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MIAMI, Fla. – Team USA fell to Japan, 3-2, in front of a sold-out crowd in the title game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night at loanDepot Park. The U.S. finished the tournament with a 5-2 record in the fifth edition of the event.

After the U.S. grabbed an early lead, Japan (7-0) jumped in front in the bottom of the second and held the lead for most of the game. Team USA threatened throughout the game, outhitting Japan 9-5 and getting within a run entering the ninth inning, but was unable to scratch the tying run across.

Trea Turner continued his record-breaking performance in the World Baseball Classic by getting the scoring started for the U.S. on Tuesday. With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the second inning, Turner launched his fourth home run in the past three games to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. The 406-foot blast to left, which was Turner’s fifth, tied him for the most home runs in a single World Baseball Classic (Seung Youp Lee, 2006), and broke the U.S. record for RBIs in a single tournament with 11.

Japan tacked on two runs in the bottom of the second, but U.S. reliever Aaron Loup entered the game with the bases loaded and was able to limit the damage to keep the game within striking distance at 2-1.

The stars and stripes squandered a scoring chance in the top of the third, drawing a pair of walks to put two on with two out for their hottest hitter in Turner. But he was unable to deliver this time, striking out to strand the baserunners.

Japan tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer to take a 3-1 lead, and Team USA threatened again in the fifth and seventh innings. Singles by Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado got the U.S. crowd on its feet in the top of the fifth, but an inning-ending fly out halted the rally and kept the U.S. deficit at two. Pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil led off the top of the seventh inning with a four-pitch walk and Betts singled to put two on with no outs, but a fly out and double play ended the threat.

Kyle Schwarber got the U.S. back within a run in the bottom of the eighth. The lefty fouled off six consecutive pitches before smoking the 10th pitch of the at-bat into the upper deck in right field for his second home run of the tournament to cut Team USA’s deficit to one.

McNeil drew a walk to lead off the top of the ninth against Shohei Ohtani, but a double play ball from Betts and a Trout strikeout ended Team USA’s tournament with a silver medal.

Betts (2-for-5) and Turner (2-for-4, HR, RBI) paced the offense with multi-hit games, while Schwarber’s (1-for-3, HR, RBI) homer provided the only other run. Trout (1-for-5) picked up a hit for the sixth consecutive game and reached base in all seven games of the tournament, the only U.S. player to do so.

Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (0-1) lasted 1.1 innings and surrendered two runs on three hits to suffer the loss. The stars and stripes got solid work out of the bullpen, which allowed just one run over the final 6.2 innings pitched. Kyle Freeland provided the bulk of the work in relief, turning in three innings of one-run baseball. Jason Adam, David Bednar, and Devin Williams all pitched scoreless innings.

Trout and Turner both represented Team USA on the All-Tournament Team for their standout performances. Trout batted .296 with a homer and seven RBIs for the stars and stripes, reaching base at a .406 clip throughout tournament play. Turner hit a tournament-leading and record-tying five homers and drove in a team record-setting 11 runs, batting .391 and leading the team with a 1.483 slugging percentage.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVE STATS

MIAMI, Fla. – Trea Turner continued his World Baseball Classic tear with two home runs, and the U.S. hit a team-record four blasts to lift Team USA to a 14-2 win over Cuba in the semifinals on Sunday night at loanDepot Park. With the win, the U.S. clinches its spot in Tuesday’s title game and will aim to defend its world title against the winner of the second semifinal between Japan and Mexico.

The United States will appear in the World Baseball Classic championship game for the second straight tournament after beating Puerto Rico in the 2017 title game.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, the U.S. offense wasted no time taking a lead it would not relinquish on the night. The stars and stripes scored in each of the game’s first six innings and seven of their eight turns at bat overall, marking the first time in Team USA’s history that it scored in six straight innings at the World Baseball Classic.

Paul Goldschmidt started the scoring for Team USA in the first with a two-run shot to go up 2-1. The 112 mph-home run drove in the 13th and 14th first-inning runs for the stars and stripes in the tournament, giving them the second-most all-time in a single World Baseball Classic (Korea, 19 in 2009).

The U.S. left the yard again in the second inning, this time off the bat of Turner. After hitting a go-ahead grand slam in Saturday’s quarterfinal, Turner stayed hot and crushed another no-doubter, a 428-foot solo shot to left, to increase Team USA’s lead to 3-1. Turner became only the second U.S. player in history to hit home runs in back-to-back World Baseball Classic plate appearances, joining his U.S. hitting coach, Ken Griffey Jr. (2006 vs. South Africa).

Nolan Arenado singled in the bottom of the third before a hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases for Pete Alonso, who roped an RBI-single to left to plate Team USA’s fourth run. The lead grew to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by Tim Anderson, bringing Kyle Schwarber home for the second run of the inning.

Cuba added a run in the fifth, but Team USA’s offense continued to pour it on in the middle innings, scoring another two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a commanding 9-2 lead. St. Louis Cardinals teammates Arenado and Goldschmidt were in the middle of the scoring, as Goldschmidt drew a walk and came around to score on Arenado’s RBI-triple down the right field line in the fourth. Arenado–whose triple gave the U.S. a tournament-leading six three-baggers–later scored on a wild pitch before Goldschmidt smoked a two-run single in the fifth for the seven-run advantage.

The U.S. outburst continued into the bottom of the sixth after Will Smith began the inning with a double and Jeff McNeil drew a walk to bring Turner to the plate. He continued his dominant two-game stretch, demolishing a three-run blast to left to extend the lead to 12-2.

Mookie Betts and Mike Trout combined to score another run for Team USA in the sixth, as Betts singled and scored on a line-drive double from Trout. After entering as a pinch runner in the seventh inning, Cedric Mullins put the finishing touches on the victory with a solo homer on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth for the team’s fourth longball of the night to make it 14-2.

Adam Wainwright (2-0) got the start for the United States and withstood a stressful first inning before settling down to toss four frames of one-run ball. Wainwright, who now owns a 2.25 ERA in tournament play, scattered five hits and struck out one batter to earn the win. Miles Mikolas followed Wainwright and pitched four solid innings of relief, allowing just one run and striking out three before Aaron Loup got the final three outs in the top of the ninth to advance Team USA to the finals.

The stars and stripes tallied 14 hits for the second night in a row. Betts (3-for-6) and Turner (3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) combined for almost half of the knocks, while Arenado (2-for-3, RBI) and Goldschmidt (2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI) also contributed multi-hit games. Mullins (1-for-1, HR, RBI) homered in his only at-bat, becoming the seventh U.S. player to homer in tournament play.

Including Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Venezuela, the U.S. scored 23 runs on 28 hits over the past two games.

Following Turner’s two-homer night on Sunday, he now owns the U.S. record for most home runs in a single World Baseball Classic (4) and is tied with Griffey Jr. and David Wright for the most RBIs in a single tournament (10). He is also the tournament leader in homers and is tied for the most RBIs.

Team USA returns to action on Tuesday night for the World Baseball Classic title game against the winner of Mexico vs. Japan. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

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MIAMI, Fla. – Trea Turner launched a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the eighth inning to lift Team USA to a 9-7 quarterfinal win over Venezuela on Saturday night at loanDepot Park. The U.S. secured its spot in the World Baseball Classic semifinal round with the win.

It will be Team USA’s second-consecutive trip to the World Baseball Classic semifinal round and its third overall.

