TAINAN, Taiwan – After cruising to an 8-2 win over Panama in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup opener Friday afternoon, Team USA is back in action Saturday morning and seeking back-to-back wins. The red, white, and blue will take on Czechia, who is coming off an 14-8 loss against the Dominican Republic.

The U.S., Dominican Republic, and Korea are the three teams in Group B who picked up wins on opening day. The Dominican Republic plated six runs in the top of the sixth to secure the victory over Czechia while Korea allowed only one hit and run-ruled South Africa, 17-0.

In Group A action, Japan, Mexico, and Chinese-Taipei all walked away with a win. Both Japan and Mexico hurled no-hitters while Chinese-Taipei defeated Cuba in the last game of the day.

Team USA, along with four other teams in its pool, is competing for one of two berths in Group B to advance to the World Cup Super Round stage. All team records and Group B standings can be found here.

LAST TIME OUT

Friday afternoon saw Team USA’s Kristian Valadez and Brock Bliss combine for six innings of one-hit ball en route to an 8-2 win over Panama on opening day. Not only did Team USA’s starter toss three innings of no-hit ball, but Valadez’s three-run homer in the fourth inning was a pivotal moment and significantly swung the momentum in the United States’ favor.

The red, white, and blue scored a pair in the first frame and never surrendered the lead, as the squad proceeded to score six more runs including a five run fourth frame, and rack up nine total hits as a team. Christopher Chikodroff was responsible for a third of the team’s hits, as he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Meanwhile, the duo of Valadez and Bliss kept Panama’s bats at bay throughout the duration of the contest. Team USA’s arms combined for six innings of one-hit ball, tallied five strikeouts, and allowed only two runs to score.

More on yesterday’s game can be found here.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Simon Randl (CZE) vs. RHP Barret Schell (USA)

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Czechia is currently 0-1 and is coming off a loss to the Dominican Republic. Despite putting up eight runs, Czechia yielded 14 runs on 15 hits to its opponent.

In yesterday’s outing, Czechia saw three of its players produce multi-hit outings. The team’s right fielder, Lev Prochazka, hit a home run in the team’s first contest and leads the team in RBIs (3). While Czechia may have some offensive firepower at the plate, the team burned through six arms in an attempt to defeat the Dominican Republic.

HISTORY AGAINST CZECHIA

The 12U National Team is 3-0 all-time against Czechia, as this will be the first time the two teams have faced since the 2023 WBSC U-12 World Cup. During that year’s matchup, the U.S. wreaked havoc on the diamond and downed Czechia, 25-0. The two teams first met in 2019, when Team USA once again won by double-digits, 15-0. Over these teams’ three meetings dating back to 2019, the United States has outscored Czechia, 64-0.

TEAM USA STAT LEADERS

• HITS: Christopher Chikodroff (3)
• RBIs: Kristian Valadez (3)
• RUNS: Christopher Chikodroff, Duncan Mount, Kristian Valadez (2)
• TB: Christopher Chikodroff (5)
• BB: Nolan Hatch, Duncan Mount, Kristian Valadez (1)
• IP: Brock Bliss, Kristian Valadez (3.0)
• Ks: Kristian Valadez (3)

GROUP B STANDINGS

Dominican Republic (1-0)

Korea (1-0)

United States (1-0)

Czechia (0-1)

Panama (0-1)

South Africa (0-1)

INSIDE THE ROSTER

The 18-player roster features 12 athletes who were invited to Training Camp following the 11U Futures Invitational, while the remaining six were previously selected from last summer’s 11U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. Overall, 11 states are represented among the 18 players on this year’s roster. Texas leads all states with three athletes, while Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and Virginia are each represented by two players apiece. California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington are responsible for the remaining seven athletes. The 2025 12U National Team roster can be found here.

AT THE HELM

Team USA is led by two-time 12U National Team Manager Bryan Madsen – who helped secure a gold medal and a World Cup qualification last October in Panama. Alongside Madsen is a veteran group of coaches, including Wes Brooks, Erick Quesada, and Roger Wright. Brooks serves as pitching coach for the second consecutive summer while Quesada and Wright will take on assistant coaching roles. Madsen and Quesada make their second appearance on a World Cup roster, having previously served on staff of the gold medal-winning 2023 12U National Team. Likewise, this will be the second consecutive summer that Brooks and Wright suit up in a Team USA uniform.

FOLLOW ALONG

Fans can watch the game here and also follow live stats, while highlights and updates can be found on the 12U National Team Twitter/X account.

SCHEDULE

The schedule for the VIII WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup is as follows:

• July 27 - South Africa - 10:30 p.m. ET (July 26) / 10:30 a.m. local
• July 28 - Korea - 6:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. local
• July 29 - Dominican Republic - 2:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. local
• July 31-August 3 - Super Round/Medal Round - TBD

SOCIAL MEDIA

To follow along with all the action with the 12U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on Twitter/X and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X.