, Ill.; Midwest
• Omar Henriquez; INF/OF; New Milford, N.J.; Northeast
• Uriyeh Marguth; INF/RHP; Gresham, Ore.; Northwest
• Jaylen OBannon; RHP/INF; Daly City, Calif.; Northwest
• Michael Ohman; LHP/INF; South San Francisco, Calif.; Northwest
• Jett Schoolcraft; OF/LHP; Aloha, Ore.; Northwest
• Ryder Serna; INF/OF; San Bernardino, Calif.; Southwest
• JR Waddell; INF/OF; Shreveport, La.; Southeast

2023 13U/14U Athlete Development Program invitees:
(from 12U NTIS)

• Brooks Blanchard; RHP/INF; Greer, S.C.; Southeast
• Cameron Jamal Gibson; OF/LHP; Conway, Ark.; South
• Noah Jarolimek; INF/RHP; Duncan, S.C.; Southeast
• Cristian Matos; C/RHP; Belleville, N.J.; Northeast
• Carter Nash; OF/RHP; Moore, S.C.; Southeast
• Josiah Park; OF/RHP; Fullerton, Calif.; Southwest
• Caleb Polk; RHP/INF; Forney, Texas; South
• Jesse Romo; RHP/OF; Vacaville, Calif.; Northwest
• Eric Shim; INF; Temecula, Calif.; Southwest
• Cameron Small; RHP/INF; Wake Forest, N.C.; Southeast
• Nateo Victorio; INF/C; Suisun City, Calif.; Northwest
• Jett Wilson; INF/OF; Lindsay, Okla.; South

2023 13U/14U Athlete Development Program invitees:
(from 13U NTIS)

• Jacob Carrasco; C/INF; Lancaster, Pa.; Northeast
• Noah Clark; INF/RHP; McLeansville, N.C.; Southeast
• Chase Cotton; RHP/INF; Lincoln, Calif.; Northwest
• Aiden DeLeon; OF/LHP; Victoria, Texas; South
• Orion Gonzalez; INF/RHP; Castaic, Calif.; Southwest
• Andrew Jimenez; INF/RHP; Wildomar, Calif.; Southwest
• Kegan Johnson; OF; Shelbyville, Tenn.; Southeast
• Owen Mescall; INF/OF; Irvine, Calif.; Southeast
• Josh Morgan; OF; Chicago, Ill.; Midwest
• Blake Ragsdale; INF/RHP; Burr Ridge, Ill.; Midwest
• Jael Santos; INF/RHP; Paterson, N.J.; Northeast
• Jacob Seamon; OF/RHP; Waxhaw, N.C.; Southeast

2023 15U National Team Training Camp invitees:
(from 14U NTIS)

• Michael Chin; C/OF; Houston, Texas; South
• Trey Ebel; INF/RHP; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Southwest
• JT Girod; RHP/INF; Independence, Ore.; Northwest
• Braylon Kolish; RHP/OF; Henderson, Nev.; Southwest
• Jason Kruczek; RHP/OF; Alexandria, Va.; Northeast
• Carson Lane; C/RHP; Dandridge, Tenn.; Southeast
• Oliver Minyard; C/INF; Dallas, Texas; South
• Kaden Nicholls; INF/LHP; Grass Valley, Calif.; Northwest
• Kevin Roberts Jr.; INF/RHP; Meridian, Miss.; South
• Garner Rodriguez; INF/RHP; Nacogdoches, Texas; South
• Jack Smejkal; INF/RHP; The Woodlands, Texas; South
• Brandon Washington; RHP/INF; Stanley, N.C.; Southeast

2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program invitees:
(from 15U NTIS)

• Evan Amos; RHP/INF; Summerville, S.C.; Southeast
• Jack Boucher; OF/INF; Mission Viejo, Calif.; Southwest
• Thomas Brown; C/INF; Livermore, Calif.; Northwest
• Tristan Dalzell; LHP; Long Beach, Calif.; Southwest
• Brock Foulds; INF/RHP; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Southwest
• Griffin Loy; RHP/INF; Nancy, Ky.; Midwest
• Grant Mehrhoff; LHP/OF; Marthasville, Mo.; Midwest
• Tait Reynolds; OF/INF; Queen Creek, Ariz.; Northwest
• Luke Ryerse; RHP/INF; Woodbury, Minn.; Midwest
• Nicholas Terhaar; RHP/INF; Saginaw, Minn.; Midwest
• Ben Veletean; INF; Lebanon, Ohio; Northeast
• Miles Young; INF; Cypress, Texas; South

2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program invitees:
(from 16U NTIS)

• Anthony Brown Jr.; INF/OF; Jacksonville, Fla.; Southeast
• Patrick (Teddy) Garner III; RHP/INF; Simpsonville, S.C.; Southeast
• Owen Jenkins; C/INF; Versailles, Ky.; Midwest
• Cameron Johnson; RHP/INF; Waco, Texas; South
• Jaxon Miller; OF; Frisco, Texas; South
• Joe Olson; LHP; Chicago, Ill.; Midwest
• David Ramirez; LHP/OF; Kemah, Texas; South
• Edward Rothlander III; RHP/OF; Conroe, Texas; South
• Cooper Rummel; RHP/OF; Austin, Texas; South
• Logan Sariga; OF/INF; Houston, Texas; South
• Landon Schaefer; INF/RHP; Fayetteville, Ark.; South
• Bricen Smith; INF/OF; Perry, Ga.; Southeast

CARY, N.C. –  Team Light Blue and Team Navy battled to a tie, while Team Red won its second game of the event on the final day at the USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) from the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Team Light Blue rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to tie Navy at four on the final day of play at the NTDP. A Trey Snyder (Liberty North, Mo.) RBI-single began the scoring for Navy as he drove home Elijah Clayton (Oak Park, Calif) to grab a 1-0 lead. The following at-bat, Snyder scored on a pair of throwing errors for a two-run advantage. Navy piled on two more after a PJ Morlando (Ladesn, S.C.) RBI double and was subsequently driven home on a sacrifice fly. Light Blue eventually got some production in the sixth on a bases-loaded wild pitch, and a two-run single off the bat of Michael Mullinax (Canton, Ga.). Neither team scored in the seventh as the game ended in a 4-4 tie.

After five scoreless innings, Red's Noah Franco (Downey, Calif.) broke the tie with a three-run home run to seal the victory for Team Red, 4-1. Pitchers on both sides controlled the game though five frames, allowing just two hits while punching out a remarkable 14 batters. A pair of walks from Talan Bell (Oviedo, Fla.) and Konnor Griffin (Florence, Miss.) set the table for the long ball in the sixth, which proved to be the difference in the game. Red also added a run in the sixth after the inning was rolled with one runner in scoring position.* With the win, Red, White, and Navy all finished with a 2-1 record while Light Blue dropped to 0-3.

ABOUT NTDP LEAGUE SCORING*
USA Baseball utilizes a modified scoring system for its development programs to achieve load management and mitigate potential injuries due to overuse for its youth athletes. Pitchers are subject to a maximum pitch count of 25 per inning during game play. In the event an inning is rolled because a pitcher has reached their maximum pitch count, runners on base may be contributed to the game score. As a result of this system, the final game score may not match the overall statistics.

Game One: Navy 4, Light Blue 4

Box Score | PxP

KEY MOMENTS

• Trey Snyder singled to left field and drove in Elijah Clayton to give Navy a 1-0 lead. After an overthrow to second base on a steal and a misfire from the outfield, Snyder scored to cap off a two-run first.
• Ford Thompson retired six of the first eight batters out of the gate for Team Navy, striking a batter out in each of the first two innings.
• Light Blue’s leadoff hitter Michael Mullinax tripled in the third inning and was subsequently driven home an RBI groundout by Michael Torres to cut the lead in half. 
• A pair of RBI-doubles from Navy’s PJ Morlando and Trey Snyder in the bottom of the third, pushed the lead to 4-1.
• Michael Mullinax delivered the Light Blue’s game-tying hit in the top of the sixth, driving in two and tying the game at four apiece.

NOTABLES

• Light Blue’s Michael Mullinax was phenomenal at the dish, as he finished 2-for-4 with the game tying two-run single in the sixth inning.
• David Hogg reached base in all three of his plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a double for Light Blue.
• Team Light Blue’s discipline was on display at the plate, as they recorded six walks from six different players on the afternoon.
• PJ Morlando built off his previous two games, slapping a double to left field. He has now recorded a double, triple, and a home run at NTDP over his three games.
• Navy’s Elijah Clayton (2-for-3) and Trey Snyder (2-for-3) were the only two batters to have multiple hits for their team and combined to score three of Navy’s four runs.

Game Two: Red 4, White 1

Box Score | PxP

KEY MOMENTS

• White made two spectacular plays defensively in the second, first gunning down Hayden Federico on a steal attempt and then picking off Tyler Inge at first base.
• Red's Noah Franco broke the scoreless tie in the sixth, mashing a three-run home run over the right field wall to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
• Red extended its lead to 4-0 after the inning was rolled with a runner in scoring position.*
• JJ Moran salvaged White's day offensively, coming through with an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-1 in the seventh.

NOTABLES

• White’s Tegan Kuhns was excellent in his start, stretching over three innings and fanning four batters. After allowing a leadoff single in the first inning, he struck out the side for three of his four strikeouts. 
• Team Red's Talan Bell kept White scoreless over two innings in relief of starter Tristan Bristow (2.0 IP, 2 K). Bell's’ four strikeouts on the day led all pitchers on the overall day.
• Red's pitchers dominated the afternoon as the four arms combined to allow just five hits and retired 11 via the strikeout.
• Noah Franco hit a home run in the sixth inning with an exit velocity of 98 mph and a distance of 381 feet.

CARY, N.C. – Team Navy grabbed its first win while Team White remained unbeaten at the USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) on Wednesday from the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

PJ Morlando’s (Ladsen, S.C.) big fly lifted Team Navy to its first win at the 2022 NTDP as it downed Team Light Blue, 7-1. Down two in the fifth inning, Light Blue rallied to cut the deficit in half courtesy of a bases-loaded walk from Micah Matthews (Bridweater, Va.). Navy fired back with four runs of its own, anchored by Morlando’s home run and back-to-back doubles from Trey Snyder (Liberty North, Mo.) and Gage Thompson (Puyallup, Wash.). Cade Arrambide’s (Tomball, Texas) then followed with a two-run double of his own to put the game away in the sixth inning to put Navy (1-1) in the win column.

