For the past 22 years, USA Baseball President Mike Gaski has been a part of fashioning together Team USA’s most memorable moments, finest teams, and star players. His time with Team USA features a remarkable array of medals and titles, ranging from 12U championships to medaling in the Olympics. He has helped lead eight national teams over the past two decades in competing for hardware while developing high-caliber players.
Since taking the reins in 2001, Gaski has overseen 915 combined team wins in international competition. In those wins, 86 total medals were distributed throughout eight national teams, with 53 of those medals being gold. The 18U National Team leads all teams with 10 gold medals to its name, while the most recent gold medal was captured by the 12U National Team in 2023.
Prior to his 22 years of service as the organization’s president, Gaski already understood what it meant to represent Team USA, as he was involved with the 1991, 1992, and 1998 Collegiate National Teams. As the delegation head/business manager in 1991 and 1992 and assistant coach in 1998, those squads found success on the diamond under his leadership and were the kickstart towards an incredible run at the helm of America’s pastime.
National teams have taken home a variety of tournament championships throughout Gaski’s tenure such as the renowned World Baseball Classic, World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball World Cups, FISU World University Championships, and more. Among those, the U.S. has gone on 21 world championship runs since 2001. The 12U and 16U national teams have accounted for 10 combined titles, and the organization has experienced plenty of recent success, claiming four total championships since 2022.
Gaski played an integral role in the growth of women’s baseball in the United States, helping to establish USA Baseball’s Women’s National Team in 2004. Since its inception, the team has found success by racking up five gold medals in addition to two world championships. The squad is a two-time IBAF champion and last took home gold in 2019 after going 7-0 at the COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championship in Mexico. The next Women’s Baseball World Cup will be held in 2024 where Team USA will compete in the finals after going 5-0 in group play in 2023.
On the professional level, Gaski has seen 13 podium finishes, including four gold medals, as he has been a part of two IBAF World Cup gold medals and one WBC title. Team USA’s WBC gold medal came after the stars and stripes went 6-2 in 2017 and shut out Puerto Rico in the championship game to hoist the WBC title for the first time. In Team USA’s five WBC appearances since 2001, the stars and stripes have gathered 23 total wins while assembling star-studded rosters. The most recent WBC tournament in 2023 saw Team USA compete in a thrilling gold medal match, finishing with silver for the first time in program history.
Additionally, Team USA has taken part in two Olympic Games since 2001 and found itself on the podium both times, taking home bronze and silver in 2008 and 2021, respectively. The U.S. will have another shot at gold in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
With more than two decades of leading the way towards a gold medal standard for USA Baseball, Gaski has impacted the game of baseball in the United States in numerous ways. He leaves a legacy behind as the driving force behind some of the biggest moments in the organization’s history, and can now watch Team USA from afar build upon the foundation of excellence that he started 22 years ago.
