USA Baseball invites the local and national media to the 2019 USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) and the Town of Cary.

The NHSI is a 16-team, single-elimination championship tournament and each participating team is guaranteed to play four games. The NHSI will present participating athletes with national exposure in addition to providing the opportunity for the best teams in the country to compete against each other.

The NHSI will bring together 16 of the top prep teams in the country to compete against each other in what has become the premier event on the high school baseball calendar. As no event currently brings in a level of talent from top to bottom that which the NHSI promises, the eventual tournament champion will kick off their respective season with recognition as the top high school baseball team in the country.

The two-time defending champions Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) returns to the NHSI in 2019 looking to complete the first three-peat in tournament history. The Lancers became the second program in NHSI history to repeat as champions after defeating Green Hope High School (Cary, N.C.), 9-3, in the 2018 finale. Mater Dei is the only other school to win back-to-back titles (2011 and 2012).

Credential Application
Members of the media can apply for a credential by visit the USA Baseball Media Services page on the official website: http://www.usabaseball.com/about/media-services

NHSI Championship Festival
USA Baseball, in collaboration with the Town of Cary, will host the first-ever National High School Championship Festival on Saturday, April 6. The festival is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET and will include family-friendly activities, including games and music on the front lawn of the National Training Complex. In addition to games, the festival will also have a food truck rodeo, which will feature six of the most popular vendors in the area.

PLAY BALL Event
In addition to the closing ceremony, USA Baseball will host a PLAY BALL event prior to the championship game of the NHSI on Saturday, April 6. Children between the ages of 4-12 are eligible to attend the free event. All participants will receive a free PLAY BALL t-shirt, wristband and a bat and ball set, courtesy of Major League Baseball. All of the children participating in the event will receive free admission to the championship game, which is set to take place at 6 p.m. For more information on PLAY BALL click here.

USA Baseball Coverage
Live Stats: GameChanger
Social Media: @USABEvents (Twitter) and @USABaseball (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
Streaming/TV
Select games will be broadcast live on USABaseball.com, MLB.com, and Facebook Live

Participating Teams and Schedule
In total, 10 states are represented in the 2019 NHSI field:

• Arizona: Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.)
• California: Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.), Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.), La Mirada (La Mirada, Calif.), Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.)
• Florida: Hagerty High School (Oviedo, Fla.), IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Monsignor Pace High School (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• Georgia: Blessed Trinity Catholic High School (Roswell, Ga.), South Forsyth High School (Cumming, Ga.)
• Illinois: Marist High School (Chicago, Ill.)
• Missouri: Christian Brothers College High School (St. Louis, Mo.)
• New Jersey: Delbarton High School (Morristown, N.J.)
• Nevada: Desert Oasis High School (Las Vegas, Nev.)
• North Carolina: Northwest Guilford High School (Kernersville, N.C.)
• Tennessee: Hendersonville High School (Hendersonville, Tenn.)

For the full schedule, please visit the NHSI Schedule page on USABaseball.com.

Past Champions
2018: Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.)
2017: Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.)
2016: Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.)*
2015: San Clemente High School (Calif.)
2014: The First Academy (Fla.)
2013: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2012: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

• denotes participants in the 2019 NHSI