SARASOTA, Fla. - With the U.S. leading the seven-game friendship series 2-0, the 18U National Team takes on Canada in game three on Sunday evening at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. First pitch of the contest is set for 6 p.m. EDT and it will be the last game hosted at Ed Smith Stadium before the two teams head to St. Petersburg and Bradenton to close out the series.

Right-hander Joe Allen (Hampton Falls, N.H.) will make his debut in the red, white, and blue as Team USA’s starter in game three.

The 18U National Team is taking on international competition for the first time this week since competing at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea, where the U.S. took home the silver medal. Team USA and Canada also last went head-to-head in the Super Round of that tournament, with the red, white, and blue coming out on top, 10-0, in seven innings.

The 18U National Team will be led in 2021 by Manager Jason Maxwell, who is serving as a national team manager for the second time after guiding the 15U National Team to its first world championship in 2018. He will be joined on staff by assistant coaches Michael Cuddyer and Jack Wilson, as well as Brad Penny, who will serve as the team’s pitching coach.

Notable Information

• Team USA leads the 2021 seven-game friendship series against Canada 2-0.
• Blake Mitchell (Sinton, Texas) recorded the first home run of the series on Friday evening, crushing a three-run bomb over the right field wall that gave Team USA a 10-1 lead en route to a 16-2 defeat of Canada.
• Termarr Johnson (Atlanta, Ga.) and Paxton Kling (Roaring Spring, Pa.) kept the power momentum going in game two on Saturday with home runs of their own. Johnson launched a go-ahead grand slam and Kling crushed a 401-foot two-run bomb to pace the U.S. offense in its 10-2 victory.
• With 10 punchouts in five scoreless innings of relief on Saturday, Louis Rodriguez (Long Beach, Calif.) leads both Team USA and Canada in strikeouts so far in the series.
• The 2021 18U National Team was announced on Tuesday and features 26 of the best 18-and-under athletes in the country.
• The 26 members of Team USA represent 15 different states across the country.
• The 2021 18U National Team features four players that have suited up for Team USA at least once in their careers, including four-time alum Karson Bowen (Anaheim Hills, Calif.), three-time alum Ryan Clifford (Raleigh, N.C.), two-time alum Termarr Johnson (Altanta, Ga.), and three-time alum Louis Rodriguez (Long Beach, Calif.)
• Bowen (2018 & 2019 15U) and Clifford (2015 12U, 2018 15U) have both won two gold medals with Team USA, while Johnson and Rodriguez both also helped lead the 2019 15U National Team to a gold medal.
• The roster also features four athletes selected from the 2021 16U/17U National Team Development Program that took place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex August 6-9.
• All three of the coaches joining Maxwell on staff are former MLB All-Stars. Cuddyer earned the honor in 2011 and 2013, while Penny was named to the All-Star Games in 2006 and 2007, and Wilson was an All-Star in 2004.
• All seven of Team USA’s games against Canada will be streamed live on the USA Baseball Facebook page.

On Deck

• September 6: USA vs. Canada (4:00 p.m. EDT; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Tropicana Field)
• September 7: USA vs. Canada (2:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; LECOM Park)
• September 8: USA vs. Canada (1:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; Pirate City)
• September 9: USA vs. Canada (2:00 p.m. EDT; Bradenton, Fla.; LECOM Park)

Social

• Stay tuned to @USABaseball18U on Twitter for the most up-to-date news about the 18U National Team.