CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced the 2021 18U National Team coaching staff that will assist manager Jason Maxwell at the 2021 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 10–19 in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. Adam Moseley joins the staff as the team’s pitching coach while Michael Cuddyer and Jack Wilson will serve as assistant coaches.
“We are very excited to have this experienced group join Jason on the 18U National Team staff this summer as we work toward reaching our goal of claiming another world championship,” said Ashley Bratcher, USA Baseball’s 18U National Team General Manager. “The baseball experience and knowledge that these coaches bring to the table will be a huge benefit to our players as they develop both on and off of the field and strive toward winning gold.”
Moseley, who served as Maxwell's pitching coach for the World Cup-champion 15U National Team in 2018, will return in the same position for the 2021 18U National Team. His USA Baseball coaching experience also includes stints at the 2017 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP) and 15U National Team Trials, and he was also named to the 2020 15U National Team staff before the 2020 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup was postponed. Moseley is currently the head coach at Hoover High School (Hoover, Ala.), where he led the Buccaneers to an Alabama State Baseball Championship in 2017. Before taking the head coaching position at Hoover following the 2014 season, Moseley led his former high school, Grissom High School (Huntsville, Ala.), to the state quarterfinals in four of his final five seasons. Moseley has coached high school baseball for 15 seasons and has compiled an overall record of 429-244.
Cuddyer will make his USA Baseball coaching debut in 2021 but is no stranger to the stars and stripes, having played on both the 1996 and 1997 18U National Teams. He hit .367 and recorded the second-most RBIs (5) on the 1996 squad. In 1997, he hit .397 with a .853 slugging percentage while leading the team in RBIs (26) and home runs (7). In that same year, he was named the Virginia Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year, and a USA Today All-Star. Cuddyer was selected ninth overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 1997 MLB Draft before making his MLB Debut in 2001. In his 15-year MLB career, he played in over 1,500 games, spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Twins where he was named to his first All-Star team in 2011. From 2012 to 2014, Cuddyer played for the Colorado Rockies and was selected to his second All-Star team in 2013. Cuddyer was also a 2013 Silver Slugger and finished the season with the National League batting title, hitting a league-best .331 with a career-high 162 hits. Cuddyer was only the 30th Major League player to hit for the cycle twice in his career and was just the third to accomplish the feat in both the American and National Leagues. Since retirement, Cuddyer contributes a weekly online video series called “Cuddyer’s Corner” for the USA Baseball Develops blog, covering topics surrounding the game to help young athletes grow both on and off the field.
Rounding out the staff is Wilson who also makes his USA Baseball coaching debut this summer. Currently the head coach at Thousand Oaks High School (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Wilson led the Lancers to a 24-6 overall record, including a 10-2 mark in league play, en route to winning the Marmonte League championship in 2019. He followed that by managing the squad to an 8-0 start to the 2020 season and a No. 1 CIF-SS Division 2 ranking before the pause in play caused by COVID-19. Under Wilson’s guidance, the program picked up where it left off in 2021 as the Lancers claimed another Marmonte League championship and finished with a 27-1 record. Before beginning his coaching career, Wilson played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Atlanta Braves for over 12 years in the big leagues. He led the National League with 12 triples in 2004, earning a spot on the National League All-Star team and a Silver Slugger award for his efforts. In 1,370 MLB games, Wilson recorded a .265/.306/.366 career slash line with 61 home runs and 426 RBIs.
The 2021 18U National Team identification process begins with the 2021 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League at the USA Baseball National Training Complex from July 23–31. The invitation-based development opportunity will feature approximately 96 top high school baseball players ahead of the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The 16U/17U NTDP also serves as an identification event for the 18U National Team and will take place from August 6-9 at the National Training Complex.
Invited players will then participate in the 18U National Team Trials from August 29-September 3 in Tampa, Florida, before naming the final 18-man 18U National Team roster. The 18U team will continue to train in Tampa from September 4-8 before competing at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 10-19 in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida.
For more information on the 18U National Team, follow along on Twitter @USABaseball and @USABaseball18U.