Trailing by two runs in the top of the eighth, the United States (4-1) put together a furious rally capped by Turner’s grand slam to take the lead. Tim Anderson drew a leadoff walk, Pete Alonso hit a pinch-hit bloop single, and J.T. Realmuto was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out for Turner. After a pitching change, Turner fell behind 0-2 before crushing a grand slam deep over the left-field wall to put Team USA in front for good, 9-7.

Turner’s grand slam was the third in Team USA’s history at the World Baseball Classic and the first since David Wright’s slam against Italy in 2013.

The U.S. kicked the game off with five consecutive hits in the top of the first to take an immediate 3-0 lead in the quarterfinal matchup. Mookie Betts led off the game with an infield single and came around to score when Mike Trout blooped a single to center field and Venezuela’s Ronald Acuña Jr. made a throwing error to advance the runners. Trout was then plated on an RBI-knock by Paul Goldschmidt, and–after a Nolan Arenado single put runners on the corners–Kyle Tucker singled up the middle to bring home Goldschmidt.

It was the first time the U.S. had five consecutive hits without recording an out in a World Baseball Classic game since 2006 against South Africa.

Venezuela (4-1) responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the first to trim its deficit to one. Then, the stars and stripes put a leadoff batter on for the third time in the first four innings in the top of the fourth to kick off another run-scoring frame. Kyle Schwarber pulled a base hit past the shift into right field and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on a Betts sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 in favor of Team USA.

With two outs and nobody on, Tucker added to the red, white, and blue’s lead in the top of the fifth. The lefty launched a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to give the U.S. a 5-2 advantage, becoming the fifth different player to homer for Team USA in the tournament.

Venezuela capitalized on wild U.S. pitching and timely hitting to take a 6-5 lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth and taking the lead for the first time in the game. The lead grew to 7-5 on a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh before Turner’s heroics capped Team USA’s four-run eighth inning.

Lance Lynn started on the mound for the United States and pitched four solid frames in a no-decision, allowing just two runs in the bottom of the first. Lynn finished his night by striking out the potential game-tying run in the bottom of the fourth for one of his two punch-outs on the night. David Bednar (1-0) earned the win after allowing a run in an otherwise uneventful seventh. Adam Ottavino and Devin Williams each recorded two strikeouts in scoreless innings, and Ryan Pressly (2) turned in a perfect ninth to earn his second consecutive save.

Team USA’s offense showed up on Saturday night and pieced together 15 hits, a tournament high for the stars and stripes. All nine players in the starting lineup collected a hit in the win, including Tucker (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI). Arenado (2-for-5), Goldschmidt (2-for-5, RBI), and Realmuto (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games for the United States. Turner (1-for-3, 4 RBI) and Tucker both had multiple-RBI games for the red, white, and blue, who had four extra-base hits.

Team USA is back in action on Sunday night against Cuba (3-2) in the World Baseball Classic semifinal round. The first pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and the game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Tech went into a series finale against rival Georgia in desperate need of some quality innings from its starting pitchers after getting just 5.2 innings combined with 11 runs allowed from Dawson Brown and Josiah Siegel in losses in the first two games of the series.

Fourth-year sophomore righthander Jackson Finley gave the Jackets exactly that in a 4-1 win over the Bulldogs.

He threw four innings, giving up two hits and one run with two walks and four strikeouts, throwing 39 of his 62 pitches for strikes. He also worked out of a real jam in the fourth inning, when Georgia scored one and threatened for more with two men on and one out. Strikeouts of Parks Harber and Cole Wagner got him out of it.

“I thought it was huge,” Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall said of Finley’s outing. “He pitched out of a jam in his last inning and that’s just good for him. I think it’s a good confidence booster for him. We’re asking him to do a lot, so just happy that he got out of that inning and then we can just kind of keep building from there.”

On its face, that outing doesn’t necessarily stand out, but it was precisely what Georgia Tech needed to set up the rest of the game, as relievers Ben King and Terry Busse took it home from there.

There’s a lot to like about Finley, starting with his performance through four starts. In 17.2 innings, he’s given up 13 hits and three earned runs with four walks and 11 strikeouts. His ERA sits at 1.53.

But beyond that, Finley just looks the part of a Friday starter. He’s got a solid frame at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds and a four-pitch mix headlined by a low-90s fastball that will touch the mid 90s. And it only helps that he’s now two years removed from the Tommy John surgery that cut short his 2021 season and limited him in 2022.

The thing about it is that he can’t really be Georgia Tech’s Friday starter, though. He doubles as one of the Yellow Jackets’ best hitters — he ranks second on the team in average at .426 and leads the team with seven homers and 22 RBIs — and the coaching staff wants to give him a day off after he pitches. So Tech tried using him as the Sunday starter originally, then moved him up to Saturday last week against Notre Dame, which kept him out of the lineup Sunday.

Now that he’s gone through a few weeks of pulling double duty, Finley is learning more and more each time out about how he has to manage his body and all the other considerations that come along with being a two-way player.

“It has definitely been a little bit of a challenge, just keeping the body in shape,” Finley said. “It’s a lot more taxing, I’d say, but now that I’m starting to get more of a routine, I’m getting used to it and it’s getting a little easier.”

Finley hasn’t gone more than five innings or 82 pitches in any of his four starts, but that should change as time goes on. The coaching staff is being intentional about building him up so that he can be a workhorse once conference play is in full swing.

“That’s what we’re trying to get to, kind of taking it week to week, (and) 60-something (pitches) this week, so hopefully we can get him 70-plus, 75 and then just kind of start building him as we go,” Hall said.

Finley feels like that’s the way he’s headed as well.

“The pitch counts have been pretty steady now in the 60s and 70s, so as long as the arm keeps feeling good, I’ll be able to stretch it each outing,” he said.

A true Friday guy (even if he doesn’t pitch on Fridays) is what the team needs him to be, frankly, because circumstances have been such that Georgia Tech is really looking for answers on the mound.

This was always going to be an area of concern for the Yellow Jackets after they lost every pitcher who started more than four games last season and every pitcher who threw more than 39 innings.

Since this season started, the injury bug has also bitten. Logan McGuire, a high-ceiling righthander who might have actually turned out to be Tech’s Friday starter at some point this season, went down after throwing just 1.1 innings in a start two weekends ago against Tennessee Tech. Additionally, lefthander Camron Hill has been out since the second game of the season, and while his initial role was going to be as a reliever, it further hindered the team’s depth.

Neither of those injuries are expected to be season-ending at this point, but it does mean it’s on everyone else to help keep things afloat until the unit is back at full strength.

Finley is certainly doing his part.

Photo credit: GT Athletics/Danny Karnik

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• Bishop Verot vs. Aquinas
• Blessed Trinity vs. Bishop Gorman

Bracket Four of the 2023 National High School Invitational features three returning schools in Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nev.), Bishop Verot High School (Fort Myers, Fla.), and Blessed Trinity Catholic High School (Roswell, Ga.), along with first-time participant Aquinas High School (San Bernardino, Calif.).

All four of these schools have experienced rosters that showcase some of the nation’s top prospects, and with three of them having prior experience at the NHSI, this bracket is a tough one to advance from into the semifinals.

AQUINAS

Aquinas will make its NHSI debut this month and will bring a talented roster to Cary. Last year, the Falcons put together an impressive 28-3 record, including an 11-1 ledger in league play, and reached the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Championship. This year they were tabbed the No. 31 team on MaxPreps’ Preseason Top 25 List.