In the final game of the day, a pair of errors scored the game’s only runs as Team White knocked off Team Red, 2-1. Back-to-back walks put two runners on base before a throwing error scored Danny Arambula (Redlands, Calif.) to give White a 1-0 lead. A leadoff double in the third for Chandler Murray (Honolulu, Hawaii) and a throwing error plated Murray to extend the lead to two. Red’s Sean Gamble (Des Moines, Ia.) tripled in the sixth and was driven home on a sacrifice fly to attempt a rally; however, it was not enough as White held on for the 2-1 win.

ABOUT NTDP LEAGUE SCORING* USA Baseball utilizes a modified scoring system for its development programs to achieve load management and mitigate potential injuries due to overuse for its youth athletes. Pitchers are subject to a maximum pitch count of 25 per inning during game play. In the event an inning is rolled because a pitcher has reached their maximum pitch count, runners on base may be contributed to the game score. As a result of this system, the final game score may not match the overall statistics.

Game One: Navy 7, Light Blue 1

Box Score | PxP

KEY MOMENTS

• Navy jumped out to a two-run lead after the inning was rolled with two runners in scoring position.*
• Navy starting pitcher Ryan Sloan escaped jams in the first and second innings, stranding a runner on third in the first and leaving the bases loaded in the second.
• Bryce Navarre struck out the side in the third frame for Navy after entering in relief. He tallied another strikeout in the fourth inning to record a game-high four strikeouts.
• Light Blue's Micah Matthews drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in its first run of the day in the fifth inning, cutting the deficit in half.
• PJ Morlando launched a ball to right-centerfield for a solo homer in the sixth inning to extend Navy’s lead to 3-1.
• Trey Snyder and Gage Thompson recorded back-to-back doubles in the sixth and came around to score on a two-run double by Cade Arrambide to make it a 6-1 game.
• Brendon Bennett recorded the final three outs for Navy, touching 91 mph on the mound, to give his team its first win of the NTDP.

NOTABLES

• After a 3-for-3 day, Light Blue's Bryce Rainer leads all players with five hits during the event through the first two games. Rainer is hitting .714 (5-for-7) at the plate with an RBI.
• Both teams combined to leave 14 runners on base throughout the contest. At the plate, the two teams combined to strikeout 20 times over the seven-inning game.
• Ryan Sloan and Bryce Navarre pitched four scoreless innings to begin the game for Team Navy, combining for eight strikeouts.
• Joey Tonnotti threw two innings of relief for Light Blue, striking out three to keep Navy’s lead at two.
• PJ Morlando hit a home run in the sixth inning with an exit velocity of 98 mph.
• As a team through its first two games, Navy boasts an event-leading ERA of 2.84. The squad has also punched out 19 batters and has allowed just nine hits.

Game Two: White 2, Red 1

Box Score | PxP

Key Moments

• Danny Arambula turned a one-out walk into a run, scoring from second on a throwing error in the bottom of the first, giving White a 1-0 lead
• Chandler Murray laced a double to right-center and came around to score on Team Red’s second error of the day to extend the Team White lead to two.
• Following a leadoff single from Boston Bateman, Team White’s defense protected its two-run lead in the fourth inning after he was thrown out trying to steal home.
• Seth Gamble tripled to right-centerfield and came home to score on a Tyler Inge’s RBI-sacrifice fly to pull Team Red within one in the sixth inning.

Notables

• Team White’s Cooper Williams kept Red scoreless over two innings in relief of starter Cohen Gomez (3.0 IP, 2 K). Williams’ three strikeouts on the day places him atop the leaderboard for White.
• Chandler Murray reached base in all three of his plate appearances for White, going 1-for-1 at the dish with a pair of walks. Through two games, Murray boasts a team-high .800 on-base percentage.
• Jackson Sanders fanned four batters in a spectacular relief outing for Red, tossing two innings of hitless baseball.
• Pitchers dominated the afternoon for both teams as the six arms combined to allow just six hits and retired 13 via the strikeout.
• The game was called after the sixth inning due to inclement weather.

ON DECK

The teams will match up one final time on Friday, July 29, in a doubleheader at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Team White (2-0) and Team Navy (1-1) will square off at 1 p.m. ET, while Team Red (1-1) and Team Light Blue (0-2) will face each other at 4 p.m. ET.

Twenty MLB arms in half as many years.

An impressive mark for any coach, but especially for National Team Development Program (NTDP) Roving Instructor Justin Parker who has been at the helm of four different pitching staffs.

Each rotation he’s built from the ground up, most recently leading Indiana to an eye-grabbing 3.17 ERA in 2021. On top of that, he guided the Hoosiers to a 2019 Big Ten Regular Season championship and hopes to formulate the pieces for a run at gold with USA Baseball this year.

The NTDP brings in 80 of the country’s best players in the 2024 and 2025 classes, featuring intrasquad scrimmages between the four divvied-up teams over the week-long event. Four spots on the 18U National Team hang in the balance, the opportunity to represent the stars and stripes on a national stage.

“USA Baseball stands for something and we’re looking for the right type of kids to represent our country,” Parker said. “We obviously want to win gold medals and there is a lot of pride in this organization, so I expect these kids to compete all week long.”

Parker himself has enjoyed longstanding success as a coach throughout his 10 years at the division one level. He also brings along with him tons of experience as a player, drafted out of Wright State by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

He served as the pitching coach for the NTDP in 2019 and 2021 and will now make the jump to Roving Instructor for this year’s program. The current South Carolina pitching coach will primarily work with and instruct pitchers throughout this year’s event.

“My goal this week is to be there for these guys and allow them to settle in early to put their best foot forward,” Parker said. “I’m excited to get back into the coaching element this week and I’ll be there to work the field and answer any questions.”

This year’s roster features a barrage of power arms, including Jack Frankel and Chase Mobley who are top 10 recruits in the 2024 class. Three things both of these outstanding athletes have in common: Strike Throwers, Competitors, and Resilient.

All the competitors selected to the NTDP have the talent and skill, but what Parker is most intrigued to learn about is who they are off the diamond. Spending a week in the same dugouts and daily environment as these players will certainly help give him a better gauge.

“A lot of guys here are going to have a lot of elite arm talent and we’re looking for those who are very refined in how they utilize that,” Parker said. “It’s a really good group and I’m excited to view them from a different lense on the field to see who they are as people.”

There is some familiarity between the players as many of them have competed against one another through the travel ball circuit this summer. With the ultimate goal of representing a country and flag, coming in with some chemistry is important.

As the summer baseball season dwindles down, Parker is looking forward to seeing how these athletes deal with the mental and physical fatigue. However, although the stakes are high and the competition is elite, it’s important to stay true to who you are in moments of struggle.

“The biggest thing I can tell these kids is to be themselves on the field and have fun with it on the field,” Parker said. “Be a fast learner and since it’s been a long process for these kids to get here just enjoy it.”

CARY, N.C. - Day two of the 2022 USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) was canceled due to inclement weather on Tuesday, July 26, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Wednesday's games will be moved up to 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and will feature a new slate of matchups. Team Light Blue (0-1) will take on Team Navy (0-1) in the day's opening contest, followed by Team Red (1-0) squaring off with Team White (1-0).

The scheduled matchups for Tuesday will now be played on Friday, July 29.

Stay tuned to @USABDevelops on Twitter and visit USABaseball.com for the most up-to-date news about the 16U/17U National Team Development Program.

CARY, N.C. – CARY, N.C. – Team White and Team Red opened the USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) with wins on Monday at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Light Blue opened the scoring for the 2022 NTDP in the top of the third inning courtesy of an RBI-single from Bryce Rainer (Simi Valley, Calif.), but Team White would rebound for a 6-3 opening-day victory. Gavin Stedman (Auburndale, Fla.) and Slade Caldwell (Jonesboro, Ark.) tallied the first two RBIs for the White team before Danny Arambula's (Redlands, Calif.) homer put the game out of reach. Trailing 6-1 heading into the final frame, Light Blue attempted to rally thanks to a Michael Mullinax (Canton, Ga.) two-run double, but it was not enough as Team White (1-0) got out of the jam.

In the second game of the day, Joshua Springer (Cornona, Calif.) propelled Team Red to a 6-3 victory after a late two-run double put the game out of reach. With the game tied at one apiece heading into the third, Team Red jumped out to a 4-1 lead; however, Team Navy plated runs in back-to-back innings on wild pitches that scored Nolan Traeger (Spring, Texas) and PJ Morlando (Ladsen S.C.) to make it a one-run game heading into the bottom of the sixth. Konnor Griffin (Florence, Miss.) then followed Springer's clutch double and shut the door on any comeback attempt to secure the 6-3 win for Team Red (1-0).

ABOUT NTDP LEAGUE SCORING

USA Baseball utilizes a modified scoring system for its development programs to achieve load management and mitigate potential injuries due to overuse for its youth athletes. Pitchers are subject to a maximum pitch count of 25 per inning during game play. In the event an inning is rolled because a pitcher has reached their maximum pitch count, runners on base may be contributed to the game score. As a result of this system, the final game score may not match the overall statistics.

Game One: White 6, Light Blue 3

Box Score | PxP | Light Blue Cumulative Stats | White Cumulative Stats

KEY MOMENTS

• Light Blue's Bryce Rainer drove in the first run of the day in the third inning with an RBI-single to left field after David Hogg walked and advanced to second on a passed ball.
• In the bottom half of the third inning, Gavin Stedman put Team White on the board with an RBI-single to right field, driving in Matthew Champion, who led off the inning with a double.
• Slade Caldwell tallied an RBI-fielder's choice in the bottom of the third, and a throwing error plated Gavin Stedman to give Team White a 3-1 lead.
• Danny Arambula hit a leadoff, solo home run to left field for Team White in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 4-1.
• Team White tacked on a pair courtesy of the NTDP scoring rules after the inning was rolled with two runners in scoring position.
• Down 6-1, Team Light Blue rallied for a pair of runs on a Michael Mullinax two-run double to cut the deficit to 6-3.

