Who will be next? The 2021 National Team Championships Arizona will welcome 327 teams from 11 states to four of the premier Spring Training facilities in the Greater Phoenix area to compete for gold and play for the opportunity to represent the red, white, and blue on the diamond..

Beginning June 14 and running through July 7, the National Team Championships in Arizona will serve as the primary identification event for players to be considered for the 2021 15U National Team, as well as this year’s 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP) and 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP).

NOTEWORTHY

• 16U Starts it Off
• The National Team Championships Arizona is set to begin June 14 with the 16U age group, which enters its third year as part of the event. MVP Hustle won the inaugural tournament in 2018 and will look to recapture gold in 2021. Individual athletes will be evaluated and invited to the 2021 13U/14U ADP. The schedule for the 16U National Team Championships Arizona can be accessed here. The slate of preliminary-round games for the ensuing age groups can be found here (17U), here (15U) and here (14U), and will be updated as each event nears its start date.

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• Spring Training in Summer
USA Baseball’s National Team Championships Arizona are held at the Spring Training homes of today’s brightest stars in Major League Baseball: Camelback Ranch, home of the Chicago White Sox and reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers; Goodyear Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians; Peoria Sports Complex, home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners; and Surprise Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. 

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• Also in Arizona
• While this is only the second year that the National Team Championships North Carolina will take place, the event has been successful in Arizona for nearly a decade. Since 2012, some of the country’s finest young players have earned spots on USA Baseball national teams thanks to their performances at the National Team Championships Arizona.

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• How About Some History?
• From 32 teams in one division to 327 teams across four age groups, USA Baseball’s National Team Championships have enjoyed tremendous growth since the event debuted in 1996. Arizona (since 2012) is one of four states to host the event, along with North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. GBG Renegades (15U) and Zoots Baseball Club (17U) return to the tournament as the reigning gold medalists at their respective age groups after being crowned champions in 2019.

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• Travel Plans
Different journeys. Same goal. Teams from 11 states will travel as many as 3,600 miles to play for gold in the summer heat. The state of California features the greatest number of teams at the event (258), while host state Arizona will see 23 programs take the field. In addition, the lineup of participants includes teams from Texas (9), Utah (9), Washington (8), Nevada (7), Colorado (6), Hawaii (4), Alaska (1), Missouri (1) and New York (1).

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• Remarkable Resume
• Entering its 25th year as an identification event for Team USA, the National Team Championships have provided a plethora of future top prospects and MLB stars with an opportunity to showcase their talent, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman and six-time All-Star Bryce Harper.

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• Opportunity Knocks
• In addition to on-field evaluation across the week-long event, USA Baseball’s task force of scouts and coaches will identify potential talent for the red, white, and blue through comprehensive PDP testing and character evaluation. The primary goal of testing day is to equip athletes with tangible evaluations of their skills and abilities, and offer the players an opportunity to create a positive first impression upon the USA Baseball task force in a non-game setting.

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• Quick Quotes
• “Having an opportunity to go play against teams that are filled from top-to-bottom with some of the best athletes in the world at this age group for the National Team Championships in Arizona is challenging and fun. A ton can be learned.” — Jared Halpert, assistant coach of the 2019 15U National Team

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• “The USA Baseball National Team Championships consistently deliver on every team being very competitive year after year.” — Jamar Hill, head coach of Gamers/RBI Alaska

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• COVID-19 Protocol
• USA Baseball will follow all current, federal, state and local government-mandated guidelines regarding COVID-19 with relation to the location of the facilities hosting its events. USA Baseball encourages all participants and guests to practice social distancing of at least six feet from other people. Spectators and guests are strongly encouraged to wear a cloth face covering which covers both the nose and mouth while attending USA Baseball events. Face coverings will be required in enclosed areas.

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FOLLOW ALONG

• All games will be scored live on GameChanger. Links to up-to-the-second scoring and statistics will be posted on USABaseball.com. You can also find media coverage and updates via social media by following @USABChamps_AZ on Twitter and USA Baseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.