DURHAM, N.C. - The 2018 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP) roster was announced by USA Baseball on Monday. The final 40-man roster has been named following the conclusion of the 2018 14U National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida. The 14U NTDP will take place at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, July 23-27.
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for future national team experiences. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars and intrasquad Stars vs. Stripes games to assist in the development of the athletes as people and players.
"USA Baseball is excited to welcome these forty athletes to our National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, for the 14U National Team Development Program," said Senior Director of Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher. "All of these young men impressed our staff and task force at our National Team Identification Series and the National Team Championships with their talent and character, and we are eager to get to know each of them better and provide them with a comprehensive development opportunity they cannot get anywhere else."
Of the 40 players on the roster, 15 are alumni of the 2016 USA Baseball 12U National Team, including Kai Caranto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Owen Egan (Yucaipa, Calif.) who also played together on the 2017 12U Team that won a gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan. In addition to being an alumnus of the 12U National Team, Tyler Avery joins the 14U NTDP for the second consecutive year after participating in last year's program.
Former USA Baseball 15U National Team assistant coach Troy Cameron will oversee the program as the field coordinator in 2018.
For the second year in a row, 18 athletes from the 14U NTDP will be selected to the 2018 15U National Team Trials. Phase 1 of 15U Trials will feature 72 athletes and begin on July 29 at the National Training Complex. Phase 2 will begin on August 1 and will feature 34 athletes vying for a spot on the final 20-man national team roster. The 15U National Team will compete in the 2018 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in David, Panama.
In 2017, Davis Diaz and Josh Hartle both won a gold medal with the 15U National Team at the COPABE Pan Am "AA" Championships in Cartagena, Colombia, after earning a spot at the 15U National Team Trials following their performance at the 14U NTDP.
Players are selected for the National Team Development Program based on their participation and performance at USA Baseball events. Recommendations from professional scouts, USA Baseball task force members and collegiate, high school and youth coaches at USA Baseball events play a role in the selection process for the National Team Development Program.
The USA Baseball 13U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) and the 14U National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida served as the primary identification event for the 14U National Team Development Program. In total, 25 athletes at the 2018 14U NTDP are new to USA Baseball following their participation in sanctioned identification events.
For more information on the National Team Development Program please visit USABaseball.com or follow @USABaseballNTDP on Twitter.
The roster for the 14U National Team Development program is as follows:
2018 14U National Team Development Program Roster
(Name; Position; Hometown)
*Nathan Aguilar; IF/RHP; Torrance, Calif.
Jaden Anderson; OF/IF; Duluth, Ga.
*^Tyler Avery; RHP/IF; Las Vegas, Nev.
*Brandon Barriera; LHP/IF; Coconut Creek, Fla.
Casey Borba; IF/C; Corona, Calif.
*Karson Bowen; C/RHP; Anaheim Hills, Calif.
*Joseph Brown; C/IF; Petaluma, Calif.
Ryan Cainzos; OF; Miami, Fla.
*Kai Caranto; IF/RHP; Santa Clarita, Calif.
Abel Castrejon; C/OF; Santa Ana, Calif.
*Cutter Coffey; IF/RHP; Bakersfield, Calif.
Justin Crawford; OF; Torrance, Calif.
Kyle Crow; RHP/IF; Linden, Mich.
Dylan Cupp; IF/RHP; Cedartown, Ga.
Demitri Diamant; IF/RHP; Las Vegas, Nev.
Evan Dobias; RHP/OF; Sunrise, Fla.
*Owen Egan; OF/RHP; Yucaipa, Calif.
Duke Ekstrom; RHP/IF; San Diego, Calif.
Jamie Felix; OF/IF; Kingsland, Ga.
Termarr Johnson; IF; Atlanta, Ga.
Dylan Lina; RHP/IF; Carson, Calif.
Kaden Martin; OF/LHP; Redondo Beach, Calif.
Anthony Martinez; C/IF; Fairfield, Calif.
Jackson McKenzie; LHP/IF; Fairhope, Ala.
*Steven Milam; IF/RHP; Las Cruces, N.M.
*Aidan Miller; RHP/IF; Trinity, Fla.
Derrick Mitchell; OF/RHP; Tempe, Ariz.
*Mason Neville; OF/LHP; Las Vegas, Nev.
Christopher Paciolla; IF/OF; Temecula, Calif.
Alvaro Partida Lora; LHP/OF; San Diego, Calif.
Jacob Randolph; C/IF; Vero Beach, Fla.
Michael Rocha; IF/RHP; Chula Vista, Calif.
*Louis Rodriguez; RHP/IF; Long Beach, Calif.
*Mikey Romero; IF; Menifee, Calif.
*Marcos Rosales; IF/OF; West Covina, Calif.
Logan Saloman; IF/RHP; Chandler, Ariz.
*Christopher Scinta; LHP/IF; Tamarac, Fla.
Andrew Villalobos; C/RHP; Globe, Ariz.
Ethan Watson; C/IF; Newport Beach, Calif.
Abraham Zapata; C/RHP; Fontana, Calif.
*Denotes National Team alumnus
^Denotes National Team Development Program participant