Aquinas’ top player on its roster is senior shortstop Eric Bitonti, rated the No. 42 prospect in this year’s draft class by Baseball America. Standing at 6’5” and 215 pounds, the Oregon commit has plus raw power and is anticipated to do some damage at the plate during the NHSI. Bitonti is already familiar with the National Training Complex as he is a two-time National Team Development Program participant and took part in last year’s Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League and 18U National Training Camp. So, returning to the NTC for the NHSI could warmly welcome the West Coast native.

In addition to Bitonti, 10 other players on its roster have committed to play Division I baseball, including two-way player Owen Egan, who will attend UCLA in the fall. Like Bitonti, Egan has USA Baseball ties as he is a two-time alum, having played on the 2016 and 2017 12U National Teams that earned a silver medal at the COPABE Pan Am “A” Championship and won gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup, respectively. Additionally, he is a three-time NTDP participant as he was at the 14U NTDP in 2018 and 2019 and the 16U/17U NTDP in 2021.

BISHOP GORMAN

Bishop Gorman will be returning to Cary for the first time since it took part in the inaugural edition of the NHSI in 2012. One of the more iconic high school programs from the western part of the country, the Gaels finished 10th on _Baseball America_’s final 2022 high school team rankings after finishing runner-up at last year’s Nevada 5A State Championship with a 35-9 overall record.

The Gaels began the season ranked 26th on MaxPreps’ Preseason Top 25 List and returned five players who earned All-Southern Nevada Team honors. Among that core group of returners are infielders Maddox Riske and Easton Shelton. Riske, a sophomore committed to play at Southern California, led last year’s offense as he slashed .417/.466/.625 at the plate. Likewise, Shelton is the team’s leading power threat after hitting 12 home runs last season.

BISHOP VEROT

The 2023 edition of the NHSI will be Bishop Verot’s third overall appearance at the event, including its second straight after participating last year. Its debut was in 2014, when it closed out the event with three wins by outscoring its opponents 23-4.

Last year, the Vikings compiled a 16-11 record, including an appearance in the first round of the Florida 3A State Championships. This season will be intriguing for Bishop Verot as several underclassmen made a big impact on last year’s squad, and they will be expected to lead the team in 2023.

Key returners from last year’s squad include junior shortstop Maddix Simpson and senior right-hander Aidan Knaak. Simpson led the team offensively last year with a .460 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, and .597 slugging percentage, while Knaak, a Clemson commit, posted a 1.77 ERA in a team-high 51.1 innings in the 2022 campaign.

BLESSED TRINITY

Blessed Trinity returns to the NHSI this year after making its debut in 2019 when it made a run to the semifinals with wins over Marist High School (Chicago, Ill.) and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

The Titans put together a 22-11 overall record in 2022, highlighted by a 13-2 ledger in region play, and reached the second round of the 5A Georgia State Championship.

Pitching will be Blessed Trinity’s key to making a run at this year’s event as it returns top prospects Porter Buursema and Jake Lankie from last year’s team. Buursema, a right-hander committed to Georgia Southern, will be one of the harder throwers in this event, as he can touch 95 mph. Lankie, a Georgia commit, has a solid three-pitch mix and can throw any pitch at any time to keep hitters off balance in the box.

The 10th annual National High School Invitational is set to begin on Wednesday, March 29, at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with the championship game slated for April 1 on Coleman Field. The event is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV.

For more information on the NHSI, visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABEvents on Twitter and Instagram and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Mike Trout hit the go-ahead single in the top of the fifth and the bullpen combined to toss six innings of scoreless relief as Team USA beat Colombia, 3-2, on Wednesday night at Chase Field. With the win, the U.S. advances to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal round on Saturday night in Miami, Florida.

The U.S. has now advanced out of pool play in all five editions of the World Baseball Classic, joining Japan and Puerto Rico as the only nations to accomplish the feat.

Trailing by a run in the top of the fifth, the U.S. (3-1) used heads-up baserunning and clutch hitting to retake the lead. Will Smith drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Mookie Betts singled and took second on the throw to put two in scoring position for Trout with one out. Just as he did on Monday night, Trout delivered, roping a two-run single to left to put Team USA in front 3-2. It was one of three hits for Trout on the night, who went 4-for-6 with six RBIs and two walks over the last two games.

The U.S. bullpen held Colombia (1-3) scoreless over the final six innings to secure the stars and stripes’ spot in the quarterfinals. Colombia mustered just two hits off Team USA’s relievers, who struck out nine batters. All seven relief pitchers recorded at least one strikeout, including Jason Adam, who struck out the side in the seventh. Ryan Pressly (1) entered in the ninth and worked around a two-out infield single to record the save.

Both sides exchanged zeroes over the first two innings on Wednesday. The U.S. threatened immediately in the top of the first when Trout hit a one-out triple and Paul Goldschmidt walked, but Colombia starter Luis De Avila induced an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam.

Team USA starter Merrill Kelly tossed a perfect opening frame before escaping trouble in the second. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out for Colombia, but Kelly got the next two batters to pop out and ground out to get out of the inning unscathed.

The U.S. cracked the scoreboard in the top of the third, picking up back-to-back hits with two outs. Betts started the rally, working a six-pitch at-bat before singling to right field and advancing to second on a wild pitch. Trout then continued his tear by finding an open space in the shift for a single to plate Betts and give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.

Colombia responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, and both teams went down quietly in the fourth inning before Trout’s two-run knock put the red, white, and blue in front by a run in the fifth. Trout’s single gave him three RBIs for the second consecutive game, making him the first U.S. player to drive in three or more runs in back-to-back World Baseball Classic games.

The top of the order paced the U.S. offense on Wednesday. Betts (2-for-4, 2 R) and Trout (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) set the tone for the stars and stripes, accounting for more than half of the team’s hits. Nolan Arenado (1-for-4) and Trea Turner (1-for-3) were the only other players to register a hit for Team USA.

Kelly got the start for the United States, tossing three innings and allowing a pair of runs. The bullpen was nearly perfect over the final six frames, combining for nine strikeouts. Kendall Graveman (1-0) entered in the fourth and pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win. Adam struck out the side in the seventh, while Devin Williams punched out a pair in his perfect eighth. Daniel Bard and David Bednar also turned in scoreless frames in relief before Pressly entered in the ninth to seal the victory.

Team USA will take on Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal round on Saturday at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. The game will be nationally televised on FOX, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Capped by a three-run homer from Mike Trout, Team USA put up a tournament-record-tying nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back en route to a 12-1 run-rule victory over Canada in seven innings on Monday night at Chase Field. The U.S. now sits atop the Pool C standings with a 2-1 record.

The United States is now one win away from clinching its spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal round.

The nine-run first was the most runs the U.S. has ever scored in a single inning at the World Baseball Classic and tied the tournament’s overall record. The stars and stripes got to work immediately as Mookie Betts led off with a base hit, and the U.S. quickly loaded the bases thanks to a pair of walks. Nolan Arenado then ripped his team-leading third double to left field to drive in a pair and open the scoring. Kyle Tucker followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Paul Goldschmidt, and J.T. Realmuto hit an RBI-single up the middle to increase the lead to four.

After Trea Turner drove in the fifth run of the inning on an RBI-fielder’s choice, Cedric Mullins brought him home by smacking the first pitch he saw for an RBI-triple to the wall in right field. Then, Trout put the finishing touches on the record-tying frame with a three-run blast to left-center, giving the stars and stripes a 9-0 lead. In total, the U.S. sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, with both Betts and Trout reaching base twice in the inning.

