CANCÚN, Mexico – Team USA takes on Nicaragua on day two of the 2026 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup Saturday morning. First pitch is set to be thrown at 10:30 a.m. local/11:30 a.m. ET at Estadio Beto Ávila in Cancún, Mexico.
Team USA, along with five other teams in Group B, are competing for three berths to the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Super Round, which is set to be held October 1-3, while the World Championship Final will be played on October 4. All team records and standings can be found HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
Team USA opened the 2026 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Friday afternoon with a dominant 9-2 win over Czechia in Cancún. The U.S. jumped out to a four-run first inning and scored in all six offensive innings, powered by key hits from Matti Di Maggio, Paxton Scoggin, Chris Worrell Jr., and a solo homer by Greyson Wuis. Six pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and just one walk to secure the victory.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Jose Jimenez (NIC) vs. RHP Nathan Handley-White (USA)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Nicaragua held its own through the first three frames in its first game of the week against the reigning BFA U-15 Asian Championship winner, Chinese Taipei, on Friday morning. The contest remained scoreless until Chinese Taipei broke through in the fourth and pulled away for a 9-0 win over Nicaragua. Three batters for Nicaragua combined for the team’s five hits, led by designated hitter Nestor Garcia and first baseman Jordan Walters, who each produced a pair of base hits. Nicaragua managed to put the ball in play, striking out only five times as a team. Additionally, its defense only committed one error, and managed to turn three double plays.
On the bump, Nicaragua used five arms in the opening contest. Two players tossed 2.0 or more innings, while the remaining three combined for 1.2 innings pitched. Its pitching staff struggled to find the zone at times, walking seven batters total. When the arms did find the zone, they pitched to contact, surrendering nine hits while punching out only two batters.
HISTORY AGAINST NICARAGUA
The 15U National Team is 3-0 all-time against Nicaragua, with the teams first meeting in 2015 at the COPABE Pan Am “AA” Championships. In that first contest, the U.S. won in a six-inning affair, 17-2, powered behind a 15-hit barrage. The last time these two teams met was in the second game of last year’s WBSC U-15 Pan American Championship - Central and North America. In that game, the United States scored seven runs in the eighth inning en route to defeating Nicaragua, 11-4, in extra innings.
Since the two teams first met in 2015, Team USA has outscored Nicaragua 40-8, with the U.S. scoring double digit runs in all of three contests. This will be the third time these two teams compete in Mexico, and first time in a World Cup setting.
TEAM USA STAT LEADERS
- BA: Matti Di Maggio, Raylen Hunter (.750)
- HITS: Matti Di Maggio, Raylen Hunter (3)
- RBIs: Greyson Wuis (2)
- RUNS: Matti Di Maggio, Christopher Worrell Jr. (2)
- TB: Matti Di Maggio (6)
- BB: Paxton Scoggin (2)
- IP: Micahel Ohman (2.0)
- ERA: Many tied (0.00)
- Ks: Michael Ohman (3)
GROUP B STANDINGS
- Chinese Taipei (1-0)
- United States (1-0)
- Venezuela (1-0)
- Australia (0-1)
- Czechia (0-1)
- Nicaragua (0-1)
INSIDE THE ROSTER
The 2026 roster features seven USA Baseball national team alumni, with all seven having been on either the 2023 12U National Team World Cup Qualifier roster, World Cup roster, or both. Eleven players on the roster have participated in USA Baseball national team development programming, while one player boasts experience in past development events jointly hosted in partnership with Major League Baseball. Twelve states are represented on the 2026 15U National Team roster, with California leading all states with four players, while Alabama follows with three players. Florida and Texas each boast a pair of athletes, while nine states–Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin–each account for a player apiece. More information on the 2026 15U National Team Roster can be found HERE.
AT THE HELM
The 2026 15U National Team will be led by the same coaching staff that guided last year’s gold medal-winning squad. Three-time Team USA coach Casey Scott returns as manager for a second consecutive summer, while two-time Team USA medalist and former 15U National Team manager Drew Briese serves as pitching coach. Four-time assistant coach Steve Butler returns to the dugout, and JD Pruitt will make his second straight stint as assistant coach. More information on the 2026 15U National Team coaching staff can be found HERE.
SCHEDULE
The schedule for the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup is as follows:
- September 27 - vs. Australia - 10:30 a.m. local/11:30 a.m. ET
- September 28 - at Chinese Taipei - 6:30 p.m. local/7:30 p.m. ET
- September 29 - at Venezuela - 2:30 p.m. local/3:30 p.m. ET
- October 1-4 - Super Round/Finals - TBD
FOLLOW ALONG
To stay up to date with the USA Baseball 15U National Team, follow along with @USABaseball15U on Twitter/X, and @USABaseball on Instagram. All games will be streamed on GameTime.Sport, while fans in the United States can also view games on BallySports.com or in the Bally Sports Live app on the MiLB Channel and MiLB Extra Channel. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.
