CANCÚN, Mexico – The United States wraps up World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup pool play against Venezuela Tuesday afternoon at Estadio Beto Ávila in Cancún, Mexico. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. local/3:30 p.m. ET.
Team USA has secured a berth to the Super Round, which begins October 1 at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Mexico. Two other teams from Group B will advance to the Super Round. Additionally, the World Championship Final will be played on October 4. All team records and standings can be found HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
Matti Di Maggio homered and collected three hits, while Greyson Wuis added a go-ahead two-RBI triple as the United States defeated Chinese Taipei, 7-1, Monday evening at Estadio Sherwin-Williams Beto Ávila. After Chinese Taipei took an early lead, Di Maggio’s fourth-inning homer tied the game before Wuis put the U.S. ahead. Team USA added four insurance runs over the next two innings, Lathan Boddie earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings, and the bullpen closed out the victory.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Noah Osterman (USA) vs. LHP Santiago David Vásquez Vargas (VEN)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Venezuela is batting .330 as a team with only 15 strikeouts. The squad is led by Carlos Carrasco and Abdiel Pacheco, both who are batting over .400. Additionally, Carrasco leads the team with three doublers and has struck out only once.
On the mound, Venezuela’s pitching staff owns a combined 4.67 ERA and has held batters to a .227 batting average. Despite having surrendered three home runs, its arms boast swing-and-miss stuff, registering 36 strikeouts while the defense has held opponents to only five extra-base hits.
Venezuela’s starter, Santiago David Vásquez Vargas, has made one appearance out of the bullpen, throwing 1.1 innings of one-hit ball against Chinese Taipei.
HISTORY AGAINST VENEZUELA
The 15U National Team is 6-0 all-time against Venezuela, with the teams first meeting in 2014 at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mazatlan, Mexico. In that first contest, the U.S. won 6-2, powered by a 4-for-4 performance at the plate from Brice Turang and a one-hit, 6.0 inning outing from starter Kristofer Armstrong. The U.S. and Venezuela have not played at the 15-and-under level since the 2022 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup when the United States won 5-4.
Since the two teams first met in 2014, Team USA has outscored Nicaragua 46-17. Three contests have been decided by two runs or less, including the last two times these teams met, with those games having been won by a one-run margin. Additionally, this will be the fifth time these two teams have competed in Mexico.
TEAM USA STAT LEADERS
- BA: Raylen Hunter (.706)
- HITS: Raylen Hunter (12)
- RBIs: Greyson Wuis (7)
- RUNS: Raylen Hunter (8)
- TB: Raylen Hunter (18)
- BB: Many tied (3)
- SB: Tyler Early (5)
- IP: Michael Ohman (4.2)
- ERA: Many tied (0.00)
- Ks: Michael Ohman (7)
GROUP B STANDINGS
- United States (4-0)
- Chinese Taipei (3-1)
- Nicaragua (2-2)
- Venezuela (2-2)
- Australia (1-3)
- Czechia (0-4)
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:
- October 1-3 - Super Round
- October 4 - Finals
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. For more information on the schedule including live statistics and streaming, visit HERE.
