PANAMA CITY – The 18U National Team will take on Mexico in the quarterfinal round at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier on Friday. First pitch from Estadio Nacional Rod Carew is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local/10:30 a.m. ET.
LAST TIME OUT
The United States finished off a group play sweep by beating Panama on Wednesday night, taking down the hosts, 5-0. Nico Partida was dominant for the second consecutive start in Wednesday’s win, posting four shutout innings and allowing just one hit. He was well-supported by the defense behind him, highlighted by a crucial double play turned by Grady Emerson with runners on the corners and one out in the fourth. After Partida departed following his four great frames, Dylan Wood added two shutout innings before Xavier Mitchell slammed the door on the 5-0 win with a hitless seventh.
At the plate, Gavin Fien continued his power display to lead the offense. The tournament’s slugging percentage leader smoked a two-run double with the U.S. already leading by a pair of runs in the third to extend the lead to 4-0, his third double of tournament play. Before Fien’s big knock, Kayson Cunningham and Josh Owens chipped in sacrifice flies to open the scoring and Slater de Brun put a bow on the win with an RBI single in the fourth.
SCOUTING MEXICO
Mexico enters Friday’s contest with a 3-3 record, making it the No. 4 seed out of Group A. The team began its Qualifier schedule with shutout wins over El Salvador and Guatemala before dropping three consecutive one-run contests to Canada, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Mexico then took down the Dominican Republic, 11-2, to secure its spot in the quarterfinal. The club is batting .297 as a team, paced by Braulio Cavero, who is hitting .421 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and five RBIs. On the mound, Mexico has a 2.05 team ERA to this point in the tournament and has struck out 51 batters in 41 innings.
HISTORY AGAINST MEXICO
The United States and Mexico have met 27 times at the U-18 level, with Team USA taking home a victory in 23 of those contests. The two nations first met in 1989 and most recently competed against one another at the World Cup Qualifier in 2022, which resulted in an 8-7 win for the stars and stripes.
TEAM USA STAT LEADERS
HITS: Kayson Cunningham, Gavin Fien (7)
RBIs: Kayson Cunningham, Gavin Fien (10)
RUNS: Eli Willits (8)
TB: Gavin Fien (14)
BB: Ethan Holliday (4)
IP: Nico Partida (8)
K’s: Nico Partida (12)
QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS
No. 1 Team USA vs. No. 4 Mexico
No. 2 Canada vs. No. 3 Puerto Rico
No. 1 Cuba vs. No. 4 Venezuela
No. 2 Panama vs. No. 3 Nicaragua
INSIDE THE ROSTER
The U.S. roster features four players who have previously donned the stars and stripes. Grady Emerson has played for the 15U National Team in each of the past two summers, helping Team USA win a World Cup in 2022 and a friendship series in 2023. He is joined by a pair of teammates from the 2022 World Cup-winning squad: Ethan Holliday and Brady Murrietta. Additionally, Gavin Fien returns to Team USA after playing for the 2019 12U National Team. Eight total players on the roster have also previously participated in a USA Baseball development program, including three-time participant Kayson Cunningham.
MEET THE COACHING STAFF
The 18U National Team is led in 2024 by Rick Eckstein, a five-time Professional National Team coach and former MLB hitting coach. Eckstein served under longtime big-league manager Davey Johnson for several U.S. professional teams, winning three medals. He secured USA Baseball’s “Doc” Counsilman Science Award in 2008 and the 2023 Coach Educator of the Year Award. Eckstein began his coaching career in 1997 and held stints as the hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals. He is joined on staff by his brother, 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein, along with two-time MLB All-Star Brad Penny and longtime high school coach Steve Stone.