NOTABLES

• Light Blue's Bryce Rainer (2-for-4, RBI) and White's Danny Arambula (2-for-3, RBI) led all hitters in the opening game with two knocks on the afternoon, combining for three RBIs.
• Seven different batters recorded hits for Team White en route to its opening-day victory, including three for extra-base hits.
• Ross Felder was excellent in relief for Team White, delivering two shutout innings while punching out two. He retired all six batters he faced on the afternoon.
• Danny Arambula's home run in the fifth inning recorded an exit velocity of 101 mph.
• There were a combined three stolen bases in the game, as well as two runners who got caught stealing.

Game Two: Red 6, Navy 3

Box Score | PxP | Navy Cumulative Stats | Red Cumulative Stats

Key Moments

• Team Navy scored first with a run in the second inning after a Tyler Head single jumpstarted the frame. He was driven home two batters later by Nolan Traeger as Navy grabbed a 1-0 lead.
• In the bottom of the second inning Team Red responded as Easton Masse singled to right field to bring home Hayden Federico, knotting the game at one.
• Sean Gamble worked a one-out walk in the third inning and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. After reaching third base on an error, he scored on a sacrifice fly from Hayden Federico for Red's first lead of the game, 2-1.
• Team Red tacked on a pair courtesy of the NTDP scoring rules after the inning was rolled with two runners in scoring position in the third making it 4-1.
• Team Navy plated runs in back-to-back innings on wild pitches that scored Nolan Traeger in the fifth and PJ Morlando in the sixth to trim the lead to one.
• With a 4-3 lead, Joshua Springer slammed a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend Team Red's final advantage to 6-3.

Notables

• Zach Strickland was the only pitcher to not allow a run in the contest, stretching over three innings and striking out five for Team Navy.
• Team Navy tallied seven hits in the contest and was led by PJ Morlando who went 2-for-3 and recorded one of the games two extra-base hits on a triple.
• Team Red's discipline was on display at the plate, as they recorded six walks including two from its leadoff hitter, Talan Bell.
• Joshua Springer tallied Team Red's only extra-base hit on a two-run double in the sixth frame to push the game out of reach at 6-3.
• Konnor Griffin and Noah Franco pitched the final four innings for Team Red, combining for four strikeouts and allowing just two runs.

ON DECK

The teams will match up on Tuesday, July 26, in a pair of games at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Team White (1-0) and Team Navy (0-1) will square off at 1 p.m. ET, while Team Red (1-0) and Team Light Blue (0-1) will face each other at 4 p.m. ET.

CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball and USA Baseball Sports Properties within LEARFIELD today announced an agreement with Morgan Stanley to become a developmental partner of the organization, focusing on the National Team Development Program (NTDP). Through this relationship, Morgan Stanley becomes an important USA Baseball financial education and developmental partner, where the leading financial services firm will develop a tailored financial literacy program for the 16U/17U NTDP athletes and lead an in-person seminar for the program during the annual week-long event later this month. 

Additionally, Morgan Stanley and USA Baseball will collaborate to produce and promote other financial education-related content to be shared via USA Baseball’s official social media channels.

"USA Baseball is excited to partner with Morgan Stanley to heighten the experience of our National Team Development Program,” said USA Baseball Chief Operating Officer David Perkins. “USA Baseball prides itself on its commitment to developing young athletes on and off the field. Introducing financial literacy to athletes who may find themselves in professional baseball in the immediate future is arguably one of the most essential skills they will leave with after this unique development experience.” 

“We are proud to join forces with USA Baseball and LEARFIELD to help create an engaging, educational, and overall exceptional experience for some of the nation’s best athletes and coaches,” said Sandra L. Richards, Head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports & Entertainment (GSE) division. “USA Baseball is a proven leader in the realm of amateur player development, coaching, and instruction. As important, is the off-field education and development of these young men to prepare them for their future collegiate and professional baseball careers and beyond – and leading with financial education is a critical component of that holistic effort.”

“Every year we aim to provide impactful educational seminars for our National Team Development Program athletes to expand the development offerings past just on-field growth,” said Brett Curll, USA Baseball Director of Baseball Operations. “Exposing young athletes to financial education is paramount to their personal growth as they prepare to navigate personal endorsements and partnerships in professional sports.”

The NTDP offers athletes the opportunity to connect with USA Baseball coaches, task force, and national team staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. Participants will partake in skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and a series of intrasquad Stars versus Stripes games to assist in developing the athletes as both a player and a person. The 2022 event will be held from July 25-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

Morgan Stanley GSE is a division of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management dedicated to serving the unique and sophisticated needs of elite and professional athletes, entertainers, executives, creators, and other top professionals in the business of sports and entertainment. The division consists of over 200 Financial Advisors with the Global Sports & Entertainment Director/Associate Director designation, several of whom are former professional and collegiate athletes (including baseball players), who once embarked on a similar journey to that of today’s elite prospects. For more information, please visit http://morganstanley.com/gse.   

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.

CARY, N.C. – Twenty USA Baseball alumni were selected in the first round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday night, beginning with the number one overall pick Jackson Holliday. USA Baseball has now had 550 total athletes drafted in the first round since 1972, and 2022 marks the 19th time in the last 22 years that the first overall pick played for Team USA.

Holliday (No. 1, Baltimore Orioles) became the 36th USA Baseball national team alum to be taken with the first overall pick, following Spencer Torkelson (2020), Adley Rutschman (2019), Casey Mize (2018), Royce Lewis (2017), Mickey Moniak (2016), Dansby Swanson (2015), Brady Aiken (2014), Mark Appel (2013), Gerrit Cole (2011), and Bryce Harper (2010). The Orioles have now selected a USA Baseball alum all three times it has had the first overall pick in the Draft (Holliday [2022], Rutschman [2019], and Ben McDonald [1989]) and have taken a USA Baseball alumnus in the first round in the last four consecutive years (Holliday [2022], Dylan Beavers [2022], Colton Cowser [2021], Heston Kjerstad [2020], and Rutschman [2019]).

Six consecutive alums were picked to begin the Draft for the second time in the organization’s history after a record nine-straight were taken to kick off the MLB Draft in 2007. Following Holliday at number one were Druw Jones (No. 2, Arizona Diamondbacks), Kumar Rocker (No. 3, Texas Rangers), Termarr Johnson (No. 4, Pittsburgh Pirates), Elijah Green (No. 5, Washington Nationals), and Jacob Berry (No. 6, Miami Marlins).

Additionally, 11 of the first 12 selections in the 2022 Draft have donned the red, white, and blue in their career. Brooks Lee was taken with the eighth overall pick by the Minnesota Twins, followed by Gavin Cross (No. 9, Kansas City Royals), Gabriel Hughes (No. 10, Colorado Rockies), Kevin Parada (No. 11, New York Mets), and Jace Jung (No. 12, Detroit Tigers).

Collegiate National Team alum Daniel Susac was the next USA Baseball player taken with the 19th pick by the Oakland A’s and the opening round ended with eight more Team USA members selected: Owen Murphy (No. 20, Atlanta Braves), Brandon Barriera (No. 23, Toronto Blue Jays), Mikey Romero (No. 24, Boston Red Sox), Drew Gilbert (No. 28, Houston Astros), Reggie Crawford (No. 30, San Francisco Giants), Dylan Beavers (No. 33, Baltimore Orioles), Landon Sims (No. 34, Arizona Diamondbacks), and Justin Campbell (No. 37, Cleveland Guardians).

Four national team programs were represented in the 2022 Draft, including 12 players from the Collegiate National Team, six from the 18U National Team, five from the 15U National Team, and three from the 12U National Team.

In total, 27 of the players taken in the first round have participated in USA Baseball national team and national team development programs, including 13 athletes from the 2019 Prospect Development Pipeline League and 9 from the USA Baseball National Team Development Program.

The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft is as follows:

Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball National Team(s)

• 1-1; Jackson Holliday; Baltimore Orioles; 2021 18U
• 1-2; Druw Jones; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2021 18U
• 1-3; Kumar Rocker; Texas Rangers; 2017 18U
• 1-4; Termarr Johnson; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2019 15U, 2021 18U
• 1-5; Elijah Green; Washington Nationals; 2021 18U
• 1-6; Jacob Berry; Miami Marlins; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-8; Brooks Lee; Minnesota Twins; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-9; Gavin Cross; Kansas City Royals; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-10; Gabriel Hughes; Colorado Rockies; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-11; Kevin Parada; New York Mets; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-12; Jace Jung; Detroit Tigers; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-19; Daniel Susac; Oakland A’s; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-20; Owen Murphy; Atlanta Braves; 2021 18U
• 1-23; Brandon Barriera; Toronto Blue Jays; 2016 12U, 2019 15U
• 1-24; Mikey Romero; Boston Red Sox; 2016 12U, 2019 15U
• 1-28; Drew Gilbert; Houston Astros; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-30; Reggie Crawford; San Francisco Giants; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-33; Dylan Beavers; Baltimore Orioles; 2021 Collegiate
• 1-34; Landon Sims; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2016 15U, 2021 Collegiate
• 1-37; Justin Campbell; Cleveland Guardians; 2013 12U, 2016 15U, 2021 Collegiate

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the 80-man roster for the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), following the conclusion of the 16U and 17U National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina. The five-day development event will be held from July 25-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The National Team Development Program offers athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball coaches, task force, and national team staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. Participants will take part in skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and a series of intrasquad Stars versus Stripes games to assist in the development of the athletes as both a player and a person.

“We are excited to welcome this outstanding group of athletes to the National Training Complex in North Carolina for the 2022 National Team Development Program,” said Brett Curll, USA Baseball Director of Baseball Operations. “These athletes were identified by our task force based on their exceptional talent and work ethic, and we cannot wait to welcome them to Cary so that we can contribute to their continued development and prepare them for future national team opportunities.”

The 16U/17U NTDP will welcome 60 new baseball players to USA Baseball programming this season, joining 20 athletes who have played on a national team or participated in a previous development program. Ten participants were members of the 2021 15U National Team and five athletes have won a gold medal with the 12U National Team in their careers.

World champions Danny Arambula (Redlands, Calif.) and Bryce Rainer (Simi Valley, Calif.) will reunite at the NTDP after winning a gold medal with the 2017 12U National Team. Tristan Bristow (Helotes, Texas), Ross Felder (Springdale, Ark.), and Michael Torres (Miami, Fla.) also won a gold medal with the 12U National Team in 2018.