Canada cracked the scoreboard with a run in the top of the second before Team USA’s bats got back to work in the home half of the inning. After a leadoff walk to Arenado, Tim Anderson split the gap in right-center field for an RBI-triple, the second three-bagger of the night for the United States. Anderson quickly came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Realmuto, andTurner followed with a mammoth shot to left field to extend the stars and stripes’ lead to 12-1. Turner’s 409-foot blast was the fourth of the tournament for Team USA, giving them the most home runs in Pool C.

While the U.S. offense dominated, the pitching followed suit. Starting pitcher Lance Lynn (1-0) set the tone for the red, white, and blue, turning in five innings of two-hit baseball, allowing just one run. Lynn punched out six and did not walk a batter in the win. Miles Mikolas entered in relief and delivered a similarly strong performance on the mound, pitching two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to lock down the win.

Arenado (1-for-3, 2 RBIs), Realmuto (2-for-2, 2 RBIs), Trout (1-for-2, 3 RBIs), and Turner (1-for-4, 2 RBIs) all drove in multiple runs in the victory. Eight of the nine batters in the starting lineup registered at least one hit for the U.S., which collected six extra-base hits. Anderson (2-for-3, RBI) and Mullins (1-for-3, RBI) both had a triple to give Team USA a tournament-leading three. Additionally, six different U.S. players scored multiple runs on Monday night.

Team USA returns to action Wednesday night for its pool play finale against Colombia (1-1). The game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1, with first pitch set for 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. MT. The U.S. would clinch its spot in the quarterfinal round with a win.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Trailing 11-2 heading in the bottom of the eighth inning, Team USA attempted to rally but ultimately fell short in an 11-5 loss to Mexico in front of a lively sold-out crowd on Sunday night at Chase Field. The U.S. fell to 1-1 in Pool C with the loss and currently sits in a three-way tie for second place with Canada and Mexico.

Mexico took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a two-run homer. The stars and stripes responded in the bottom of the second thanks to a one-out triple from Kyle Tucker and an RBI-single by Tim Anderson, but Mexico would get that run back in the top of the third with a pair of infield singles and a blooper to right.

Mexico tacked on another four runs with two outs in the top of the fourth inning against reliever Brady Singer to take a commanding 7-1 lead. Will Smith hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to cut into the deficit, but Mexico added four more runs in the top half of the eighth to extend its lead to 11-2.

The red, white, and blue attempted to rally in the bottom of the eighth, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three runs. Bobby Witt Jr. drove in the first run of the inning with a pinch-hit RBI-double to right-center before Anderson picked up his second run-scoring hit of the night, smacking a two-run double down the left field line to plate two more runs to bring the score to 11-5. Jeff McNeil led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left field but that would be all the stars and stripes could muster in the final frame.

Starting pitcher Nick Martinez (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing three earned runs in 2.2 innings. Aaron Loup, Adam Ottavino, and Ryan Pressly all turned in scoreless innings of relief for the U.S., which used eight total pitchers in the defeat. Singer and Bard both surrendered four runs in their relief appearances.

Anderson paced the U.S. offense on the night, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Mike Trout (1-for-2) reached base three times, singling and drawing a pair of walks. Half of the U.S. hits were for extra bases on Sunday, with doubles from Anderson and Witt Jr. (1-for-1, RBI), a triple from Tucker (1-for-3), and Smith’s (1-for-4, RBI) home run.

Team USA continues pool play against Canada (1-0) on Monday night at Chase Field. The game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1, with first pitch set for 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. MT.

BOX SCORE – PLAYS – CUMULATIVE STATS

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nolan Arenado had three hits and Kyle Schwarber delivered a clutch three-run homer to lift Team USA to a 6-2 win over Great Britain in the first game of its World Baseball Classic title defense on Saturday night at Chase Field.

The win is the first of manager Mark DeRosa’s coaching career and puts the U.S. atop the Pool C standings alongside Colombia at 1-0.

Despite the final score, Great Britain put early pressure on Team USA early after getting the scoring started on Saturday. With one out in the top of the first, Trayce Thompson hit a solo home run to give the British a 1-0 lead. Great Britain continued to put runners on base in the following two frames, but U.S. starter Adam Wainwright was able to dance around trouble in the second and third to keep Team USA within a run.

As Wainwright kept the British offense in check, the U.S. offense put runners on base in both the first and second innings but couldn’t capitalize. AnArenado single sandwiched between a pair of walks loaded the bases with two outs for Team USA in the opening frame, but Great Britain starter Vance Worley induced an inning-ending groundout to escape the threat. J.T. Realmuto then doubled in the second and reached third base on a groundout, but Worley got Mookie Betts to pop out to keep the British in front by a run heading into the third.

The stars and stripes got back to work in the third inning, and Worley could not keep them off the scoreboard this time. After Paul Goldschmidt reached on an error with one out in the frame, fellow St. Louis Cardinals teammate Arenado drove him home with an RBI-double down the left-field line. Then, with two outs and runners on the corners, Kyle Tucker lined an RBI-single up the middle to plate Arenado and give Team USA a 2-1 advantage.

The U.S. offense kept its foot on the gas in the bottom of the inning, putting a pair on via a walk and hit-by-pitch and bringing Schwarber to the plate. Then, he delivered the biggest swing of the night, belting a three-run homer over the right-field wall to put Team USA in front, 5-1. Schwarber’s blast was the first homer for Team USA in a World Baseball Classic opening game since 2009, when Adam Dunn, Brian McCann, and Kevin Youkilis all went yard against Canada.

The U.S. pitchers continued to post zeroes on defense, and the bats stayed hot in the bottom of the sixth, and, again, it was Arenado and Goldschmidt in the middle of the action. Goldschmidt snuck a leadoff single through the left side and came around to score just two pitches later when Arenado roped another double down the left-field line to put the stars and stripes up 6-1.

Wainwright (1-0) earned the win after pitching four innings of one-run ball, finishing with four strikeouts. He turned it over to the bullpen in the fifth, and the relievers combined to pitch five innings, giving up a single run in the top of the seventh. Jason Adam was the first pitcher out of the U.S. pen, tossing a perfect fifth before Kyle Freeland took over in the sixth. The southpaw punched out three batters in his three innings of work, giving up a run on an RBI-groundout in the seventh.

David Bednar entered in the ninth and was dominant, working around an infield single and striking out three to secure the opening game victory.

The U.S. offense tallied nine hits in the win, with seven different players picking up at least one knock. Arenado (3-for-5, 2 RBIs) finished the night with three hits, becoming the first U.S. player with three hits in a World Baseball Classic game since Ben Zobrist did it against Canada in 2013. Goldschmidt reached base four times, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and reaching on an error.

Nick Martinez will take the mound for Team USA (1-0) on Sunday against Mexico as it looks to improve to 2-0 in Pool C. First pitch is set for 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m MT at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.

DIRECTV is sponsoring the US Baseball Team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

All of the jerseys that USA Baseball wears in games at the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be adorned exclusively with a DIRECTV patch on the left sleeve, the national governing body and the Nation’s Leader in Satellite Television announced today. The project was also outlined in a recent Sports Business Journal piece

The jersey patch is just one part of DIRECTV’s sponsorship of the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic. Other elements of the sponsorship include in-stadium signage. 

“We are excited for the upcoming World Baseball Classic and to take the field as the defending world champions,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “This is a truly unique event that showcases international baseball at the highest level, and we are thrilled to have great partners like DIRECTV showing their support for USA Baseball.”

