CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today announced the establishment of its Baseball5 National Team. This team, which will be the federation’s seventh national team and first to be established since 2013, marks a significant milestone in USA Baseball’s mission to develop the discipline of Baseball5 in the United States.

The newly formed USA Baseball Baseball5 National Team is set to play in its inaugural event at the 2026 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball5 World Cup December 9-13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. USA Baseball’s squad in the 16-nation, mixed-gender, five-on-five World Cup will feature players 18 years or older. The United States qualified after receiving a wild card bid, and will have an opportunity to compete for a world title in its first ever Baseball5 event.

“We are proud to announce the formation of USA Baseball’s Baseball5 National Team,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the organization and reflects the continued growth of USA Baseball as an innovative leader in the sport. This moment also marks a profound opportunity for athletes across the nation interested in Baseball5 to represent Team USA in international competition. We are thrilled to further develop the discipline in the United States, while upholding the Baseball5 National Team to USA Baseball’s unwavering standard of excellence.”

Additionally, USA Baseball has named four-time Team USA coach Victor Solis as manager of the inaugural Baseball5 National Team. No stranger to building programs from the ground up, the appointment marks the third time in Solis’ career he has served as a program’s inaugural head coach and second time he has managed a USA Baseball national team.

“It is always a tremendous honor to be considered for any opportunity with USA Baseball,” said Solis. “Being named manager of the Baseball5 National Team is a privilege that I hold in the highest regard, and it is especially meaningful as it involves leading the inaugural team. I am grateful for the chance to help introduce and grow the sport of Baseball5, and I look forward to contributing to the development of something special.”

Solis got his start with the red, white, and blue in 2004, when he served as an assistant coach with the 16U National Team and helped win a silver medal at the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) World Youth Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He returned in an assistant coaching role with the 18U National Team in 2006 at the IBAF “AAA” Junior World Championships, securing his second silver medal before taking over managerial duties for the squad in 2007. In his stint as manager, Solis spearheaded a 7-3 campaign at the Pan American Baseball Confederation (COPABE) Pan Am “AAA” Championships held in Ixtapa, Mexico. Solis made his fourth appearance for the stars and stripes in 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia, where he helped guide the 15U National Team to a third straight COPABE Pan Am “AA” Championships gold medal.

Solis recently completed his 18th season as the head coach at Paradise Valley Community College (Phoenix, Ariz.), where he joined in 2007 and helped form the program’s inaugural baseball team in 2009. Under his leadership, the Pumas won a Region 1 Division II Championship in 2010, while qualifying for the NJCAA Division II World Series that same year. Prior to that, Solis served as head coach at GateWay Community College in Phoenix, where he also ushered in the program’s first baseball team in 2005.

Solis will lead an eight-player, mixed-gender roster this December in Puerto Rico. The roster and future identification events for the Baseball5 National Team will be announced at a later date.

The creation of the Baseball5 National Team marks a significant step in the advancement of the sport and USA Baseball’s endeavor to grow the game across all levels and audiences. USA Baseball has been at the forefront of implementing Baseball5 in schools across the United States and has played an active role in rolling out Baseball5 in primary and secondary physical education curricula, reaching over 200,000 students across 690 schools nationwide. Additionally, USA Baseball has introduced the game at Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America conferences, brought the sport to Playworks’ Youth Leadership Summit, and kickstarted other initiatives aimed at youth participation. Even more recently, USA Baseball has brought Baseball5 to 49 college campuses across the United States.

Launched in 2017 by the WBSC, Baseball5 is a five-on-five discipline requiring only a ball to play. The game was founded from a desire to make bat-and-ball sports more accessible while maintaining the fundamental elements of baseball and softball. Inspired by the “four corners” game born on the streets of Cuba, Baseball5 evolved to become an urban version of baseball and softball built around the motto “Play Anywhere”.

Since its inception, Baseball5 has experienced a tremendous rise in participation and garnered global recognition. In 2017, the first Baseball5 World Championship was held in Havana, Cuba. Just three years later, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee voted to include Baseball5 as an official medal sport in the Youth Olympics programme. In 2022, the WBSC launched the inaugural WBSC Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico City, followed by the first WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup in 2023 in Ankara, Türkiye.

To stay up to date with the Baseball5 National Team, follow along on Twitter/X and Instagram, and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.