Additionally, 11 invitees have previously participated in the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP) or an NTDP in their careers, including Matthew Champion (Fontana, Calif.), Derek Curiel (West Covina, Calif.), Theo Gillen (Austin, Texas), Michael Mullinax (Canton, Ga.), and Rainer, who all participated in the 16U/17U NTDP last summer.

The roster consists of 43 athletes identified from the 2022 National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, as well as 21 players selected following last year’s National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. Twenty-six states are represented on the roster in 2022, led by 22 athletes hailing from California. Texas boasts the second-most athletes with 10, followed by Florida’s seven and Illinois’ six.

The NTDP staff features South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker, two-time MLB All-Star Brad Penny, and 18U National Team Assistant Coach Jack Wilson (Grand Canyon) as roving instructors. USA Baseball Director of Player Development Jim Koerner will serve as the program’s field coordinator. Four additional current Division I coaches will also be on staff. Longtime Boston College head coach Mike Gambino, Indiana University Assistant Coach Derek Simmons, Murray State University Head Coach Dan Skirka, and Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano, who helped lead Notre Dame to the 2022 College World Series, will serve as the four NTDP managers this season.

For more information on the National Team Development Program, follow @USADevelops on Instagram and Twitter, or visit USABaseball.com.

The 2022 16U/17U NTDP roster is as follows:

2022 16U/17U National Team Development Program roster:

(Name; Hometown; Travel/Participating Team)

• Nathan Aceves; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Juggernaut Baseball Texas
• ^Luis Almeyda; Hawthorne, N.J.; East Coast Lumberjacks
• *Danny Arambula; Redlands, Calif.; 16U Southwest Stars
• Cade Arrambide; Tomball, Texas; Banditos Scout
• Easton Barrett; Springville, Utah; Trosky National 2024
• Boston Bateman; Camarillo, Calif.; Next Level 2024 Nationals
• Talan Bell; Oviedo, Fla.; Power Baseball
• Brendon Bennett; Novi, Mich.; eXposure Prime
• Alec Blair; Lafayette, Calif.; 15U Northwest Stars
• Caleb Bonemer; Okemos, Mich.; Artillery Baseball
• *^Tristan Bristow; Helotes, Texas; Banditos Scout
• Sam Burgess; Riverside, Calif.; Easton Prime Red
• *Slade Caldwell; Jonesboro, Ark.; USA Prime National
• Cash Campbell; Downers Grove, Ill.; 15U Midwest Stripes
• ^Matthew Champion; Fontana, Calif.; Legacy Baseball Group
• Elijah Clayton; Oak Park, Calif.; GBG Navy
• ^Kayson Cunningham; San Antonio, Texas; 15U South Stars
• ^Derek Curiel; West Covina, Calif.; USA Prime National
• Eli Dickey; Franklin, Tenn.; Mad Mavericks Dickey
• Jonathan Dobis; Eagan, Minn.; 15U Midwest Stripes
• Conor Essenburg; Manhattan, Ill.; 15U Midwest Stripes
• Jake Evans; Long Beach, Calif.; 15U Southwest Stars
• Hayden Federico; West Monroe, La.; Knights Knation
• *^Ross Felder; Springdale, Ark.; 15U Southwest Stars
• Noah Franco; Downey, Calif.; Canes`National
• Jack Frankel; Plano, Texas; USA Prime National
• Andrew (AJ) Garcia; Chicago, Ill.; 16U Midwest Stars
• Bradyn Garner; West Monroe, La.; Knights Knation
• ^Theo Gillen; Austin, Texas; Westlake
• Cohen Gomez; Anaheim Hills, Calif.; SoCal Birds Orange
• Drew Graham; Avon Lake, Ohio; Canes National
• *Konnor Griffin; Florence, Miss.; Knights Knation
• Kingsley Guthrie; Miramar, Fla.; Pro Youth Foundation
• Aidan Hall; Galt, Calif.; 15U Northwest Stars
• Cole Hansen; Norco, Calif.; Easton Prime Red
• Holden Harris; Leander, Texas; 16U South Stars
• Leighton Harris; Lexington, Ky.; 16U Midwest Stars
• Jake Haruki; Irvine, Calif.; 15U Southwest Stripes
• Aidan Hayse; Morris, Ill.; Top Tier Select
• Tyler Head; Winter Garden, Fla.; Power Baseball
• David Hogg II; Grand Prairie, Texas; Chi Town Cream
• Ethan Holliday; Stillwater, Okla.; Scorpions 2025
• Tegan Kuhns; Gettysburg, Pa.; USA Prime National
• Easton Masse; Hartford, Conn.
• Micah Matthews; Bridewater, Va.; USA Prime National
• Coleman (Kash) Mayfield; Elk City, Okla.; USA Prime National
• Joe McGee; Danville, Calif.; 16U Northwest Stars
• Chase Mobley; Plant City, Fla.; Canes National
• JJ Moran; Carlsbad, Calif.; CBA Victus San Diego
• PJ Morlando; Ladsen, S.C.; Canes Prospects
• Cooper Moss; Panama City Beach, Fla.; 15U Southeast Stripes
• ^Michael Mullinax; Canton, Ga.; Team Elite
• Chandler Murray; Honolulu, Hawaii; Hawaii Elite 2G
• Bryce Navarre; Lake Charles, La.; 16U Southwest Stars
• *Austin Nye; Roseville, Calif.; Alpha Prime
• Landon O'Donnell; Valrico, Fla.; 16U Southeast Stars
• Luke Oblen; Chicago, Ill.; Top Tier Select
• Owen Paino; Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; 16U Northeast Stars
• *^Bryce Rainer; Simi Valley, Calif.; Legacy Baseball Group
• *Mason Russell; Santan Valley, Ariz.; USA Prime National
• Jake Sanko; Peoria, Ariz..; AZBC 2024
• *Ethan Schiefelbein; Corona, Calif.; USA Prime National
• ^Ryan Sloan; Elmhurst, Ill.; Top Tier Select
• Trey Snyder; Liberty North, Mo.; Royals Scout Team
• Caden Sorrell; Highland Village, Texas; Marcus
• *Joshua Springer; Corona, Calif.; Easton Prime Red
• Levi Sterling; Los Angeles, Calif.; Legacy Baseball Group
• Zach Strickland; Arcadia, Calif.; Matadors 2024
• Ethan Surowiec; Gulfport, Miss.; Knights Knation
• Gage Thompson; Puyallup, Wash.; New Level Baseball 16U
• Gabriel Tirado; Newington, Conn.; 16U Northeast Stars
• Joey Tonnotti; Southington, Conn.; 16U Northeast Stars
• *^Michael Torres; Miami, Fla.; Canes Prospects
• *Nolan Traeger; Spring, Texas; Texas Twelve
• Ariston Veasey; Tyrone, Ga.; USA Prime National
• Tanner Waldrop; Auburn, Ala.; East Coast Sox Scout
• Jaxon Walker; Lenoir City, Tenn.; Home Plate Chili Dogs
• Micah Wascom; Bogalusa, La.; Knights Knation
• Cooper Williams; Alvin, Texas; Banditos Scout
• Quindon Wright; Albany, Ga.; 15U Southeast Stars

*Denotes National Team alum

^Denotes National Team Development Program participant

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the coaching staff for the 2022 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), which features South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker, two-time MLB All-Star Brad Penny, and 18U National Team Assistant Coach Jack Wilson as roving instructors. USA Baseball Director of Player Development Jim Koerner will serve as the program’s field coordinator.

The NTDP, which will have a newly expanded 80-man roster in 2022, will feature five days of games and workouts, skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters, USA Baseball staff, and national team coaches. Additionally, players will be assessed and evaluated by the coaching staff for possible future participation in USA Baseball national team programming.

“We are very fortunate to welcome this group of accomplished and successful coaches to this year’s National Team Development Program,” said USA Baseball Director of Baseball Operations Brett Curll. “The National Team Development Program has established itself as a premier event on the amateur baseball calendar and continues to attract the nation’s top coaches and players. We look forward to watching this staff create and develop impactful relationships with our players this summer.”

Four current Division I coaches will join the staff to serve as managers in 2022. Longtime Boston College head coach Mike Gambino, Indiana University Assistant Coach Derek Simmons, Murray State University Head Coach Dan Skirka, and Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano, who helped lead Notre Dame to the 2022 College World Series, will serve as the four NTDP managers this season.

The full coaching staff for the 2022 16U/17U NTDP is as follows (coaches’ bios enclosed below):

COORDINATORS

• Field Coordinator: Jim Koerner – USA Baseball
• Roving Instructor: Justin Parker – University of South Carolina
• Roving Instructor: Brad Penny
• Roving Instructor: Jack Wilson

TEAM LIGHT BLUE

• Manager: Mike Gambino – Boston College
• Pitching Coach: Brett Tomko
• Assistant Coach: Andre Butler

TEAM NAVY 

• Manager: Derek Simmons – Indiana University
• Pitching Coach: Todd Jones
• Assistant Coach: Butch Chaffin – Cookeville (TN) High School

TEAM RED

• Manager: Chuck Ristano – University of Notre Dame
• Pitching Coach: Brad Penny
• Assistant Coach: Dave Webb – Corona Del Sol (AZ) High School

TEAM WHITE

• Manager: Dan Skirka – Murray State University
• Pitching Coach: Doug Creek
• Assistant Coach: Austin Wates – Kansas State University

The 2022 16U/17U NTDP is scheduled to take place from July 25-29 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The roster will feature players identified from the National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina, as well as last year’s 2021 National Team Identification Series (NTIS). Twenty-four players from the 2021 15U and 16U NTIS Champions Cup have already been selected for the 2022 16U/17U NTDP.

For more information on the USA Baseball National Team Development Program, follow @USABDevelops on Twitter.

COACHES’ BIOS

Andre Butler joins the staff for the 2022 16U/17U NTDP as an assistant coach for Team Light Blue. The owner and operator of Graveyard Mentality in Pennsylvania, Butler is one of the best in the coaching profession at teaching outfield play. In addition to running his training organization, he also has extensive experience coaching at the collegiate level, most recently for two seasons as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Swarthmore College. With the Garnet, Butler served as a first-base coach while also implementing defensive strategies throughout games. It was Butler’s second stint at Swarthmore after spending the 2012-13 school year as an assistant with the team and previously coaching for four seasons as an assistant at Penn State University, where he served in multiple roles, including as a hitting coach. His first season with the Nittany Lions was the program's best in recent history, as they earned their first winning record in four years and doubled their Big Ten-win total from the previous season. Prior to his time at Penn State, Butler also coached at the University of Pennsylvania and DeSales University. In addition to his coaching experience, Butler played collegiately for four seasons at Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.), graduating in 2012 as one of the program's all-time best hitters. He also started a tee-ball league called the "Jackie Robinson West Philly League" in Philadelphia.