"DIRECTV is proud to be a part of USA Baseball as they play for a prestigious world championship,” said Vince Torres, DIRECTV Chief Marketing Officer. “We can’t think of a better way to show support for America’s favorite pastime than to get behind the National Team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic."

This is the first time DIRECTV, long the nation’s leader in local Major League Baseball programming, thanks to unsurpassed availability of Regional Sports Networks, has sponsored a team in the WBC.

The Stars and Stripes Open Play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic on March 11 Against Great Britain at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona – All U.s. Games in the 2023 Wbc Be Televised on Fox and Fs1, Available on Both Directv and Directv Stream.

Payton Tolle turned in a performance for the ages on Saturday. Pulling double duty as the starting pitcher and designated hitter against Oakland, he struck out a career high 10 batters, allowing just one earned run on two hits and a walk in the Shockers’ 17-5 win over the Grizzlies. But that’s only half the story. He also helped his own cause by going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a double, a home run and six RBIs – another career high. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a game quite like that,” Tolle told D1Baseball. “I mean there’ve been games in high school where I’m pitching well, but I can’t quite find the hitting or hitting well and can’t quite find the pitching, but everything was just ticking on Saturday. I don’t really know what happened or what I did to be able to get that going. In the moment, I was just taking one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time and good things just kept happening.”

Tolle made an immediate impact as a freshman last spring, going 4-6, 4.48 in the weekend rotation, while also slashing .317/.357/.471 with three home runs in limited action at the plate. He broke out at last year’s Frisco Classic, taking home MVP honors while navigating the Shockers through an undefeated weekend with standout performances on the mound and at the plate. Limited to just over 100 at-bats last season, Tolle didn’t hit on the days when he pitched and he platooned at designated hitter. 

Interim skipper Loren Hibbs explained that he and his staff had a plan to increase Tolle’s two-way responsibilities this season and credited Tolle with his commitment to bringing the plan to fruition. 

“We’re a lot better coaches when he’s in the lineup as a pitcher/DH versus just being the pitcher,” said Hibbs. “We all saw that this weekend. With his work ethic, what he’s done and the way he competes is top end. We just want nothing but good things for him moving forward. We’re going to stay with the routine that’s worked well for him to this point and keep running him out there and keep putting him in the lineup as a DH.”

Both Tolle and Hibbs appreciate that being a two-way player at this level requires a special level of commitment on behalf of the student athlete. Hibbs believes Tolle is up for the challenge. 

“You’ve seen him in person, he’s huge” said Hibbs. “He’s a big kid; a strong kid. He’s really committed to building his body up in the year and a half now that he’s been here. It’s a credit to him, his work in the weight room. It’s hard to do both. It’s hard to be a two-way player at this level.”

Tolle attributes that willingness on behalf of the program to continue to allow him to develop on both sides of the ball as one driving factor in him choosing the school.

“Recruiting for me was different I feel like because there were some schools that were saying, ‘Yeah, we’ll let you two-way,’ but it didn’t seem like they really wanted it,” Tolle said. “And then there are also schools that said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a hitter,’ and some schools said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a pitcher.’ Then whenever I started talking to Wichita State, they seem like they were super on-board with me being a two-way. I thought this was the best chance I’ve got. I believe that they want me to do this, I think they believe in me.” 

Tolle went on to refer to Wichita State as one of his dream schools. He has family ties to the university as his mother is an alumnus, and it was close to home for the Yukon, Oklahoma native. For all those reasons, Tolle described the decision as a no-brainer, knowing it was exactly where he needed to be.

When asked if he prefers hitting or pitching, Tolle chooses all of the above. 

“I love doing both on the same day,” said Tolle. “I have always said ever since I was in high school, middle school, whatever — I’m going to ride this two-way train until they tell me to stop. I’m not going be the one to pick what I do. Somebody’s going to have to tell me; I won’t be able to make that decision for myself.”

After last weekend’s standout performance, Tolle is – perhaps unfairly – drawing comparisons to former Wichita State two-way star and College Baseball Hall of Famer Darren Dreifort, who starred for the Shockers from 1991-1993 before embarking on a nine-year MLB career. 

A veteran with more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, Hibbs recruited and coached Dreifort at Wichita State. While he stopped short of comparing the two players, he recognizes just how special the day was for the sophomore.  

“I think [Payton] will tell you he’s not to that level yet,” said Hibbs. “But if he keeps working and he’s still doing what he’s done at this point; he’s got a chance to do some special things like Darren did here.”

“There’s one-of-one with Darren Dreifort, that’s it,” Hibbs continued. “But what Payton did this past weekend is definitely Darren Dreifort-like. I’m just really proud of him; he’s a tremendous, tremendous young guy. He’s just worked his tail off and he loves to compete.”

Wichita State two-way talent Payton Tolle (Kai Caddy/Peak Events)

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Tolle is an imposing figure on the mound as well. He employs a three-pitch mix that includes an 88-91 mph fastball, an improving breaking ball and he shows remarkable comfort in turning over his changeup. While he doesn’t blow hitters away with premium velocity, his length helps him get great extension toward the plate, allowing the fastball quality to play up and get on hitters in a hurry. 

Tolle has been working with former Shockers great and MLB veteran Mike Pelfrey to refine his arsenal. The humble Midwestern young man that Tolle is, he was quick to credit his pitching coach and his catcher for his recent success. 

“Talking to Coach Pelfrey this past week about my starts the first two weekends, we really just wanted to focus on conviction, believing in every pitch and throwing every pitch with confidence,” Tolle said. “That’s something that I went into the game knowing that I wanted to do. Every pitch was going be the best pitch that I throw. I trust Mauricio [Millan] my catcher and he calls a great game. We’re starting to think a lot alike now. Whenever he throws down a sign, I believe it and he believes it. Whenever we’re going together it’s a great feeling when things are rolling.”

Offensively, the loudest tool in the shed for Tolle is his massive raw power from the left side. There’s bat speed to complement the sheer strength, resulting in the ball jumping off his bat. Moreover, he’s able to drive the ball to all fields. An aggressive hitter, Tolle is looking to do damage when he steps to the plate. 

“Something that me and Coach [Mike] Sirianni have talked about is that I really just try to be in attack mode,” Tolle said. “Just seeing a pitch that I can hit and driving it right back up the middle. I feel like I can hit to all sides of the field, so that makes it to where I’m not just looking for inside [pitches]. I’m looking for heaters, I’m looking for hard stuff, I’m looking for stuff that I can hit and I’m always in attack mode.”

Even with the success he had as a freshman and the hot start in the encore, Tolle may just be scratching the surface of his considerable potential. Hibbs was complimentary of Tolle’s maturity, his budding leadership and his team-first mentality.

So how long will Tolle ride the two-way train? Hibbs has no plans to pump the breaks. 

“I think he’s realized that he’s physically gifted enough, if he can get in the right spot mentally which he’s really improved with that, that he can dominate the game at any time against anybody,” Hibbs said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. I think he’s realized that, and I think the more times that he gets out there and gets a chance to have success, the more confidence he’s going to get. We’re just trying to provide them the opportunity to be a baseball player because he loves playing. It’s really not too hard to write his name in the four-hole, trust me. T-O-L-L-E. That’s pretty simple, I can do that.”

D1Baseball.com is your online home for college baseball scores, schedules, standings, statistics, analysis, features, podcasts and prospect coverage.

