With sights set on winning gold and playing for a chance to represent their country on the baseball diamond, 60 teams and over 1,200 athletes will make their way to the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, this summer to compete in the National Team Championships North Carolina.

Beginning on June 16 and running through July 12, the National Team Championships in North Carolina 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 Programs (NTDP).

NOTEWORTHY

• 14U Kicks it Off
• The National Team Championships North Carolina gets underway on June 16 with the 14U age group. Teams will compete to win the first 14U gold medal in event history, while individual athletes will be evaluated and selected for the 2021 13U/14U ADP. The schedule for the 2021 14U National Team Championships North Carolina can be found here.

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• Year Two in N.C.
This summer will mark the second-ever National Team Championships in North Carolina. The first edition was held in 2020 and featured tournaments at the 15U, 16U, and 17U age levels. 

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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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• Best of the Best
• Some of the best young players in the country participated at the National Team Championships North Carolina a year ago, with many committed to Power-5 institutions and other baseball powerhouses. Elite Squad infielder Jorge De Goti (Florida), Molina Stars' Colin Tuft (Virginia), and CBA Northeast pitcher Sean Hard (Boston College) are just a few of the many highly-rated players to compete in the event last season.

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• National Training Complex
The 2021 National Team Championships North Carolina will once again take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Over the years, many of Major League Baseball’s finest have played at the complex, including Jake Arrieta, Trevor Bauer, Alex Bregman, Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper, and Marcus Stroman. Members of the 2021 Professional National Team that recently secured Team USA’s berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, including Nick Allen and Todd Frazier, have also played at the facility.

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• Testing Day
• Along with the games, players will get the chance to participate in the event’s testing day. Performing in front of the USA Baseball Task Force, players are given an opportunity to showcase their skills before the games begin. There will also be PDP Performance Assessments, where players will partake in assessments which help them improve, develop, and take their game to the next level.

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CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

• 15U
• Team Elite topped Elite Squad, 7-6, in the 2020 15U championship game. Team Elite, led by Bret Yarger and Cade Arrambide, strung together a six-run fourth inning to secure the championship. Yarger hit .538 over the entire event, while Arrambide - a University of Florida commit - batted .391 with a team-leading eight RBI.

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• 16U
• The East Cobb Astros and Canes National met in last year’s 16U championship game, with the Astros earning the gold medal. In the team’s 8-5 win, University of Miami commit Alvin Keels drove in a pair of runs. Keels also homered during the tournament, and Texas A&M commit Jett Williams batted .400 with eight RBI for the East Cobb Astros.

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• 17U
• The East Cobb Astros secured gold in the 17U tournament as well, going unbeaten en route to earning the championship. Harry Ford, who is currently ranked the 13th-best prospect heading into the 2021 MLB Draft, played for East Cobb last summer. He homered and drove in seven runs, while current Florida State pitcher Andrew Armstrong delivered seven shutout innings.

FOLLOW ALONG

• All games will be scored live on GameChanger, as well as live streamed via PlaySight (Coleman Field) and GameChanger (Fields 2-4). 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_NC on Twitter and USA Baseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.