Two-time national team coach Butch Chaffin will serve as an assistant coach for Team Navy at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. Chaffin is currently the head coach at Cookeville High School (Cookeville, Tenn.) where he has been named District 7-AAA Coach of the Year five times and the Region Coach of the Year three times. For USA Baseball, he has twice served as an assistant coach, first for the 2010 18U National Team and again with the 2017 12U National Team, which won its third consecutive World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup. Before coaching at Cookeville High School, he was an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech University for four years and a professional scout for the Kansas City Royals. 

Two-time USA Baseball alumnus and nine-year MLB veteran Doug Creek is set to serve as a pitching coach for Team White at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. Creek appeared in 279 contests out of the bullpen with seven different clubs during his big-league tenure, striking out more than a batter an inning with 292 punchouts in 289.1 total innings pitched. He also pitched one season with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 1998. Creek first donned the Team USA uniform with the 1987 18U National Team and again with the 1989 Collegiate National Team. In 15 pitching appearances over those two summers with the red, white, and blue, he went 7-1 on the mound with 55 strikeouts in 54.2 innings of work. Inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 2001, Creek was also one of the top pitchers in the school’s storied history. In four seasons for the Ramblin’ Wreck from 1988-91, he posted 41 wins with 458 strikeouts in 472.0 innings pitched, all of which remain school records to this day. He was drafted twice during his collegiate career, signing with the St. Louis Cardinals after they picked him in the seventh round of the 1991 MLB Draft.

Longtime Boston College head coach Mike Gambino brings his vast experience to the dugout as Team Light Blue manager at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. Since taking the reins at BC in 2010, Gambino has amassed over 250 wins in his 12 seasons as head coach. In 2016, he led the Eagles to 35 wins, the second-most in program history, and the school’s first-ever Super Regional appearance. For his efforts that year, he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year and a D1Baseball finalist for Coach of the Year. A 1999 Boston College graduate, Gambino previously served as an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2003-2005 before taking a position as a regional scout for the Detroit Tigers. After two years in that role, he headed to Virginia Tech where he was the recruiting coordinator for four seasons. Gambino played for Boston College from 1997-2000, starting 166 games and hitting at a career .313 clip. The Garrison, New York, native was a first-team All-Big East, All-New England, and All-Northeast region honoree following his senior campaign. Following his collegiate career, Gambino played two seasons in the Boston Red Sox minor league system. 

One of the most successful relief pitchers in Major League history, Todd Jones will join the 2022 16U/17U NTDP as a pitching coach for Team Navy. A 16-year MLB veteran, Jones recorded 319 career saves, giving him the 22nd-most all time. He appeared in 982 contests with a 3.97 ERA over his lengthy career which saw him suit up for eight different clubs, including eight seasons with the Detroit Tigers. His best season came in 2000 when he was named to the American League All-Star Team and claimed AL Relief Man of the Year honors after notching a league-high 42 saves, a Tigers single-season record. Jones finished 11 of his 18 seasons with double-digit save totals, including five with 30 or more. He is also a USA Baseball alumnus, having played on the inaugural World Baseball Classic squad in 2006. Jones played collegiately at Jacksonville State University where he helped pitch the Gamecocks to back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1988 and 1989. He was drafted with the 27th pick of the first round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and was inducted into the JSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

NTDP Field Coordinator and USA Baseball Director of Player Development Jim Koerner was the head coach at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) from 2011-2021. As just the second head coach in the program’s modern-day history, Koerner took NCCU baseball to new heights in his 10 years at the helm. Under his guidance, the Eagles set the school record for wins in 2013 (27) and again in 2018 (28). He also coached two MLB Draft picks with NCCU, including Corey Joyce, who became the highest selection in program history when he was taken in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2019. Before his time at NCCU, Koerner was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Buffalo from 2007-2011, helping the Bulls reach their best offensive performances in program history in 2009 and 2010. The team recorded an all-time high in wins since 1999 during the 2009 season and set the records for team batting average (.312), home runs (46), and stolen bases (71) in 2010. In those two seasons combined, the Bulls broke over 25 season, career, team, and individual records. He began his coaching career in 2001 as the head coach at Medaille College, where he helped found the program and was named the 2003 North Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He broke into the Division I ranks as an assistant at Monmouth University before a stint at Marshall University.

Following his first season as the pitching coach at the University of South Carolina, Justin Parker will serve as the pitching coordinator at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. Parker joined the Gamecocks after spending three seasons as the associate head coach/pitching coach at Indiana. He has also coached at the University of Central Florida for two seasons (2017-2018) and worked at Wright State University, his alma mater, for six years (2012-17). Parker has produced 20 pitchers who have been selected in the MLB Draft, including nine who have gone in the first 10 rounds. In just two years at UCF, Parker sent nine arms to the professional ranks. As a player, he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 43rd round of the 2005 MLB Draft out of Fort Wayne High School (Fort Wayne, Ind.) but opted to play for Wright State. He was drafted again in 2008, this time by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round, and spent three years playing for the Diamondbacks’ minor league affiliates. As a player at Wright State, Parker earned first-team Horizon League selections in 2007 and 2008, as well as Second Team ABCA All- Region in 2007, and was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recipient in 2008. Parker has previously served on the NTDP staff in 2019 and 2021 as a pitching coach.

Brad Penny joins the NTDP staff as a roving instructor and pitching coach after making his national team coaching debut with the 18U National Team last summer. Penny served as the pitching coach for Team USA in 2021, leading the staff to a 1.53 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 59 innings in a seven-game friendship series against Canada. In addition to his USA Baseball coaching experience, Penny also donned the stars and stripes as a player when he suited up for the organization’s first Professional National Team in 1999. The squad won a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games, qualifying Team USA for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where the U.S. earned the gold medal with a 4-0 defeat of Cuba. The right-hander was selected in the fifth round of the 1996 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and had a 14-year MLB playing career that included two All-Star selections and a World Series championship. The Blackwell, Oklahoma, native finished his career with 121 wins, 1,273 strikeouts, and a 4.29 ERA in 1,925.0 innings pitched in the big leagues. After making his major league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2000, he helped lead the team to the organization’s second World Series Championship in 2003 with a 4.13 ERA in 32 starts during the season. Penny also made two starts in the Fall Classic against the New York Yankees, earning a 2-0 record while striking out seven in 12.1 innings of work. Penny made his first All-Star Game appearance in 2006 and finished that season with a 4.33 ERA, a career-high 148 strikeouts, and a league-leading 16 wins for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2007, he collected a 3.03 ERA, 135 punchouts, and an MLB-best .800 (16-4) win percentage to earn his second All-Star Game selection in as many years and finish third in National League Cy Young Award voting. He finished his playing career with stints playing for the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Detroit Tigers before returning to the Marlins in 2014 for his final season.

Returning for his second stint with the 16U/17U National Team Development Program is University of Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano. He will serve as the Red team manager this year; but, he previously served as a pitching coach for the Stripes at the 2019 NTDP which played games at Notre Dame, Wrigley Field, and Miller Park. Through 12 seasons in South Bend, Ristano has produced 17 Major League draft picks on the mound, a team ERA under 4.00 in eight seasons, and 13 all-conference selections from the pitching staff. The Irish earned their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2022 and are currently competing in the College World Series. Ristano also helped lead the Irish to a magical 2021 campaign which saw them go from unranked to as high as No. 2 in the nation and fall just one game short of advancing to Omaha for the College World Series. Ristano shared a big moment with former Notre Dame star Trey Mancini last summer as well when the two teamed up as pitcher and hitter to reach the final round of the MLB Home Run Derby at Coors Field in Colorado. Before joining the staff at Notre Dame, Ristano spent four seasons as a pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Monmouth University in New Jersey. There, he helped the Hawks to Northeast Conference titles and NCAA Regional bids in 2007 and 2009. Ristano has also spent time as pitching coach at Sacred Heart and Temple. He was a two-time captain and four-year letter winner at Sacred Heart (2001-04), where he also was a four-time NEC All-Academic honoree. 

Derek Simmons is set to be a manager for Team Navy at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. Simmons recently completed his third season on the coaching staff at Indiana University where he currently serves as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator after two years in the volunteer assistant role. The 12-year coaching veteran has been highly successful on the recruiting trail during his career, putting together two top 25 recruiting classes to go along with three other “top classes” per Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The Duluth, Georgia, native was also named to Baseball America’s “Coaches to Watch” list in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving in Bloomington, Simmons spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State University (2018-2019), where helped land the second-highest recruiting class in program history during that time. Simmons also spent time as a member of the coaching staff at the University of Alabama (2016) and Kennesaw State University (2012-2015). He started his coaching career with a two-year stint at Central Michigan University. Additionally, he served as the Stars assistant coach in 2014 and as the PONY coach in the 2012 and 2013 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Simmons played for the University of Montevallo, helping lead the team to the 2006 Division II College World Series before transferring to Georgia State where he was named team captain and twice earned first-team all-conference accolades.

Murray State University head coach Dan Skirka joins the 2022 16U/17U NTDP as Team White manager this summer. Skirka, who previously worked with USA Baseball as an assistant at the 2019 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League, recently completed his fourth season at the helm of the Racers program. He has won 97 games during that time, including a program-record 18 Ohio Valley Conference contests in 2021. Skirka was quite familiar with the MSU program before taking over as he served as an assistant coach for the club from 2009-14. Between his stints at Murray State, Skirka had four successful seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Walters State Community College, where he helped lead the Senators to a 208-48 record during that span. He played collegiately at Grand Valley State University, earning Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region First-Team honors during his senior season in 2007. Skirka began his coaching career the following year at Grand Rapids Community College where his team advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World Series. Skirka also spent one season as an assistant at Ouachita Baptist University in 2009.

