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GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Team USA wraps up group play at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 presented by RAXUS with a crucial contest against host Mexico on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local/9:00 p.m. ET from Estadio Panamericano in Guadalajara, Mexico.

PITCHING MATCHUP

LHP Rich Hill (USA) vs. RHP Luis Miranda (MEX)

U.S. starting pitcher Rich Hill

GROUP A STANDINGS

Venezuela (3-1)

Team USA (2-2)

Mexico (2-2)

Netherlands (2-2)

Panama (2-2)

Puerto Rico (1-3)

HISTORY AGAINST MEXICO

The U.S. and Mexico have met on 19 different occasions, with Team USA holding an 11-8 record in those matchups. The U.S. and Mexico’s first meeting was in the Pan American Games in 1999, a 5-1 win for Team USA. At the Premier12, the sides have met four times and split the games; Team USA beat Mexico twice in 2015, with Mexico returning the favor with a pair of wins in 2019 including the bronze medal game. The last overall meeting between the U.S. and Mexico was at the World Baseball Classic in 2023, which resulted in an 11-5 win for Mexico.

SIMPSON STAYS HOT

Chandler Simpson has picked up at least one hit in all four games played at the Premier12. He had a hit against Puerto Rico, collected two knocks and drew two walks against the Netherlands (also scoring three runs), and went 1-for-3 with a run scored against Venezuela. As lead-off hitter, Simpson put together arguably his best performance against Panama after he went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.

BASE-IC INSTINCT

The trio of Matt Shaw, Carson Williams, and Chandler Simpson own three stolen bags apiece through four games, which is good for a tournament-best mark. Their stolen bases have led to runs on the board as the group has scored on 12 different occasions, accounting for 50 percent of Team USA’s runs.

STRIKEOUT SPREE

2011 16U National Team alum​​ Touki Toussaint was a force to be reckoned with on the mound, helping lift the stars and stripes over Panama, 9-3, and nab their second win at the 2024 Premier12. In two innings of work, Toussaint sat down five Panamanian batters, which is tied for the most strikeouts on Team USA with fellow gunslinger Sam Benschoter, who achieved the mark in four frames.

WARD-ING OFF THE COMPETITION

Ryan Ward made his presence felt in Team USA’s second victory of the tournament after he cranked a booming three-run shot to aid the squad in downing Panama. Earlier in the contest, the cleanup hitter pushed two runs across the plate via a two-RBI single. His five-RBI performance moved him into second place in the tournament with seven total RBIs behind USA’s Matt Shaw (9).

LAST TIME OUT

Team USA scored seven runs in the first two innings and got seven strong frames out of its bullpen to beat Panama, 9-3, on Tuesday night. With two outs and nobody on for Panama (2-2) in the first, Ruben Tejada socked a home run to left field to immediately put the stars and stripes behind the eight ball. But as it did in Sunday’s win over the Netherlands, Team USA responded immediately with four runs in the bottom half, followed by three more in the second, to take a commanding six-run lead. Starting pitcher Touki Toussaint fanned five batters over two innings of work in his Premier 12 debut, then gave way to the U.S. bullpen which surrendered solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings and ultimately keep Panama at bay. The top of the U.S. order - Chandler Simpson, Matt Shaw, Luke Ritter, and Ryan Ward - combined for nine of the team’s 12 hits in the contest and helped to provide late insurance with a pair of runs in the seventh. Simpson led all players at the plate with a 4-for-5 outing, while Sam Benschoter collected his first win of the tournament after tossing two scoreless frames out of the bullpen.

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Six players on Team USA’s roster have played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, including five players who competed in the event in 2024: Drake Baldwin, Justin Crawford, Termarr Johnson, Matt Shaw, and Chandler Simpson. Crawford also earned a spot in the 2023 iteration of the Futures Game, while Willie MacIver played in the event in 2019.

TOP SPECTS

The U.S. roster features four players who rank in the MLB Pipeline Top 100, including two players who are the top-ranked prospect for their respective Club. Carson Williams ranks as the fourth-best prospect in baseball and atop Tampa Bay’s Top 30 Prospects, while Matt Shaw leads the way for the Cubs and is the 22nd-ranked prospect in the sport. Additionally, Justin Crawford sits at No. 53 and Termarr Johnson ranks No. 75 in the Top 100.

BIG LEAGUERS

The U.S. roster features nine players with MLB playing experience, combining for 57 big-league seasons. Rich Hill leads the way with 20 MLB seasons under his belt, while Dan Altavilla, Anthony Gose, Spencer Patton, and Touki Toussaint bring at least five seasons of big-league time to the roster. Zac Grotz, Casey Lawrence, Chris Okey, and Cam Vieaux have also had stints in the major leagues.

MVPs!

Justin Crawford and Matt Shaw have each earned a Most Valuable Player honor in the past two seasons. In 2023, Crawford was named the Florida State League MVP after hitting .344 with 16 doubles, 60 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases for the Clearwater Threshers (A). Shaw nabbed Southern League MVP honors in 2024 following a season in which he smacked 14 homers and drove in 50 runs while batting .279 over 86 games with the AA Tennessee Smokies.

FATHERS AND SONS

Thirteen years after Rich Hill was teammates with Carl Crawford on the Boston Red Sox, Hill now teams up with Carl’s son, Justin, on the 2024 Premier12 roster. Hill and Carl were also teammates on the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers.