CARY, NC – At this week’s USA Baseball 16U National Team Championships North Carolina, Team USA alumni and event participants are everywhere.
And although they are wearing their respective travel team jerseys, the lessons they learned while wearing the Team USA uniform have stuck with them throughout their baseball careers.
Playing baseball with the United States across your chest comes with the responsibility of representing your country in a highest manner possible. For two-time Team USA alum Ben Reiland, that means having high character at all times.
“It’s very important to have great character because you don’t want your coaches to worry about what you’re doing on or off the field,” said Reiland, who is playing with USA Prime National in the tournament. “It’s good for your coaches to know you’re doing the right thing. You’re being polite, you’re being nice, you’re being respectful. It’s always a great example to set for little kids.”
Reiland, who has spent two summers in the stars and stripes and also participated in the 2019 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP), is well aware of the type of player USA Baseball looks for every summer. While talent on the field is important and a necessity, players must be good teammates and people in order to be selected to represent their country.
“The USA Baseball way is just doing everything right, from the little things to the big things on and off the field” Reiland said. “It’s about playing baseball the way it’s supposed to be played.”
Another Team USA alum who is in town for the 16U National Team Championships North Carolina is Julius Pfau, who played for the 12U National Team in 2018. Competing with Power Baseball this week in Cary, Pfau has taken what he learned about being the ultimate teammate and turned them into meaningful life lessons.
The middle infielder learned the value in being a team player during the 12U National Team’s trip to Mexico for the COPABE U-12 Pan American Championships in 2018, where the U.S. earned a gold medal.
“You’ve got to regulate your emotions,” Pfau said. “You have to always be picking up your teammates and being a great guy to your friends and even the other team. Showing respect to the umpires and other coaches is a big part of the way we play at USA Baseball.”
The USA Baseball way is instilled in players as soon as they take the field with the stars and stripes across their chest. From the moment they’re selected to wear the uniform, players are constantly learning key lessons about important values in the game of baseball.
For 2019 14U NTDP participant Ty Southisene, the key value that has stuck with him is respect.
“USA Baseball taught me a lot about respect,” said Southisene, who is in Cary with USA Prime National. “It’s about respecting the game and caring about each other. That’s what they instilled in me in 2019 and it’s still with me now.”
The 16U National Team Championships have now moved into seeded play and will crown a champion on Saturday. While the competing Team USA alums are now locked in on winning a gold medal and playing well in front of the USA Baseball Task Force, they take the field each time with Team USA both in their minds and in their hearts.
“The USA Baseball way is our way of life,” Pfau said. “It’s the way we play baseball and the way we treat people.”