Brett Tomko brings 14 years of Major League experience to the dugout this summer as a pitching coach for Team Light Blue at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP. A second-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1995 MLB Draft, Tomko pitched in 397 big-league contests during his lengthy career, finishing with exactly 100 wins and 1,209 total strikeouts. He recorded double-digit win totals on five occasions, topping out at 13 victories in both 1998 and 2003. Tomko suited up for 10 different clubs, including three stints with the San Diego Padres. He was drafted out of Florida Southern College where he played just one season but left an indelible mark. In his lone campaign with the Moccasins, Tomko went 15-2 with a 1.35 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 126.1 innings en route to becoming the first player to ever be named the NCAA Division II Pitcher and Player of the Year. He was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the DII championships after leading the Mocs to their eighth national title with a complete-game shutout in the championship game. In 2014, the NCAA DII Pitcher of the Year Award was named the Brett Tomko Award in his honor.

Kansas State University assistant coach Austin Wates joins the 2022 16U/17U NTDP staff as an assistant coach for Team White in 2022. Wates, who has been an assistant with the Wildcats since the 2019 season, focuses primarily on hitters, outfielders, and baserunners with the program. Since joining the staff, Wates’ offense has delivered two of the top six seasons in terms of total home runs in the program’s history, including a single-season record 89 homers in 2021. Before joining the coaching ranks, Wates played collegiately at Virginia Tech from 2007-2010. He was a preseason All-America selection by two publications in 2010, and later that season helped lead the Hokies to their first regional NCAA Regional appearance in 10 years. Wates was drafted in the third round by the Houston Astros in the 2010 MLB Draft and played professionally until 2015 in the Astros and Miami Marlins organizations.

Four-time gold medal-winning manager Dave Webb will join the staff at the 2022 16U/17U NTDP as an assistant coach for Team Red. Webb has served as a coach on four USA Baseball national teams over the years, including three stints as manager, with his teams accumulating a 38-1 overall record in international play. As an assistant for the 2007 14U National Team, he helped lead the squad to a perfect 14-0 record in both the qualifier and COPABE Pan Am Championships in Guatemala and Puerto Rico, respectively. Webb then took the helm of the 14U team for the next two years, winning another qualifier in Guatemala in 2008 before leading the 2009 team to a gold medal at the COPABE Pan Am Championships in Ecuador. Most recently, he guided the inaugural 12U National Team to gold at the 2013 IBAF 12U World Cup in Taiwan. Webb is also one of the most successful high school coaches in the nation with over 300 wins in 17 seasons as the head coach at Corona del Sol High School (Tempe, Ariz.). His 2009 team claimed the Arizona 5A state championship and his Aztec squads finished among the top three teams in the state for three consecutive years from 2018-2020.

2022 18U National Team assistant coach Jack Wilson assumes the role of roving instructor at this year's NTDP. Wilson is on the 18U National Team coaching staff as an assistant for the second year in a row after helping lead Team USA to a 5-1-1 record in a friendship series against Canada in 2021. Additionally, he previously served on the NTDP staff in 2019 as a defensive coordinator. Wilson served as the head coach at Thousand Oaks High School (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) from 2017-2021, where he collected a 98-30-1 overall record and led the Lancers to two Marmonte League championships (2019, 2021) and a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)-SS Division 2 title in 2021. Under his guidance, the program went 24-6, including 10-2 in league play in 2019, and finished the 2021 season with a 27-1 record. He also led the squad to an 8-0 start to the 2020 season and a No. 1 CIF-SS Division 2 ranking before the pause in play caused by COVID-19. Prior to his coaching career, Wilson played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Atlanta Braves for over 12 years in the big leagues. He led the National League with 12 triples in 2004, earning a spot on the National League All-Star Team and a Silver Slugger award for his efforts. In 1,370 MLB games, Wilson recorded a .265/.306/.366 career slash line with 61 home runs and 426 RBIs.

Major League Baseball and USA Baseball today announced the roster for the third edition of the “High School All-American Game,” scheduled at Dodger Stadium on Friday, July 15th as part of 2022 MLB All- Star Week in Los Angeles. This premier All-Star showcase game will feature a roster of nearly 40 participants who are some of the top U.S.-based high school baseball prospects for next year’s MLB Draft (2023). The livestream of the High School All-American Game on MLB.com, starting at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET, will be produced by MLB Network with Scott Braun, Harold Reynolds and Jonathan Mayo on the call, with AJ Andrews serving as a sideline reporter. The game will re-air on MLB Network at Noon ET on Saturday, July 16th.

Players represent 16 States from around the Nation, notably three players from Southern California (Los Angeles and Orange Counties). Several players featured in the High School All-American Game have previously participated in diversity-focused development initiatives led by MLB & USA Baseball, which include the Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series and Hank Aaron Invitational (also supported jointly by the MLB- MLBPA Youth Development Foundation). These players include: Antonio Anderson (Hank Aaron Invitational, Breakthrough Series), Justin Best (Hank Aaron Invitational, Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series), Dillon Head (Hank Aaron Invitational, Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series), Zion Rose (Hank Aaron Invitational, DREAM Series) and Nazzan Zanetello (Breakthrough Series).

Additional USA Baseball roster notes:

• 37 of the 40 High School All-American Game players are currently at the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP)
• League, being held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., featuring the country’s best 18-and-under players and serving as the primary identification event for the 18U National Team.
• Four of these student-athletes are USA Baseball national team alumni:
• Gavin Grahovac: 2017 12U National Team (*World Championship Team*)
• Walker Jenkins: 2021 18U National Team
• Blake Mitchell: 2021 18U National Team
• George Wolkow: 2021 15U National Team
• 15 players have participated in a USA Baseball National Team Development Program.

Following is the roster for the High School All-American Game (subject to change):

(Name; Position; School; Hometown)

• Daniel Cholowsky; 3B/SS; Hamilton High School; Chandler, Ariz.
• Ryder Helfrick; C; Clayton Valley Charter; Discovery Bay, Calif
• Nolan Stevens; 1B/OF; Franklin High School; Elk Grove, Calif.
• Eric Bitonti; SS; Aquinas High School; Hesperia, Calif.
• Aidan Keenan; RHP; Live Oak High School; Morgan Hill, Calif.
• Gavin Grahovac; OF; Villa Park High School; Orange, Calif.
• Roman Martin; SS; Servite High School; Whittier, Calif.
• Dean West; OF; Notre Dame High School; Woodland Hills, Calif.
• Christian Rodriguez; RHP; Marjory Stonemason Douglas; Coral Springs, Fla.
• Charles Soto; RHP; Reborn Christian Academy; Largo, Fla.
• Braden Holcomb; SS; Foundation Academy; Ocoee, Fla.
• Landen Maroudis; RHP; Calvary Christian High School; Largo, Fla.
• Garrett Baumann; RHP; Hagerty High School; Oviedo, Fla.
• Liam Peterson; RHP; Calvary Christian High School; Palm Harbor, Fla.
• Wes Mendes; LHP; Jesuit High School; Tampa, Fla.
• Aidan Miller; SS; JW Mitchell High School; Trinity, Fla.
• Arjun Nimmala; SS; Strawberry Crest High School; Valrico, Fla.
• Antonio Anderson; SS; North Atlanta High School; Atlanta, Ga.
• Dylan Cupp; 3B/SS; Cedartown High School; Cedartown, Ga.
• James Hays; RHP; Westfield School; Hawkinsville, Ga.
• Zion Rose; C; Brother Rice High School; Chicago, Ill.
• George Wolkow; 3B/OF; Downers Grove North; Downers Grove, Ill.
• Dillon Head; OF; Homewood Flossmoor Community HS; Glenwood, Ill.
• Zander Mueth; RHP; Belleville East High School; Swansea, Ill.
• Maxwell Clark; OF; Frank Community High School; Franklin, Ind.
• Cameron Johnson; LHP; Bishop McNamara High School; Upper Marlboro, Md.
• Nazzan Zanetello; SS/OF; Christian Brothers College High School; Florissant, Mo.
• Campbell Smithwick; C; Oxford High School; Oxford, Miss.
• Justin Best; OF; Combine Academy; Cornelius, N.C.
• Walker Jenkins; OF; South Brunswick High School; Oak Island, N.C.
• Chance Mako; RHP; East Rowan High School; Salisbury, N.C.
• Josh Knoth; RHP; Patchogue Medford High School; Medford, N.Y.
• Paul Wilson; RHP; Lakeridge High School; West Linn, Ore.
• Kevin McGonigle; SS; Monsignor Bonner High School; Aldan, Pa.
• Travis Skyora; RHP; Round Rock High School; Round Rock, Texas
• Blake Mitchell; C/RHP; Sinton High School; Sinton, Texas
• Bryce Eldridge; RHP; James Madison High School; Vienna, Va.
• Dylan Questad; RHP; Waterford High School; Waterford, Wis.

The High School All-American Game will be helmed by an All-Star cast of coaches, including Managers Andre Ethier (former All-Star OF for the Dodgers) and David Eckstein (2002 World Series Champion with the Angels; 2015 18U National Team assistant coach), who will be supported by Reggie Smith (former All-Star OF for the Dodgers; 1981 World Series Champion with the Dodgers; 2000 Sydney Olympic Games assistant coach), Brad Penny (former All-Star SP for the Dodgers; 2021 18U National Team pitching coach), Jack Wilson (former All-Star SS; greater Los Angeles native; 2021 18U National Team assistant coach), Reggie Williams (former Dodgers and Angels OF), Don Cooper (former Major League pitcher and pitching coach), John Sarna (Chicago Scouts Association) and Derek Gittus (Head Baseball Coach, Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island).

This year at the High School All-American Game, Chevrolet will award the “MLB Develops MVP Award presented by Chevrolet” to the player who exhibits quality on-field performance, defensively or offensively, as voted on by MLB Development staff at the conclusion of the game. Winners will be featured on MLBN, MLB.com and @MLBDevelops social accounts. All MLB Develops MVPs will be invited to Game 2 of the World Series to celebrate their accomplishment.

Eight of the All-American players will compete in the annual “High School Home Run Derby,” scheduled for Saturday, July 16th at Dodger Stadium. MLB.com will livestream this round, with commentary by Braun, Jim Callis and Sande Charles. The players will vie for a chance to compete in the Finals during breaks of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 18th.

“The High School All-American Game continues to be one of the must-see events on the amateur scouting calendar. We are extremely excited about the collection of talent that has been assembled to participate in this year’s event,” said Chuck Fox, Director of Baseball & Softball Development, MLB.

