CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the 18U National Team roster that will compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier from November 4-13 in La Paz and Los Cabos, Mexico.

If the U.S. earns a top-four finish at the qualifier, it will secure a spot in next summer’s XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan, where it would aim to defend its title after winning gold at the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in September.

“Putting together this roster was an exciting and interesting process,” said 2022 18U National Team Manager Denny Hocking. “Our team will be very skilled across the board and is a combination of very talented players from multiple age groups. This roster puts us in a great position to achieve our goal of bringing a gold medal home from Mexico and giving us a chance to defend our title next summer.”

The roster features three players who have previously been members of Team USA. Daniel Arambula (Yucaipa, Calif.) will return to the stars and stripes after playing for the 2017 12U National Team, where the U.S. won its third consecutive world championship at the IV WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Additionally, Carson Messina (Summerville, S.C.) and Austin Nye (Roseville, Calif.) will reunite after both earning spots on the 15U National Team in 2021.

In total, 10 of the 20 players on the roster have participated in USA Baseball development programs. Eight players from the 2022 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) will suit up for the U.S. in November, including Matthew Champion (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Derek Curiel (West Covina, Calif.), who also competed at the 2021 16U/17U NTDP. Arambula, Talan Bell (Oviedo, Fla.), Noah Franco (Downey, Calif.), PJ Morlando (Summerville, S.C.), Vaughn Neckar (Wildomar, Calif.), and Ford Thompson (Snellville, Ga.) were also participants at this year’s NTDP.

Curiel is also one of three players on the roster who were members of the 14U NTDP. Casey Borba (Santa Ana, Calif.) participated in the 2018 14U NTDP, while Curiel and Ty Southisene (Henderson, Nev.) were both participants in the 2019 event. Additionally, Thompson competed in the Athlete Development Program (ADP) in 2019.

The roster also includes four players who participated in the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League. Borba, Roman Martin (Whittier, Calif.), Campbell Smithwick (Conway, S.C.), and Nazzan Zanetello (Florissant, Mo.) all competed at the event, which is an invitation-based development and assessment opportunity for high school players eligible for the following year’s MLB Draft. Borba and Martin parlayed their PDP League appearances into a spot at the 2022 18U National Team Training Camp, along with Arambula and Morlando, who were invited to Training Camp out of the 16U/17U NTDP.

Manager Denny Hocking will be at the helm for Team USA at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2022. Hocking returns to his managerial role after leading the U.S. to its ninth world championship at the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida, in September. Hocking has spent time as an analyst and reporter for MLB.com and Fox Sports Radio in addition to serving as a coach and manager throughout the minor leagues. He has been a minor league manager for four different teams, most recently the Single-A Modesto Nuts, and currently works as an analyst on Bally Sports West.

Pitching coach Brad Penny and assistant coaches Eric Borba and James Cooper round out the Team USA coaching staff. Penny – a Team USA alum and a 14-year MLB veteran – returns to the 18U National Team as pitching coach after serving in the same role last summer. Penny oversaw the U.S. pitchers in a seven-game friendship series against Canada in 2021, guiding the unit to a 1.53 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 59 innings en route to a 5-1-1 record. Borba, who was an assistant for the 2014 12U National Team before taking the reins as manager in 2016, led Team USA to a silver medal at the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. Cooper spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Grambling State before becoming an outfield and baserunning coach for the New York Yankees in 2021. He has coached at several USA Baseball events, including the 2021 PDP League and 2021 15U National Team Trials.

The 18U National Team will be in Glendale, Arizona, for Training Camp from October 28-November 1 before traveling to La Paz and Los Cabos, Mexico, for the U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier. The full 18U National Team schedule will be announced at a later date.

Fans are encouraged to follow along with the action by following @USABaseball18U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

2022 18U National Team Roster

(Name; Position; Hometown)

• *^Daniel Arambula; INF; Yucaipa, Calif.
• ^Talan Bell; LHP/OF; Oviedo, Fla.
• ^Casey Borba; INF; Santa Ana, Calif.
• Mason Brassfield; LHP; Bakersfield, Calif.
• ^Matthew Champion; INF/RHP; Laguna Niguel, Calif.
• ^Derek Curiel; OF; West Covina, Calif.
• ^Noah Franco; OF/LHP; Downey, Calif.
• Stunner Gonzales; RHP; Carlsbad, Calif.
• Roman Martin; INF; Whittier, Calif.
• *Carson Messina; RHP; Summerville, S.C.
• ^PJ Morlando; OF/INF; Summerville, S.C.
• ^Vaughn Neckar; RHP; Wildomar, Calif.
• *Austin Nye; RHP/C; Roseville, Calif.
• Mavrick Rizy; RHP; Fiskdale, Mass.
• Campbell Smithwick; C; Conway, S.C.
• ^Ty Southisene; INF/RHP; Henderson, Nev.
• ^Ford Thompson; LHP; Snellville, Ga.
• Cade Townsend; RHP; Aliso Viejo, Calif.
• Macon Winslow; C; Hertford, N.C.
• Nazzan Zanetello; INF/OF; Florissant, Mo.

* denotes national team alumni

^ denotes national team development programs participant