In 2023, the 15U National Team went 5-0 in the International Friendship Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Now in 2026, nine of those alumni are competing to make their mark as they look to showcase their talents in on-field activities in front of scouts and Clubs at the MLB combine.

At the sixth MLB Combine, nine former teammates reunite to pursue their professional baseball dreams. Within the pressure of a high-stakes event in front of MLB scouts, they all try to keep the mindset of being the 15-year-olds that loved baseball and loved to represent Team USA.

In reflecting on their experience as they’ve grown up, the theme of remembering a surreal experience stays the same. “It was one of the best things ever to happen to me,” said Blake Bowen, a 15U National Team alum.

Being able to represent the United States means everything to Bowen. "It's what it's all about, [I] love my country,” he said. “[My] family members have served, so it was an honor to play for the team.”

Fellow alum Teagan Scott shares a similar feeling, with pride from representing his country staying with him three years later. “That was everything, putting on the stripes, and standing there for the national anthem. Every time the national anthem gets played, I still get chills.”

The dream to play for Team USA runs in the family for alum Trey Ebel, so all he’s ever known has been to reach for the pride of playing for his country. “It meant everything, it's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” he said. “My brother played for it, my dad coached for it, so… to play for Team USA meant a lot to me.”

The alumni of the 2023 15U National Team all collectively agree that the brotherhood and bonding from playing in the Dominican Republic are what they still remember most about the experience. Running into each other at the MLB Combine brings back fond memories that they all reminisce about.

"It's fun to meet up with all the guys again that I played with [at] Team USA,” said Scott. Bowen feels similarly in that it was “one of the best things with a bunch of great guys, and obviously a bunch of great ballplayers.”

At the MLB Combine, their skills, mental toughness, and physical strength are put to the test. In big pressure moments, these athletes fall back on their training and the practice that got them to this opportunity. Their experience with the 15U National Team acted as the most pivotal experience in taking a childhood love of the game and turning it into a potential career.

“That was kind of the point where I realized I had to grow up a little bit,” said Scott. You go to another country, and the country is nothing like yours,” The experience overall helped Scott realize “how blessed I am, and also that I need to hit another step maturely to be able to play baseball at the next level.”

Being around the best athletes in the United States during their time on the national team brought out the best of the best in these players, but also helped them realign their approach to baseball moving forward. “From being on that team and being around those guys, I've definitely learned that you need to take some sacrifices and work harder,” he said.

Ebel feels like the experience helped his baseball ability as much as it helped him develop into the person he wants to become off the field as well. Some things he took from the experience was “being around good, even better players, and their routine. Being a good human, respecting others, that's the biggest thing I took from that.”

As the alumni look to pursue their professional baseball dreams, the MLB Combine is their first experience at getting swings in a big-league field. “I've worked so hard to get to this spot, and then just seeing all the guys here [with] amazing talent…it's great to be around guys that are better than me [where] I get to push myself and compete with them,” said Ebel.

Scott shares a similar feeling to Ebel, reflecting on how getting the opportunity is something he is very thankful for. “You see all the guys on TV, and then now you're playing on the same field as them and hitting in the same batting cages as them,” he said. “It's a surreal feeling, for sure.”

Being under the shining lights at Chase Field, it can be easy for the prospects to get lost in the moment. With the pressure on their back, the alumni are falling back onto their training, and to what got them here in the first place.

“The day before I left, I went fishing with my buddies [to] try not to overthink it too much,” said Scott. “At the end of day, you're just playing baseball like you do every single day, so it's just on a cooler field in another state.”

Bowen feels similarly, saying “I’m just trying to have fun out here. It's baseball, it's a stressful time for sure, but at the end of the day it's just a game and you’ve got to have fun with it.”

“I spent the last couple months preparing for this,” said Ebel. He wants to go out this week and “just go out there and have fun; it's all in God's hands [to] let it work out.”

Six other 15U National Team alumni are putting in the work to boost their overall prospect ranking. If they forgo the MLB Draft, they will continue on with their baseball at the collegiate level. See below on the nine alumni and their collegiate commitments representing the 2023 15U National Team at the MLB Combine.

• Will Adams (2023 15U) Louisiana State University
• Blake Bowen (2023 15U) Oregon State University
• Trey Ebel (2023 15U) Texas A&M University
• Grady Emerson (2022 & 2023 15U, 2024 & 2025 18U)
• Brady Harris (2023 15U) University of Florida
• Jorvorskie Lane Jr. (2023 15U, 2025 18U) University of Arkansas
• Josiah Morris (2023 15U) Oklahoma State University
• Teagan Scott (2023 15U) Oregon State University
• James Tronstein (2022 & 2023 15U) Vanderbilt University