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced that 10 USA Baseball national team alumni and 20 total development program participants were awarded 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year awards for baseball in their respective states. The award is given to the nation’s most outstanding high school talents for their athletic development, academic excellence, and exemplary character.

“We are extremely proud of our twenty alumni and development program participants for earning Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year honors to cap off their high school baseball careers,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball’s Executive Director and CEO. “Our goal as the national governing body for baseball is to identify premier athletes and contribute to their growth through our events, programs, and national teams. Witnessing these young athletes being honored with an award like this reinforces that we are succeeding in our goals and positively influencing their ongoing development.”

Highlighting the national team alumni on the list is gold medalist Logan Saloman. Saloman was named Arizona’s Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year three years after winning the World Baseball Softball (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2019. En route to gold, he struck out 16 batters in his 12 innings of work and finished with a 1-0 record after making three appearances on the mound for the stars and stripes.

Of the 10 alumni, nine were members of the 2021 18U National Team that went 5-1-1 in an international friendship series against Canada: Joe Allen (New Hampshire), Gavin Guidry (Louisiana), Jackson Holliday (Oklahoma), Walker Jenkins (North Carolina), Druw Jones (Georgia), Mike Kennedy (New York), Paxton Kling (Pennsylvania), Blake Mitchell (Texas), and Owen Murphy (Illinois). The U.S. outscored Canada 60-11 last summer, tallying 23 extra-base hits and holding a minuscule 1.53 team ERA in the seven-game series in Florida.

In addition to their national team experiences, all 10 national team alums have also participated in a USA Baseball development program event. Jenkins, Mitchell, and Saloman were members of a National Team Development Program (NTDP) roster in their careers and are joined by fellow NTDP participants Maxwell Clark (Indiana) and Malcolm Moore (California) on the list of Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year. The USA Baseball NTDP offers athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, and intrasquad Stars vs. Stripes games to assist in the development of the athletes as both a player and a person.

Allen, Guidry, Holliday, Jones, Kennedy, Kling, Moore, and Murphy all participated in the 2021 PDP League last year as part of the broader Major League Baseball and USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP). The event is an invitation-based development and assessment opportunity for high school players eligible for the following year’s MLB Draft. It provides athletes with an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and additional programming to prepare players for a professional baseball career. Their fellow teammates Caden Dana (New Jersey), Cooper Dossett (Arkansas), Karson Milbrandt (Missouri), Drew Nelson (Alabama), Brock Porter (Michigan), JR Ritchie (Washington), Matt Scott (Connecticut), and Tristan Smith (South Carolina) also earned Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year honors after participating the in 2021 PDP League.

Additionally, 26 of the Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year have competed in a USA Baseball identification event or the National High School Invitational (NHSI). The 2022 NHSI featured five eventual winners, including champion Roman Anthony (Marjory Stoneman Douglas; Florida), Dana (Don Bosco Prep; New Jersey), Seth Keller (Hanover; Virginia), Dallas Macias (Regis Jesuit; Colorado), and Saloman (Hamilton; Arizona).

Twenty of the award recipients have played in a USA Baseball National Team Championship (seven in Arizona and 15 in North Carolina) while nine were selected to their region team and played in the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series Champions Cup.

Seventeen of the award recipients have played in the USA Baseball National Team Championships in North Carolina.

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year award, visit the official website at Gatorade.com/POY.

The complete list of USA Baseball national team alumni, development program, and event participants who were named 2022 Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year is as follows:

GATORADE STATE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR x NATIONAL TEAM ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

(State: Name; USA Baseball national team/development program)

• Alabama: Drew Nelson; 2021 PDP League
• Arizona: Logan Saloman*; 2018 14U NTDP, 2019 15U National Team
• Arkansas: Cooper Dossett; 2021 PDP League
• California: Malcolm Moore; 2019 16U NTDP, 2021 PDP League
• Connecticut: Matt Scott; 2021 PDP League
• Georgia: Druw Jones*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• Illinois: Owen Murphy*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• Indiana: Maxwell Clark; 2021 16U/17U NTDP
• Louisiana: Gavin Guidry*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• Michigan: Brock Porter; 2021 PDP League
• Missouri: Karson Milbrandt; 2021 PDP League
• New Hampshire: Joe Allen*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• New Jersey: Caden Dana; 2021 PDP League
• New York: Mike Kennedy*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• North Carolina: Walker Jenkins*; 2021 16U/17U NTDP, 2021 18U National Team
• Oklahoma: Jackson Holliday*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• Pennsylvania: Paxton Kling*; 2021 PDP League, 2021 18U National Team
• South Carolina: Tristan Smith; 2021 PDP League
• Texas: Blake Mitchell*; 2021 16U/17U NTDP, 2021 18U National Team
• Washington: JR Ritchie; 2021 PDP League

*denotes USA Baseball National Team alumni

GATORADE STATE BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR x USA BASEBALL EVENTS PARTICIPANTS

(State: Name; USA Baseball event)

• Alabama; Drew Nelson; Champs North Carolina
• Arizona; Logan Saloman; Champs Arizona, NHSI, NTIS
• Arkansas; Cooper Dossett; Champs Arizona, NTIS
• California; Malcolm Moore; Champs Arizona
• Colorado; Dallas Macias; Champs North Carolina, NHSI, NTIS
• Florida; Roman Anthony; Champs North Carolina, NHSI
• Hawaii; Nu'u Contrades; Champs Arizona
• Illinois; Owen Murphy; Champs North Carolina
• Maryland; Chris Hacopian; Champs North Carolina
• Michigan; Brock Porter; Champs North Carolina
• Mississippi; Dakota Jordan; Champs North Carolina
• Nevada; Robby Snelling; Champs Arizona, Champs North Carolina
• New York; Mike Kennedy; Champs North Carolina
• Pennsylvania; Paxton Kling; Champs North Carolina
• South Carolina; Tristan Smith; Champs North Carolina
• Tennessee; Dylan Loy; Champs North Carolina
• Texas; Blake Mitchell; Champs North Carolina, NTIS
• Utah; Luke Anderson; Champs Arizona
• Washington; JR Ritchie; Champs Arizona, Champs North Carolina
• Wisconsin; Mitch Voit; Champs North Carolina

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the final 46-man 18U National Team Trials roster, following the selection of six athletes from the 2021 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). The 2021 18U National Team Trials will be held August 27-31 in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, before the final 18U National Team competes against Canada in a seven-game friendship series from September 3-9.

The final six invitees participated in the 2021 16U/17U NTDP from August 6-9 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The program included a Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series, as well as skill development sessions, off-field educational seminars, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters, and USA Baseball staff and national team coaches.

“We are very excited to have our final 18U National Team Trials roster with the addition of these six well-deserving athletes,” said Ashley Bratcher, USA Baseball 18U National Team General Manager. “This is an incredibly talented class with depth across the board, and all of these players have impressed our staff throughout the summer with not only their skill, but also their character. Now, we are looking forward to getting on field in Florida later this month to start the process of naming our final Team USA.”

Two of the six athletes invited to 18U Trials from the 2021 16U/17U NTDP had previously participated in USA Baseball programming. Eric Bitonti (Hesperia, Calif.) was a member of the 2019 14U NTDP, while Dylan Cupp (Cedartown, Ga.) took part in the 14U NTDP one year earlier.

The 16U/17U NTDP and the 2021 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League serve as the primary identification events for the 18U National Team in 2021. The PDP League, which took place in Cary, North Carolina, from July 24-31, is an invitation-based development and assessment opportunity for high school players eligible for the following year’s MLB Draft. It provides athletes with an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and additional programming aimed to prepare players for a professional baseball career.

All six of the athletes invited from the 16U/17U NTDP represent different states, including California, Indiana, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Texas. Together, the 46-man 18U Trials roster features players from 20 states across the country.

The 18U National Team will be led in 2021 by Manager Jason Maxwell, who is serving as a national team manager for the second time after guiding the 15U National Team to its first world championship in 2018. He will be joined on staff by assistant coaches Michael Cuddyer and Jack Wilson, as well as the pitching coach, Adam Moseley.

Team USA’s seven-game friendship series against Canada will take place in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida. The event was added to the international schedule following the postponement of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2021 to next year.

For the most up-to-date information on the 18U National Team, visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABaseball and @USABaseball18U on Twitter.

• 2021 16U/17U NTDP Selections
• (Name; Position; Hometown; School)
• Eric Bitonti; SS/3B; Hesperia, Calif.; Aquinas
• Maxwell Clark; OF/LHP; Franklin, Ind.; Franklin Community
• Dylan Cupp; SS/3B; Cedartown, Ga.; Cedartown
• Walter Ford; 3B/RHP; McCalla, Ala.; McAdory
• Walker Jenkins; OF/SS; Oak Island, N.C.; South Brunswick
• Blake Mitchell; C/3B; Sinton, Texas; Sinton

