Coming back to the USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) in Cary, N.C., Colt Carter is returning to his second stop on the USA Baseball pipeline this year after competing in the Athlete Development Program (ADP) earlier this summer. Participating in the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) for the second time in as many years, Carter is representing the Southeast Stripes in the fight for the NTIS Champions Cup.
Continuing his pipeline journey at the ADP this year, Carter took part in a week's worth of development from USA Baseball’s coaching staff. With workouts and intrasquad scrimmages being a primary source of their development, the players took what they learned from practices into the games.
“ADP was a special experience for me,” said Carter. “The coaching staff helped me get a sense of what I am good at and what I could work on to help me get better as a player.”
At the ADP, players have plenty of time to reflect on what they learned not only from the coaches but also from fellow teammates. With players coming from a plethora of different experiences and backgrounds, talking amongst teammates helped players develop and grow from each other.
For Carter, one trait that he learned through the coaching staff and his teammates was toughness. Being able to fight through tough situations is a key part of any baseball player's development, and Carter showed the willingness to compete through the good and the bad.
“One of the things I learned was how to battle adversity,” explained Carter. “I liked learning how to get along with people I had just met to improve our team chemistry.”
With a plethora of decorated coaches leading the ADP such as Bobby Hill and Jim Maciejewski, there were plenty of mentors for Carter to learn from and an abundance of information to digest. As a two-way player, Carter sought to enhance his pitching skills alongside his hitting to become a well-rounded player.
“It was really special to be out there with a bunch of great coaches; they taught me a bunch of new things and it was a great experience going out there and improving every day.”
Now back at the NTC and participating in his second NTIS, Carter has played a key role for the Southeast Stripes and its recipe for success. He is aware not only of how special it is to be back at a premier facility and competing against the other top players in the country, but also knows the high expectations for this event.
“It means a lot to be back here and taking on NTIS,” said Carter. “Taking on some of my friends I made at ADP and getting to play against the best competition is really fun.”
Representing your region at NTIS is a huge honor; with the process being a lengthy endeavor of multiple training sessions and tryouts to earn a roster spot and represent your region on the biggest stage. The directors only take the best of the best.
“It means so much to me to be able to represent the Southeast and play with kids from all over the region; it is an unreal experience.”
At the end of this week, 12 players from the 13U NTIS will be selected to go to next year's ADP. Carter will look to be selected from NTIS in back-to-back years after the conclusion of this event and continue his development and journey on the diamond.
