Despite being a USA Baseball alumnus, playing in the 15U National Team Championships in North Carolina is Chandler Hart’s first time at the National Training Complex in Cary.
Hart, a left-handed pitcher, first baseman, and outfielder, was a member of the 2022 15U National Team which won gold at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico.
After team Head Coach Drew Briese saw Hart pitch in a tournament last summer, he invited Hart to the 15U National Team Training Camp in Tempe, Arizona.
From there, Hart was selected as a member of the 15U National Team and traveled to Mexico to compete against the premier 15U talent from across the world.
“Making the team was awesome,” Hart said. “Not only making it but going down there and winning it with my guys was super fun. It was an awesome experience getting to play against other countries and see the competition around the world.”
Hart started for Team USA in its game against Guam, and pitched three innings of one-hit, shutout ball to help the team bring home the gold medal.
“I was happy with my performance against Guam,” Hart said. “I just went out there and tried to throw strikes and rely on our great defense.”
Nearly a year after becoming a world champion with Team USA, Hart finally made his way to the National Training Complex for the 15U National Team Championships in North Carolina.
Hart, along with fellow 2022 15U National Team teammate Ryan Harwood, are competing in the tournament for the USA Prime National team which is currently rated as the top travel baseball team in the 15U age group by Travel Baseball Rankings.
“Being the number one team, when you show up you have to have the confidence that you are the best and you have to know that everyone's trying to beat you,” Hart explained. “If you don't come out and play your best, you're going to get beat, so we kind of play with a chip on our shoulder. We want to prove to everyone that we are the best.”
After beginning pool play with a dominant 12-1 victory over East Coast Sox Scout, USA Prime National holds a 1-2 record at the conclusion of the tournament’s second day.
“Our struggles recently as a team have been walking too many guys so when the pitcher sets the tone, we know we'll put up runs,” Hart said of the day one win. “It's a lot easier to feed off your pitcher when your pitchers are dominating.”
Although the team did not perform as well as it had hoped on day two of pool play, Hart is excited for the opportunity to compete against elite competition at the National Training Complex.
“I'm really excited,” Hart said. “It's a big deal to be at the National Training Complex in front of lots of scouts and coaches. Everyone on our team is hungry and we want to win this thing and I feel confident in our chances.”
