CARY, N.C. – Some of the nation’s top 17U players have arrived at the USA Baseball National Training Complex for the 2021 17U North Carolina Team Championships North Carolina.
And for the rest of the week, it’ll be all eyes on them as the USA Baseball Task Force works to identify the future stars of baseball.
The Task Force, assigned to find the best baseball players across the country during a week of games and testing, is tuned into this week’s event. The 17U National Team Championships serve as an identification event for future national teams and development programs throughout USA Baseball.
Chris Lionetti, USA Baseball’s Director of Identification, is looking forward to bouncing around the four fields at the National Training Complex and trying to find the future stars of the sport.
“It’s just exciting to see these kids playing games and seeing these guys come to Cary,” Lionetti said. “It’s very hard to see guys during the summer in competitive situations, so having these guys here at the complex with a high talent level is important. I’m just excited to watch them play and see if any of these guys can help us with future teams down the road.”
Lionetti, who previously served as a scout for the Atlanta Braves, focuses on more than just a player’s statistics and numbers. Being able to watch them in-person against high levels of competition provides the Task Force with context, and gives them a better idea of if a player is a potential fit.
When looking at and scouting a player, Lionetti and the Task Force evaluate several different levels of a player. While a player’s tools are important, seeing their interactions with teammates and evaluating their mental toughness also plays a key role in the process.
“We’re looking to see how these guys are as teammates,” he said. “Seeing them in games will show how they are not only as players, but also as teammates.”
The games, which got started with a six-game session on Tuesday morning, are played with high intensity. Each game has a championship feel to it, according to Northeast Pride head coach Joe Curreri.
“We know that every game that we play out here is going to be like a championship game,” Curreri, whose team rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to tie Top Tier Americans, said. “That’s the mentality that we’re trying to tell these kids. That’s the mindset that we’re instilling in them.”
That mindset is something that Lionetti is looking for. Because each of USA Baseball’s national teams play in international competition, the Task Force searches for players who will fit that type of baseball.
“We’re looking for the best baseball players to help us win on the international level,” Lionetti said. “A lot of that will come down to tools. But to play internationally, we need high character and highly competitive players.”
The week got off to a strong start on Tuesday, with several close games and standout performances. Carson Matthews tossed 6.1 innings in Diamond Devils Black’s 3-2 win over Texas Twelve. Jalin Flores drove in a pair of runs in USA Prime National’s 10-2 win over 5 Star National.
And the Task Force had eyes on all of it.
“Seeing these players play games over the course of these next couple days, the more competitive players will begin to stand out,” Lionetti said.
Be sure to follow along with all of the action from Cary on GameChanger, and by following @USABaseball and @USAB_ChampsNC on Twitter.
