CARY, N.C. -- When Ryan Guidi addressed his team before they took the field at Thomas Brooks Park on Thursday morning, the message was clear.

“This is one of the first steps of many in your baseball journey,” he told them. “This is just the beginning.”

Guidi’s words rang true to not only his San Diego Show team, but to all 16 teams at the 2021 10U Futures Invitational. For many, the event is just the start for some of the top youth talent in the country.

Playing in front of the USA Baseball Task Force - coaches and scouts searching to find the best players in the country for possible future USA Baseball programming - the players will spend the weekend looking to prove themselves and set themselves up for future opportunities throughout their careers.

Each team will also be competing for a championship, and the chance to hoist a gold medal at the conclusion of the tournament.

While the invitational and all that comes with it may seem daunting to the players, the coaches have stressed the importance of treating the weekend just like any other baseball game.

“You can see the nerves,” said Vegas Gamblers head coach and former MLB All-Star Josh Johnson. “I’ve tried to just tell them to relax, smile, and have fun. That’s when they’re at their best and have the most fun.”

Despite the nerves, the players continued to perform at a high level. With many of them playing at Thomas Brooks Park for the first time in their young baseball careers, the talent on display caught the eye of the Task Force.

“There’s talent on all 16 teams here,” said 2021 12U National Team Assistant Coach Erik Johnson. “It’s fun to watch these players develop at 10 years old and to see their baseball IQ and high level of competitive energy. It’s outstanding, and it’s exactly what you want to see.”

All 16 teams played two games in a pool play format on Thursday. Pool play will wrap up on Friday, before the semifinal and championship rounds this weekend. Each team is guaranteed five games, with a re-seeded bracket after pool play.

While the coaches have emphasized the importance of having fun to their players, they also know the gravity that these events hold for the kids on their team. The opportunity to expose their players to the eyes of the Task Force is what brought them to Cary.

“This exposure to USA Baseball is the first step,” said Guidi. “If you make [the 12U National Team], you’re obviously doing something right. This is development and it’s really just the beginning for these kids.”

Said Johnson: “We’ve been talking about coming here for a year and a half and we got the invite in late January. It’s just something you can’t turn down.”

Day one of the event was full of standout performances. Both the San Diego Show and Braves Baseball Academy picked up two wins, led by offensive outbursts in both games. Other strong offensive performances came from Bo Jackson Elite, which scored 12 runs in its opener, and IAM Baseball put up ten runs in its first game of the tournament.

Before the teams get back to game action on Friday, they will participate in athletic testing. Each athlete will perform a series of pro-style workouts, receiving feedback in several areas of their games. Each team will then play one game to conclude pool play.

The 10U Futures Invitational provides young players a chance to get their names on scout’s radars, along with a chance to compete against some of the country’s top youth teams.

But it also provides an opportunity for young kids to simply play baseball with their friends.

Landon Warren of Rock Solid Taylor said it best: “The fields are really nice, the food has been nice. It’s really fun to be here.”