With the first batch of the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup set to begin this week, a lot lies on the line for players who made the trip to Cary, North Carolina: the potential to represent their country on the international level.
At the National Training Complex, the NTIS Champions Cup is currently underway, serving as a primary identification event which starts with tryouts being held in every region of the country to identify players for regional teams. During the event, players on each squad will have the opportunity to be reviewed by members of the USA Baseball Task Force. The Task Force will then select a predetermined number of players to take part in the next year’s national team programming events.
The 15U/16U age classifications are the first to take center stage at the NTIS Champions Cup, as they were the opening groups to undergo Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) Performance Assessment testing and batting practice which allowed the Task Force an early look at players on day one before getting a glimpse at in-game action throughout the following days.
Initially, players were primed to take part in games on the first day, but due to Tropical Storm Debby, the event was pushed indoors. Despite the schedule change, Baseball Operations Coordinator Jeff Feltman and National Training Complex Stadium/Field Operations Manager Ronnie Rost were determined to provide a superior experience for the players.
“With the uncertainty of the weather this week, we knew that this year’s NTIS may look different than those in the past,” said Feltman. “We strive to make sure everyone is accommodated to and the addition of the High Performance Training Center has supported us greatly. Today, we’ll have players undergo PDP performance assessments, photos, and indoor batting practice. We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable while also being able to participate as much as they can despite the weather. At the end of the day, these players are coming here for the experience to represent their region and have an opportunity to play for USA Baseball in the future. We want them to have every opportunity to showcase themselves and enjoy their experience this week.”
“The unique thing now is that we have the Training Center here. With the threat of a potential hurricane we had to figure out how we could translate what was supposed to be on the field and move it into the Training Center,” stated Rost. “There are a bunch of logistics in regards to staffing. We had outside concessionaires that we had to call out and cleaning services that we had to alter their plans, so those are just some of the examples. At the end of the day our main goal is to make sure everyone is accommodated.”
On top of PDP testing and batting practice, all participating players will be presented with a number of opportunities to enhance their game throughout the week such as receiving one-on-one interactions with USA Baseball Task Force members, on-field skills testing, and exposure to collegiate coaches.
At the end of the week 24 players, 12 from each age group, will be selected to participate in the 2025 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) where they will have the chance to be identified for a spot on a USA Baseball national team in the future.
Planning operations for a three-week event that features six different age brackets, ranging from the 11U to the 16U levels, is an unnerving task and one that many people may not be able to handle.
But for Rost, the task at hand is nothing new as he serves as the Stadium and Facility Operations Manager at the National Training Complex under the Town of Cary. Rost and his staff are instrumental in allowing events such as the NTIS Champions Cup to function.
“The magnitude and the sheer amount of games over a four-day period means that we need to make sure that we've got everything lined up. From a schedule perspective, we've got a great grounds crew that always knows how to make things happen. We have to think about what flows best for the fields and make sure that we can accommodate the needs for this event. It definitely takes a lot of time and effort, but it is well worth it,” Rost said.
Others may think that the influx of a mass amount of people for the event is nerve-wracking, but Rost believes it provides mutual benefits to both the National Training Complex and USA Baseball.
“Anytime you can get people across the country to see the facilities is awesome. When someone is thinking about running a bigger event on the national level, outside the USA Baseball season, hopefully they think of us first,” said Rost. “It’s also a benefit for people to come to Cary as a whole. Cary and Wake County offer a bunch of things for the people in general, so any time you can showcase your area is a positive thing. We're lucky to have a national governing body in Cary that we can showcase to the masses. That's really unique.”
Behind the scenes of the NTIS Champions Cup are the USA Baseball Regional Directors, who work tirelessly to coordinate and implement an efficient plan to allow the event to take place. Under the direction of the Regional Directors, tryouts are held in every region across the country to help identify players for regional teams. The players who are selected combine to form a team from their region that will compete at the NTIS Champions Cup. Jason Sekany, who serves as the Northwest Regional Director, plays an immense part in coordinating the identification process.
When planning for an event of this scale, several factors culminate to ensure the NTIS Champions Cup runs smoothly. The event requires several months of planning and coordinating which falls directly on Regional Directors like Sekany.
“Oh, there's a lot. I mean, obviously there's the identification process that we go through that takes 10 months of the year. And then once we've got those players identified, obviously the administrative portion of it gets added in,” said Sekany. “We have to get players from across the country and bring them back to an event like this, so it takes a lot of orchestrating and organizing with the coaching staff. It's a pretty substantial project that is really kind of done throughout the year, but it's definitely something that takes a lot of time.”
After the planning phase is over, Sekany employs a Task Force that constantly evaluates players both on and off of the field which begins the two-round selection process for a spot at the NTIS Champions Cup.
“We have a Task Force in each of our own regions that are made up of guys with different qualifications throughout the game of baseball. We are always watching and evaluating players, not only from an individual skill standpoint, but how they actually perform on the field. And we progressively select them from our open first round and then throughout our second round process. Then we will select players to make up the regional teams. Once we get done, we really try to do as much as we can to be able to help the Task Force and the national team staff. They're going to get to see a small sample size from these players over the course of four to five days while they're at the NTIS Champions Cup. If we can supplement that with additional information that we've got on those players then it's really advantageous in ultimately having some of the best players available for Training Camp and development programs.”
When speaking about the finer details of a successful NTIS Champions Cup campaign, both Rost and Sekany agree that a successful event would be capped off with the players gaining exposure while also feeling seen.
“I think every year we're trying to work on making it (NTIS Champions Cup) better, but I would say a successful event certainly is one that provides a great opportunity for the players who are coming from all over the country to demonstrate what their skill sets are. It's going to provide a really competitive environment for them to measure their skill set amongst some of the best players from around the rest of the country. Obviously, being exposed to such an amazing facility is a great part of it as well, and then the coaching staff and the Task Force that are here to give them some feedback and information are great,” Sekany stated. “The players will have the opportunity to be selected to a national team as well as continuing their development in baseball. I think any of the combinations would make for a successful event here.”
“I think a successful event for me would be if everybody leaves happy and all the other players feel seen by scouts and national team scouts. A success to us is that everybody leaves in a positive experience and not a negative one,” added Rost. “We want the kids to be seen at the end of the day and would like for them to walk away with a good experience.”