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• Jesuit (Portland) vs. Calvary Christian
• Huntington Beach vs. Basha

Bracket Three of the 2023 National High School Invitational features two returning programs in 2016 champion Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Calvary Christian High School (Clearwater, Fla.), as well as first-time participants Basha High School (Chandler, Ariz.) and Jesuit High School (Portland, Ore.).

With a returning champion in Huntington Beach, combined with one returning program and two teams making their NHSI debuts, the first-round matchups in this bracket will be one to watch for fans at the National Training Complex. Will experience lead the way or will a newcomer make a name for themselves in Cary?

HUNTINGTON BEACH

Huntington Beach looks to capture its second NHSI title in what will be its sixth appearance in the last seven editions of the event. When it makes the trip to Cary, the Oilers will tie the record with Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) for most appearances at the NHSI. Huntington Beach has had a lot of success in Cary, as it has one of the top win percentages among all participants in the event with a .700 mark. Not only did they take it all in 2016, but they also reached the tournament semifinals in 2015 and 2022.

One of Huntington Beach’s top players and potential top draft prospects is catcher and first baseman Ralphy Velazquez. A two-time USA Baseball alum, Velazquez helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the 2016 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier and win its third consecutive gold at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Additionally, he participated in the 2019 14U National Team Development Program. Ranked No. 59 in the MLB Draft Class by Baseball America, Velazquez is an advanced hitter who makes it difficult for pitchers to get him out at the plate.

The Oilers return 14 players who are all Division I commits from last year’s squad that advanced to the NHSI semifinals, went 25-9, and defeated JSerra Catholic in the finals to clinch the CIF Southern California Division I Championship. JSerra Catholic is also in this year’s NHSI field. If both win their brackets, the NHSI could see a rematch of last year’s CIF championship in the championship game on Saturday, April 1.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN

Calvary Christian returns to Cary for the first time since 2018, when it reached the semifinals. A perennial powerhouse in the state of Florida, the Warriors finished 18th in Baseball America’s final high school rankings last year and are ranked No. 3 in this year’s MaxPreps’ Preseason Top 25. Calvary returns 13 players who are headed to play at the college level from last year’s team that advanced to a regional semifinal in the Florida 3A State Championship.

Within that core group of returners are top 2023 MLB Draft prospects Liam Peterson (No. 69), Hunter Dietz (No. 115), and Landon Maroudis (No. 129). The three of them combined for 20 of the team’s 26 wins on the mound last season and all three participated in last year’s Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League at the National Training Complex in Cary. With their size and control, this trio of seniors is bound to help the Warriors make a deep run by giving other teams’ hitters a tough time at the plate.

BASHA

Basha will be making its first-ever trip to the National Training Complex this year and will look to make some noise in this tournament. The Bears, historically one of the best baseball programs in the state of Arizona, are coming off a 17-13 season in 2022 where they reached the second round of the 6A Arizona State Championship.

One key player for fans to keep their eye on is junior outfielder Max Madrid, a Washington commit. Last year he led the team in batting average (.418), on-base percentage (.515), and slugging percentage (.636).

JESUIT

Like Basha, Jesuit (Portland) is ready to showcase its talent in its NHSI debut. The Crusaders compiled a 20-4 record, including an 11-2 ledger in league play, and made it to the second round of the Oregon 6A State Championship in 2022.

Facing senior right-handed pitcher Noble Meyer will be a daunting task for Jesuit’s opponents to get past. Standing a 6’5” and 200 pounds, he has been rated the No. 15 prospect in this year’s MLB Draft and a top prep pitcher by Baseball America. With a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s and a deceiving slider, Meyer was named a unanimous Baseball First Team All-American last year and participated in the PDP League last summer in Cary.

With Meyer’s elite arm on the mound and Calvary’s top tier pitching trio of Dietz, Maroudis, and Peterson, Jesuit’s matchup with the Calvary Christian Warriors will be a marquee game in the first round of the NHSI.

The 10th annual National High School Invitational is set to begin on Wednesday, March 29, at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with the championship game slated for April 1 on Coleman Field. The event is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV.

For more information on the NHSI, visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABEvents on Twitter and Instagram and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today finalized the 2023 18U National Team coaching staff with the addition of veteran national team coaches Butch Chaffin and Jason Maxwell. They will assist Team USA in its world title defense at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 1-10 in Tainan, Taiwan.

Chaffin and Maxwell join manager Michael Cuddyer and pitching coach LaTroy Hawkins on this year’s staff. Already a world-champion winning manager, Maxwell will make his fourth overall appearance on a national team staff, while Chaffin will make his third.

“Butch and Jason are two veteran coaches who fit perfectly on our coaching staff,” said 18U National Team Director Brett Curll. “Both of these elite coaches will bring experience from the high school and international levels to combine with the professional experience already on staff. Butch and Jason both have gold-medal pedigrees, which will be essential to our world title defense, and we are excited for them to don the red, white, and blue once again.”

Chaffin returns to the 18U National Team coaching staff after first serving as an assistant coach with the program in 2010. His most recent assignment for the U.S. was as an assistant coach with the 12U National Team in 2017, when he helped guide the stars and stripes to a gold medal at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan. Chaffin coached the hitters as Team USA batted a tournament-best .423 and outscored opponents 107-43. His national team coaching debut came seven years earlier with the 18U National Team in 2010 as the U.S. went 19-2 overall, including a 7-1 record at the 2010 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Chaffin led the pitching staff that summer, coaching future MLB All-Star Lance McCullers Jr. and helping the pitchers post a 1.62 ERA and a .153 batting average against.

Currently in his 24th year as the head coach at Cookeville High School (Cookeville, Tenn.), he owns a career record of 536-180 and has been named District 7-AAA Coach of the Year five times, as well as Region Coach of the Year three times. Chaffin, who has also served as the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association President, previously worked for Tennessee Tech as its hitting coach and with the Kansas City Royals in the special assignments department. He has also been involved with USA Baseball since 2008. Chaffin has assisted in various capacities, including as the USA Baseball Task Force leader at numerous National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cups. He was also the field coordinator at the inaugural 13U Athlete Development Program (ADP) in 2019 and coached at the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League. Additionally, Chaffin was named the 2020 USA Baseball Volunteer Coach of the Year due to his contributions to the Fun At Bat program.

Maxwell is back on the 18U National Team staff after serving as the program’s manager in 2021. In that role, Maxwell led a U.S. roster full of future first-round draft picks – including Jackson Holliday, Termarr Johnson, and Druw Jones – to a friendship series victory over Canada. This summer will mark his fourth appearance on a Team USA coaching staff and second as an assistant. In addition to managing the 18U National Team in 2021, Maxwell was also at the helm of the 15U National Team in 2018. That year, he guided the stars and stripes to the program’s first-ever world championship as they claimed gold at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Chiriqui, Panama. The U.S. went 8-1 in tournament play and defeated host Panama in the title game. Later that year, the team was named the 2018 USA Baseball Team of the Year, and Maxwell was honored as the 2018 USA Baseball Developmental Coach of the Year. Maxwell was also an assistant for the 2016 15U National Team that earned a bronze medal at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Iwaki, Japan.

Maxwell is the head coach at Ensworth School (Nashville, Tenn.), where he has led the program for the past 18 seasons after becoming the first coach in program history in 2004. The Tigers have made three Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) quarterfinal appearances under Maxwell’s watch, including their most recent trip to the quarterfinal round in 2021. Before he became a coach, Maxwell was an all-conference player at Middle Tennessee State University in 1992 and 1993 before being selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He played 12 years of professional baseball, including parts of three seasons in the major leagues. After making his big-league debut with the Cubs in 1998, he appeared in 103 games over two seasons with the Minnesota Twins in 2000 and 2001. Maxwell wrapped up his minor league career in 2004, finishing with 991 hits, 103 home runs, and 487 RBIs.

