CARY, N.C. – As all six regions making up the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup – Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast, and Southwest – gathered at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, this morning for photo day and Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) testing, there was a sense of pride – regional pride.
Each region’s teams are different based on both the jersey color they are wearing and where they come from. Players from each of the different teams represent more than just themselves – they represent their hometowns, states, and regions, and bring a unique background to this week’s NTIS Champions Cup. And representing where they come from is something these players don’t take lightly.
“It’s a huge honor and I’m just really happy to be here,” said Ryder Rutledge (New Braunfels, Texas), a member of the 16U Southwest Stars team. “I’m just trying to take in every moment of this opportunity.”
Gregory Bruno (Staten Island, N.Y.) echoed Rutledge’s sentiments. The infielder for the Northeast Stars takes pride in the area he grew up in, and is looking forward to proving that Northeasterners belong on the national stage.
“A lot of baseball players that make it big come from Florida and California and all those places,” Bruno said, “I’m proud of being from New York and having the talent to come out here and represent the Northeast. I love my country and I love to represent my region.”
Leighton Harris (Lexington, Ky.) is also ready to prove that the Midwest is full of talented and motivated players.
“It’s nice that we get to represent our cities, our states, and obviously our regions,” he said. “Hopefully we can come out and get some wins and show everyone we play some good baseball in the Midwest.”
With the honor of representing their region also comes the desire to make their hometowns proud. These players take pride in where they come from, and are constantly working to put their regions on the map.
The athletes – who don’t take this responsibility lightly – are quick to share their favorite parts about where they come from.
Some players enjoy spending their free time outdoors, like Will Oberson (Nashville, Tenn.) who is playing with the Midwest Stars this week.
“My favorite part about living in Nashville is fishing,” Oberson said. “I probably go three to four times a week, and I’m usually out there for two or three hours a day.”
Other players enjoy different outdoor activities.
“The beaches and the weather are my favorite part of living in San Diego,” said Addison Klepsch (San Diego, Calif.), who is playing on this week’s Southwest Stars. “The weather doesn’t really get bad out there. It never rains, and games are never cancelled.”
While the players are coming from different regions across the country, they are all here with one thing in common: baseball.
And when they take the field for the first day of games on Friday morning, they will all be playing with the same end goals in sight: representing their regions and winning.
“It means a lot to have the opportunity to show what our region is made of,” Oberson said.