• 2021 18U National Team Trials Roster
• (Name; Position; Hometown; School)
• Joe Allen; RHP; Hampton Falls, N.H.; Winnacunnet
• RJ Austin; UTIL; Atlanta, Ga.; Pace Academy
• *^Brandon Barriera; LHP; Coconut Creek, Fla.; American Heritage
• ^Eric Bitonti; SS/3B; Hesperia, Calif.; Aquinas
• Tucker Biven; UTIL; New Albany, Ind.; New Albany Senior
• *^Karson Bowen; C; Anaheim Hills, Calif.; Orange Lutheran
• ^Maxwell Clark; OF/LHP; Franklin, Ind.; Franklin Community
• *^Ryan Clifford; OF/1B; Raleigh, N.C.; Pro5 Academy
• Cam Collier; 3B/RHP; Austell, Ga.; Mt. Paran Christian
• Jackson Cox; RHP; Toutle, Ore.; Toutle Lake
• ^Dylan Cupp; SS/3B; Cedartown, Ga.; Cedartown
• Korbyn Dickerson; OF; Jeffersonville, Ind.; Trinity
• Brady Disbro; RHP; Dana Point, Calif.; Capistrano Valley
• Andrew Dutkanych; RHP; Indianapolis, Ind.; Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory
• Jackson Ferris; LHP; Mount Airy, N.C.; IMG Academy
• Cade Fisher; LHP; Dalton, Ga.; Northwest Whitfield County
• ^Walter Ford; 3B/RHP; McCalla, Ala.; McAdory
• Elijah Green; OF; Windermere, Fla.; IMG Academy
• ^Blaise Grove; LHP; Summit Point, W.Va.; Homeschooled
• Gavin Guidry; UTIL; Lake Charles, La.; Alfred M. Barbe
• Adonys Guzman; C; Valley Cottage, N.Y.; Brunswick
• Jackson Holliday; MIF; Stillwater, Okla.; Stillwater
• Jayden Hylton; 1B; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Palm Beach Gardens
• ^Walker Jenkins; OF/SS; Oak Island, N.C.; South Brunswick
• *^Termarr Johnson; MIF; Atlanta, Ga.; Mays
• Jayson Jones; MIF; Savannah, Texas; Braswell
• Druw Jones; OF; Suwanee, Ga.; Wesleyan
• Gavin Kilen; MIF; Milton, Wisc.; Milton
• Paxton Kling; OF; Roaring Spring, Pa.; Central
• Karson Milbrandt; RHP; Kansas City, Mo.; Liberty
• ^Blake Mitchell; C/3B; Sinton, Texas; Sinton
• ^Malcolm Moore; C; Sacremento, Calif.; C.K. McClatchy
• Owen Murphy; RHP; Riverside, Ill.; Riverside Brookfield
• Jack O'Connor; RHP; Arlington, Va.; Bishop O’Connell
• Cole Phillips; RHP; Boerne, Texas; Boerne
• Ian Ritchie, Jr.; RHP; Bainbridge Island, Wash.; Bainbridge
• *^Louis Rodriguez; RHP; Long Beach, Calif.; Orange Lutheran
• *^Michael Romero; MIF; Menifee, Calif.; Orange Lutheran
• Oliver Santos; LHP; Newport Coast, Calif.; Orange Lutheran
• Noah Schultz; LHP; Aurora, Ill.; Oswego East
• Tristan Smith; LHP; Chesnee, S.C.; Boiling Springs
• Chris Stanfield; OF; Tallahassee, Fla.; Lawton Chiles
• ^Riley Stanford; OF/RHP; Gainesville, Ga.; Buford
• ^Sal Stewart; 3B; Miami, Fla.; Westminster Christian
• Tucker Toman; MIF; Columbia, S.C.; Hammond
• Cole Young; MIF; Wexford, Pa.; North Allegheny
•  
• *Denotes USA Baseball National Team alum
• ^Denotes past NTDP participant

CARY, N.C. - The Stars won their first game of the 2021 16U/17U National Team Development Program in the Stars vs. Stripes series finale on Monday afternoon at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina. After only scoring a combined four runs in the first two games of the series, the Stars offense put 12 runs on the board in Monday's contest, holding off a Stripes comeback to win 12-6.

Dylan Cupp went 2-for-3 for the Stars and scored a run while a three-run home run off the bat of Daniel Cuvet highlighted the team's offense. Gavin Grahovac came in later in the game and picked up a hit, two RBIs, and scored a run to spark the Stripes push.

Walter Ford had a solid outing on the mound for the Stars, allowing just one hit and no runs and striking out four batters through the game's first three innings. Ryan Speyshock got the win, pitching after Ford while Chance Mako suffered the loss on the mound for the Stripes.

Key Moments

• Cupp jumpstarted the Stars offense in the second inning, hitting a leadoff single before stealing second and coming around to score on a Ryder Helfrick RBI double, putting the Stars on top 1-0.
• After Helfrick stole third and Bryce Rainer drew a walk, Cuvet sent a three-run blast over the left field wall to stretch the lead to 4-0. The Stars would add two more runs in the inning to go up 6-0 early in the game.
• An inning later, the Stars took advantage of some walks and tough slow rollers to add two more runs and make it an 8-0 lead.
• The Sripes offense got going in the fourth after Blake Balsz and Matthew Clark hit back-to-back leadoff singles. Balsz would come across to score on a wild pitch to put the Stripes on the board and make it 8-1.
• In the bottom of the fifth, the Stripes continued their push for a comeback, scoring five runs, started by a Zach Anderson double that brought in Steven Milam who had drawn a walk to start the inning. Anderson came in on an RBI single into right from Derek Curiel to make it an 8-3 game.
• Dean Curley, who reached on a hit-by-pitch and moved into scoring position on Curiel's single, advanced to third thanks to a fielder's choice off the bat of Matthew Clark. Clark and Curley then both come in to score on a Gavin Grahovac single up the middle to make it 8-5.
• The Stripes brought one more across in the inning to cut the deficit to two, 8-6, heading into the sixth.
• The Stars responded, using several walks and a timely hit from Sebastian David to add four insurance runs in the sixth to reach the final score of 12-6.

Notable Information

• The Stars finished the series 1-2 while the Stripes walked away with the series win, having won the first two contests on Friday and Sunday.
• Cupp (5-for-8) finished with a team-high batting average of .625 for the Stars while Helfrick stole a team-best three bases in the series.
• Clark (4-for-8) led the Stripes offense with a .500 batting average while Grahovac (3-for-7) had a team-high three RBIs.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABDevelops on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2021 NTDP.

CARY, N.C. - The Stripes clinched the 2021 National Team Development Program (NTDP) Stars vs. Stripes series with a 6-4 win in game two on Sunday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Wasting no time, the Stripes got on the board with a three-run first inning to jump out to a 3-0 advantage. They added to their lead in the third and fourth innings to take a 6-0 lead. The Stars started a rally late in the game, scoring runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but were not able to finish it.

Aidan Miller led the Stripes offense, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scoring a run. Eric Bitonti (1-for-1) had a hit and scored two of the Stars' four runs.

James Hays got the start on the mound for the Stripes and allowed no hits in his 2.2 innings of work while striking out two. Wes Mendes got the win on the mound, coming into relieve Hays and pitching two innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Liam Peterson suffered the loss for the Stars, allowing three runs in 1.2 innings pitched.

Key Moments

• A Miller triple brought in two runs in the first and put the Stripes up 2-0 after Matthew Clark hit a leadoff single and Dean Curley drew a walk to put runners on first and second.
• The Stripes added another run in the third when Steven Milam hit an infield single and used aggressive base running on a fielder's choice and an error to come across and make it 4-0.
• In the fourth, Colt Emerson brought in Derek Curiel with a single through the right side to make it 5-0 before one more run came across to give the Stripes a 6-0 lead.
• The Stars first hit of the game came in the top of the fifth when Bitonti reached on an infield single.
• Dylan Cupp followed up the infield single with a ground-rule double that brought in Walker Jenkins, who had walked to start the inning, making it a 6-1 game.
• Theodore Gillen then brought in Bitonti on an RBI groundout to second to cut the Stripes lead to 6-2 in the top of the fifth.
• In the sixth, TayShaun Walton was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch for the Stars to make it a 6-3 game.
• Making their final push, the Stripes scored one run in the seventh when Travis Sykora hit a pinch-hit RBI single to bring in Bitonti but couldn't get anything else, making it a 6-4 final.

Notable Information

• The Stripes clinched the series with today's win and have scored nine runs through the first two games while allowing four. 
• The Stars will look to win their first game of the weekend in tomorrow's series finale at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
• Maxwell Clark leads the Stripes with three hits in the series while Cupp has three hits for the Stars.

On Deck

• Monday, August 9: Stars vs. Stripes (1:30 p.m. ET; Durham, N.C.; Durham Bulls Athletic Park)

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABDevelops on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2021 NTDP.

CARY, N.C. - Team Stripes came out on top, 3-0, in the first of three intrasquad Stars vs. Stripes games to begin the 2021 16U/17U National Team Development Program. After neither team was able to bring anything across in the first three innings, the Stripes usea a two-run fourth inning to take the lead before adding one insurance run in the sixth to pick up the win.

Gavin Grahovac led the Stripes offense, going 2-for-3 and collecting an RBI while Dylan Cupp (1-for-3), Walker Jenkins (1-for-2), Bryce Eldridge (1-for-2), TayShaun Walton (1-for-2), and Eric Bitoni (1-for-2) all had hits for the Stars.

Kade Anderson had a strong start on the mound for the Stripes, throwing three scoreless innings while collecting three strikeouts. Christian Rodriguez (1-0) got the win, pitching a scoreless fourth and fifth while also striking out three. Blake Mitchell (1) got the save, striking out two of the four batters he faced in the sixth. Owen Egan (0-1) suffered the loss on the mound for the Stars.

Key Moments

• Grahovac got the offense going for the Stripes, sending a ground-rule double over the wall in right center in the top of the second.
• He sent a single through the left side to bring in Steven Milam in the top of the fourth to put the Stripes on top 1-0.
• After stealing second and third, Grahovac came across on an error to give the Stripes a 2-0 advantage. 
• The Stripes added to their lead in the sixth after Maxwell Clark singled, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, then scored on a wild pitch to complete the 3-0 victory.

Notable Information

• The Stripes were aggressive on the base paths, stealing three bases in the six inning game.
• Each pitcher for both teams recorded at least two strikeouts in the game, totaling 15 between both teams.

On Deck

• Sunday, August 8: Stars vs. Stripes (12:00 p.m. ET; Cary, N.C.; National Training Complex)
• Monday, August 9: Stars vs. Stripes (1:30 p.m. ET; Durham, N.C.; Durham Bulls Athletic Park)

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABDevelops on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2021 NTDP.

CARY, N.C. - The Stripes are looking to complete the sweep in the 2021 National Team Development Program (NTDP) Stars vs. Stripes series on Monday afternoon after winning games one and two. After playing the first two games in Cary, North Carolina at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, the series shifts to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls, AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, for the series finale.

Notable Information

• The 2021 16U/17U NTDP roster features 44 players that were selected from this year’s National Team Championships in Arizona and North Carolina as well as through recommendations from scouts, coaches, and the amateur baseball community. 
• Nine of the athletes previously participated in the National Team Development Program while five are USA Baseball national team alums.
• Owen Egan (Yucaipa, Calif.), Colt Emerson (Cambridge, Ohio), Gavin Grahovac (Orange, Calif.), and Bryce Rainer (Simi Valley, Calif.) were all teammates on the 2017 12U National Team that won gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan.
• The Stripes won game one of the series 3-0 on Friday afternoon as Gavin Grahovac went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the victory and took game two 6-4 on Sunday, led by a two-RBI performance from Aidan Miller
• Maxwell Clark leads the Stripes with three hits in the series while Dylan Cupp has three hits for the Stars.

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABDevelops on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 2021 NTDP.