Maxwell has also served as the field coordinator for the 2017 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP) and has worked at numerous National Team Training Camps, the USA Baseball National Team Championships, and the NTIS Champions Cup throughout his tenure with USA Baseball.

Chaffin and Maxwell join Cuddyer and Hawkins to complete the 2023 18U National Team coaching staff. A two-time MLB All-Star, Cuddyer is making his managerial debut with the stars and stripes after playing for the 18U National Team in 1996 and 1997. Hawkins–a 21-year MLB veteran who is one of just 13 relievers in league history to register a save against all 30 Clubs–will be the pitching coach.

The 2023 PDP League will again serve as the primary identification event for 18U National Team Training Camp. The PDP League is an invitation-based development and assessment opportunity for high school players eligible for the following year’s MLB Draft. It provides athletes an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and additional programming to prepare players for a professional baseball career. The 2023 PDP League will take place from June 26-July 3 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The 18U National Team program owns nine world championships and 15 overall gold medals, most recently winning gold at both the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup and the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2022. Overall, the U.S. has earned 27 medals in WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup play, the most of any nation.

The entire 2023 18U National Team schedule will be announced at a later date.

Ball State Head Coach Rich Maloney has been involved in the game for a long time. A four-time MAC and two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Maloney has had the opportunity to play a direct role in the development of several talented young men that have gone on to enjoy success at the next level.

In his 28 years as a head coach at the collegiate level, however, Maloney has never seen anything like he witnessed last weekend.

Redshirt sophomore righthander Ryan Brown made a pair of relief appearances for the Cardinals at the Swig & Swine College Classic in Charleston, South Carolina. He struck out 17 of the 20 batters he faced spanning 6 1/3 innings over two appearances, picking up the win in both contests. The only blemish on his pitching line was a lone walk allowed.

“That performance was the best I’ve ever seen, ever,” Maloney said. “I had tears in my eyes in the huddle. I got choked up because I said, ‘guys, this dude put our team right on his back.’ This is pretty special and he’s earned it.”

In Ball State’s second game of the tournament, a 5-4 win over Rutgers, Brown entered the game in the top of the eighth with the score tied 4-4 and retired the side in order, all three on swinging strikeouts. After Ball State took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the inning, Brown returned to the mound in the ninth and induced a foul out, issued a walk and struck out the final two batters of the game, both swinging, while picking up his second win of the season.

Brown’s second appearance of the weekend came one day later on Sunday, going 4 1/3 against Canisius in a 6-1 win. He took the mound in the top of the fifth with two outs and a runner on second. He promptly recorded the third out of the inning and ended up striking out 11 batters in a row. The 12th batter he faced hit a weak ground ball out, but the 13th and final batter he faced struck out swinging, giving him 12 punchouts on the day in another win for both Ball State and Brown.

For context, Maloney has coached numerous high-profile arms at Ball State. Look no further than Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates from the 2022 MLB Draft.

In more recent years some of the more notable pitchers, and draft picks, have been Zach Plesac, Drey Jameson, Kyle Nicolas, Chayce McDermott and Tyler Schweitzer, the Chicago White Sox fifth-round pick last July. Bullington played five years in the big leagues with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toronto and Kansas City. Plesac has been a starting pitcher for Cleveland the past four years, Jameson made his big league debut with Arizona last September and both Nicolas and McDermott finished the 2022 season at the Double A level.

Brown appears to be next in line, ready to follow his fellow Ball State hurlers at the professional level, and what truly makes him so unique is his signature pitch, a Vulcan changeup.

Photo credit: Ball State Athletics

Many of the greatest closers in the history of Major League Baseball have possessed a pitch that defined their greatness. Growing up I distinctly remember Bruce Sutter’s splitter. More recently Trevor Hoffman’s changeup and Mariano Rivera’s cutter were readily synonymous between the pitch and the person that threw them, pitches that every single person knew were coming but were still so good hitters never had a chance more often than not.

“I learned it my freshman year, just basically messing around outside of our dorms with my roommate, Ty Johnson,” Brown said of the pitch’s origin. “I didn’t have a changeup coming into college because I was a catcher my whole life. My freshman year was my first year really pitching, so I had to learn a changeup. I started playing around with some [grips] and was very comfortable throwing that split-change, the Vulcan change. I started throwing it in games and I started getting a lot of swing-and-miss on it, so it kind of just evolved from there.

“So, basically the only thing I’m really thinking about it is I’m throwing it like a fastball – I don’t think it’s the movement that makes it good, I think it’s more of the deception of how it looks out of my hand. It’s definitely been my bread and butter for a couple of years now.”

The Vulcan changeup differs from a split-fingered change in that the ball is placed in between the middle and ring fingers as opposed to the index and middle fingers (imagine Stark Trek’s Spock addressing you with his standard Live Long And Prosper greeting, only with a baseball stuck in the middle of his Vulcan fingers). It differs from a split-fingered fastball in that it is thrown like a changeup, allowing the grip, as opposed to any pronation, to work its magic as the pitch disappears downward as it crosses the dish.

“That’s kind of my rule of thumb, I don’t like to manipulate pitches too much,” Brown added. “I like to use the way I naturally throw and try to make the most out of that. According to my grip the pitch moves how it’s going to move, so I don’t really think about releasing the ball a certain way.”

In addition to this outlier offering Brown also throws hard, usually sitting in the 92-94 range with his fastball, touching 95 frequently with a 96 appearing from time to time. Those velos are expected to climb as the weather warms up and as Brown continues to add strength to his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame. He’s also working on a slider, a pitch he’s able to dump in to a steal a strike, but at this point in time he hasn’t needed it much given the success of his Vulcan change.

The swing-and-miss metrics are ridiculous, something scouts have taken note of in previous viewings with their interest intensifying through two weekends of play.

Brown’s first appearance of the season came in Ball State’s very first game on the road against Charlotte. Similar to his more recent appearances Brown entered the game in the fourth inning and went the rest of the way. While he did strike out 10 batters he also walked nine, allowing just one hit without giving up a run and picking up his first win of the season.

“Honestly last weekend was equally impressive in a different way,” Maloney said of Brown’s first appearance. “Last weekend when we opened the season we faced a good Charlotte team and I brought him into the game and the margin was basically zero to make a mistake. His line was nine walks and 10 strikeouts, and he got the win. Who does that? A lot of people would say, ‘ugh, he walked nine guys.’ I would say, ‘that showed some moxie.’ That dude had to make big pitch after big pitch to get himself out of his jams, and he did it. A lot of guys would have broke.”

Brown admits he’s not overly mechanical when it comes to pitching. That doesn’t mean he just wildly fires from the mound, but he takes more of a naturalist approach, letting his body and its motion throw the ball he feels most comfortable with. He redshirted his entire first year on campus, arriving to Ball State as a catcher in high school as a native of Harrison Township, Mich., that would take the mound late in games to close things out. At the time he was just hurling fastballs, but his size and arm strength started to draw the attention of college recruiters.

A year ago as a redshirt freshman Brown was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after going 4-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 13 relief appearances. In 31 2/3 innings he struck out 50 batters and only allowed 17 hits, but he did issue 25 walks. The walks are largely contributed to his fastball command. Brown has a remarkable ability to command his Vulcan change but his ability to place his fastball has been inconsistent to this point of his pitching career, which essentially is a two-year work in progress.

