Sean McKinney knows what he’s looking for.

He’s looking for players that carry themselves with confidence and poise. He’s looking for strong pitching and lockdown defense. He’s looking for future gold medalists.

Earlier this summer, McKinney served as an assistant coach for Team Light Blue at the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), and now he’s back in Cary for the 15U/16U National Team Identification Series Champions Cup as a member of this year’s NTDP Task Force. As a longtime fixture of the Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball program, he brings nearly two decades of scouting and coaching experience to the search for the next generation of future Team USA players.

After his playing career at Colorado Mesa concluded in 2006, McKinney earned his master’s degree at the University of Wyoming and attended the MLB Scouting Bureau’s Scout School. But he just couldn’t stay away from his alma mater, returning in 2008 after a brief stint as an associate scout for the Colorado Rockies.

While his official title is associate head coach and scouting coordinator, his role encompasses so much more. In addition to his primary duties of scouting players all over the western United States, working with the infielders and coaching first base, he also assists with other team functions such as coordinating strength and conditioning and nutrition.

His experience with all parts of the game have helped shape his multifaceted approach to talent evaluation. To McKinney, who a player is off the field is just as important as their performance on the field.

“You always want guys with confidence that play with presence,” McKinney said. “They play hard, and you can just tell they love baseball. Those are the guys that I look for.”

At events like the NTIS Champions Cup, there’s no shortage of skill talent on the field, so it’s also important to McKinney to look at the way players interact with their teammates and family members. He makes mental notes of little things like the way players speak to their parents and whether or not they carry their own equipment in and out of the park.

But when they’re on the field, there are certain actions and characteristics that can help a player to stand out as well.

“If you're talking about offense, I [look at their ability] on the base paths,” McKinney said. “Great base runners, guys that go first to third, they look to stretch a single into a double. Playing hard like that, reading dirt balls and moving up on bases, I think that's important.”

While the fundamental skills he looks for generally stay the same, the level he’s scouting for plays a factor in his considerations. When looking for incoming talent for his Colorado Mesa squad, he has a bit more flexibility.

“I think that with college guys, there's a little bit more time to develop there, so you can find a guy with some good skills, some good tools, and then you can work with them and continue to grow them," McKinney said. "You can find guys that maybe they can really swing it, and their defense is okay. So you want to work with them there, or the other way around.”

Regardless of where a player is at when they join the program, McKinney has a proven track record of getting them where they need to be. Since he joined the Mavericks’ staff 18 years ago, the program has secured 15 conference titles and have not seen their season win total dip below 35.

With a history of success behind him, McKinney knows what it takes to uphold the gold medal standard and emerge victorious. And while many traits and abilities are taken into consideration as he evaluates players, when it comes to finding Team USA’s next gold medal-winning squad, it can all be simplified to one word: champion.

“I look for if they carry themselves like a champion,” he said. “I look for if they walk around like a champion.”

When he sees this attitude combined with onfield skill and an undeniable love of the game, McKinney knows he’s found exactly what he’s looking for.