CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today finalized the 20-player roster for the 2025 18U National Team that will compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 5-14 in Okinawa, Japan.
The roster announcement comes following the conclusion of 18U National Team Training Camp Phase 2, which featured 42 players and was held from August 24-27 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
“Going back to the middle of July at our first phase of Training Camp, the talent level we have seen has been incredible,” said 18U National Team Manager Rick Eckstein. “It is always difficult to decide a final roster, and this year has been no different. We are confident that the twenty players we have selected to represent the United States are ready to compete for a gold medal next week in Japan.”
The 2025 roster features five Team USA alumni, including Grady Emerson, who is appearing on a national team roster for the fourth summer in a row. Emerson becomes the first player in USA Baseball history to play on two 15U National Teams and two 18U National Teams. He is a two-time gold medalist with the stars and stripes, helping the U.S. win gold at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in 2022 and the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2024.
Two of Emerson’s teammates from the 2022 15U National Team join him on this year’s 18U roster, as Carson Bolemon and Andrew Costello reunite on a U.S. roster after their gold-medal run three years ago. Additionally, Jorvorskie Lane Jr. makes his second national team appearance after playing for the 15U National Team in 2023. Jared Grindlinger rounds out the group of alumni named to this year’s squad; the California native played for the 12U National Team in 2021 and the 15U National Team in 2024, helping the United States go 8-0 across those two summers.
In addition to the five alumni on the roster, 10 total players have experience participating in USA Baseball’s national team development programming. Emerson and Grindlinger were both members of the 2022 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP), while Costello and Jacob Lombard both participated at the 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP). Bolemon, Coleman Borthwick, Will Brick, Lane Jr., Anthony Murphy, and Giovanni Rojas competed at the 2024 16U/17U NTDP, and Grindlinger played at the 2025 16U/17U NTDP in July.
The final 18U National Team roster was named following the conclusion of the 18U National Team Training Camp, which was held in two phases (July 18-22 and August 23-27). Both phases of camp featured four intrasquad games, on-field workouts, Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) athletic assessments, and more. Eighty-eight players competed at Training Camp Phase 1, and 42 players were at Phase 2. The athletes were coached by a star-studded coaching staff, including former big leaguers Rick Ankiel, Josh Beckett, Homer Bush, Troy Glaus, Sam Freeman, Luke Gregerson, Michael McKenry, Doug Mientkiewicz, Tim Raines Jr., Jeff Reboulet, Brian Schneider, Stephen Strasburg, and Jack Wilson.
The 2025 18U National Team will be managed by seven-time Team USA coach Rick Eckstein. He will be joined on staff by his brother, 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein, along with two-time MLB All-Star Brad Penny and longtime high school coach Steve Stone.
Team USA is the only nation to have competed in all 31 editions of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. The stars and stripes have won 10 world championships, second to only Cuba’s eleven, including five of the last seven. Overall, the 18U National Team has earned 16 gold medals, including its most recent title at last year’s WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in Panama City, Panama.
The U.S. will begin its title defense on September 4 against Panama. First pitch is set for 9:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. local time (September 5). Follow @USABaseball18U on X and @USABaseball on Instagram to keep up with the 2025 18U National Team. Click HERE to view the schedule for Team USA.
The full roster for the 2025 18U National Team is as follows:
Name - Position - Hometown - School
*^Carson Bolemon - LHP - Greenville, S.C. - Southside Christian School
^Coleman Borthwick - UTIL - Freeport, Fla. - South Walton
^Will Brick - C - Memphis, Tenn. - Christian Brothers
James Clark - INF - Santa Ana, Calif. - St. John Bosco
*^Andrew Costello - C - Erie, Pa. - Cathedral Prep
Brody Crane - RHP - Neosho, Mo. - Neosho
*^Grady Emerson - INF - Argyle, Texas - Fort Worth Christian
*^Jared Grindlinger - LHP - Huntington Beach, Calif. - Huntington Beach
Jaden Jackson - INF - Redondo Beach, Calif. - St. John Bosco
Cole Koeninger - UTIL - Keller, Texas - Keller
*^Jorvorskie Lane Jr. - OF - Grapevine, Texas - Grapevine
^Jacob Lombard - INF - Miami, Fla. - Gulliver Schools
^Anthony Murphy - OF - Corona, Calif. - Corona
Trey Rangel - RHP - The Colony, Texas - The Colony
^Giovanni Rojas - UTIL - Coral Springs, Fla. - Stoneman Douglas
Aiden Ruiz - INF - Queens, N.Y. - The Stony Brook School
CJ Sampson - INF - Tomball, Texas - Tomball
Brody Schumaker - INF - Ladera Ranch, Calif. - Santa Margarita Catholic
Matthew Sharman - RHP - Woodstock, Ga. - Etowah
Kaden Waechter - RHP - St. Petersburg, Fla. - Tampa Jesuit
*denotes USA Baseball alumni
^denotes USA Baseball development program participant