“There’s a mechanical tweak I did make,” Brown said of the difference between the first weekend of play and the second. “I don’t really focus on mechanics too much most of the time, it’s more mental, but I made a switch the past week of just keeping my head still and trying not to get out of my mechanics. I’m throwing everything with intent, controlled intent. That mixed with not being afraid to pound the zone, to let my stuff play up, a mix of those two things were what helped.

“Confidence is a big thing for me. Every time I pitch – regardless if it’s the last outing at Charlotte where I had nine walks – I don’t think about that the next outing. I pitch with the same confidence and I use the mental skills I’ve learned to just flush it, move on to the next outing and keep going. I’m not focused on any of the failures of old outings.”

An Exercise Science major at Ball State, Brown has learned a great deal about his body during his studies. Upon graduation he would like to pursue physical therapy, a potential career that could be put on pause considering how much interest he’s going to draw between now and this year’s draft in mid-July.

For now Maloney intends to keep Brown in the bullpen, using him as an effective, somewhat old-school stopper reminiscent of closers of old. Ball State is supposed to get their closer from last year back at some point in time this spring, as Sam Klein has been unavailable to pitch to open the 2023 season after recording 11 saves a year ago. Should Brown get the call to start he has proven in extended relief appearances that he can certainly handle the added innings, and as his slider continues to develop he also has the requisite three pitches to start.

It’s also believed amongst scouts that Brown could be recording outs in the big leagues right now in the exact same role he’s currently being used given the swing-and-miss metrics his Vulcan change elicits.

Those possibilities aren’t in Brown’s mind at this point in time. He is focused on what he can control and that includes helping to guide Ball State to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 despite winning the MAC regular season championship a year ago.

“Our goal is to win the MAC again and get to a regional,” Brown said. “We’ve been in quite a drought, we haven’t been in a regional since ’06, so everyone’s hungry to get to a regional. I think we could really do some damage because we have a lot of returners that came back, upperclassmen in the mix with a lot of JUCO guys and freshmen that are going to make a big impact.

“Last year I know the guys we had on the team, the veterans – the quality of pitching and hitting that we had – we all knew that it was unfortunate that we couldn’t close out the [MAC] Tournament because I think that team would have been really special if we had made a regional. It just makes us hungrier this year.”

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• Houston County vs. JSerra Catholic
• Hagerty vs. Brother Rice

Bracket Two of the 2023 National High School Invitational features three returning schools in Brother Rice High School (Chicago, Ill.), Hagerty High School (Oviedo, Fla.), and JSerra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) along with Houston County High School (Roswell, Ga.) who will be making its NHSI debut next month.

This bracket shows a lot of depth, with three of the four schools making runs in their respective high school state tournaments last year, highlighted by Brother Rice’s Super Sectional Championship title and JSerra’s California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) SoCal Division I Championship runner-up finish.

BROTHER RICE

Brother Rice will return to Cary for the first time since 2017, when the Crusaders made their debut in the NHSI. As aforementioned, they are fresh off a Super Section Championship title and reached the Illinois 4A State Championship semifinals after compiling an impressive 36-6 record, including a 16-2 ledger in conference play, in the 2022 season.

The Crusaders finished in the top 40 of Baseball America’s final high school rankings last year and were tabbed the No. 39 team in the nation in MaxPreps’ 2023 preseason rankings as it returns a lot of its pitching depth, speed, and defense from last year’s squad.

Among its returners are all-state caliber players Cole Van Assen (RHP), Amir Gray (INF), and Bryce Nevils (OF/C). Van Assen, who is currently uncommitted, is one of the top pitchers in Illinois, while Gray is slated to play at Purdue next year and Nevils is a Western Kentucky commit. These three seniors will play a key role in Brother Rice’s potential to have a strong showing at this year’s event.

HAGERTY

The 2023 edition of the NHSI will be Hagerty’s second appearance in the event, with its first time coming in 2019. The Huskies are a perennial power in Florida and have produced several impressive draft prospects as they will look to bring those strengths back to Cary.

Last year, Hagerty finished with a 17-12 record on the diamond and reached the semifinals of the Florida 7A State Championship.

For two key players on its squad, seniors Garrett Baumann and Talan Bell, the National Training Complex will be a familiar place for them. Baumann, a right-handed pitcher who has committed to UCF, participated in last year’s Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League in Cary. He is slated to be one of the more physical players at the event, standing at 6’8” and weighing 240 pounds. With a unique fastball, changeup combination, and the potential to touch 96 mph, Baumann has the chance to dominate on the mound and give hitters a tough time at the plate.

Bell is a two-way player who will attend Florida State next fall and has been tabbed the No. 64 player by Baseball America in the 2024 high school class. Bell was invited to the 16U/17U National Team Development Program last summer in Cary and helped Team USA win gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in the fall. Bell has a lot of projectability on the mound; at the plate he is someone with a patient approach who can hit for gap power.

HOUSTON COUNTY

Houston County will look to make some noise in its NHSI debut next month after a strong 2022 high school campaign where the Bears went 28-6, highlighted by a 9-0 record in region play, and reached the third round of the Georgia 6A State Championship. Houston is set to bring a wealth of experience and pitching depth to Cary with 17 returners, including 11 with starting experience from last year’s squad.

Standout infielder/outfielder Drew Burress, a Georgia Tech commit, is no stranger to USA Baseball as he was a part of the 2019 15U National Team that won gold at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier and was invited to last year’s PDP League at the National Training Complex. Burress led all players in Georgia with 17 home runs and is listed as the No. 86 prospect in Baseball America’s 2023 draft class. With his impressive bat speed, plus running skills, and ability to play defense all over the field, Burress will be someone for fans and other teams to watch in this event.

JSERRA CATHOLIC

JSerra Catholic, a West Coast powerhouse, is set to make its second overall appearance next month at the NHSI after a strong debut in 2015. After a tough 1-0 loss in its opener, the Lions managed to win out in consolation play and outscore their opponents 13-5.

JSerra is coming off a 25-11 season and finished runner-up to Huntington Beach in the CIF SoCal Division I Championship. The Lions finished 28th in Baseball America’s final 2022 high school rankings and were tabbed the No. 2 team in MaxPreps’ 2023 Preseason Top 25 Poll.

With Huntington Beach being on the other side of the bracket, there is potential for a highly anticipated CIF SoCal Division I Championship rematch between the Oilers and Lions.

JSerra returns 20 players from last year’s squad, including 16 pitchers, which makes the Lions’ pitching staff capable of making some noise at the NHSI. USA Baseball alum and LSU commit Matthew Champion, along with UC Santa Barbara commit J.J. Hollis, will look to anchor the pitching staff as the two right-handers threw a combined 106 innings and collected nine wins last year. Champion will return to Cary for the second time in less than a year as he participated in the 16U/17U NTDP last summer and was on the 18U National Team with Houston County’s Bell, winning gold at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier.

On the offensive side of the ball, senior infielder Trent Caraway, an Oregon State commit, is ranked the No. 70 overall prospect in Baseball America’s 2023 draft class. He is an offensive-oriented infielder with plus power who has the ability to be a top-three-round draft pick this summer.

The 10th annual National High School Invitational is set to begin on Wednesday, March 29, at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with the championship game slated for April 1 on Coleman Field. The event is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV.

For more information on the NHSI, visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABEvents on Twitter and Instagram and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.