USA Baseball announced the 2017 12U National Team Trials roster on Tuesday. Thirty-six athletes will compete for a spot on the final 18-man roster that will compete at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan.
The 12U Trials will begin Wednesday, July 19 at VTV Baseball in Castaic, California, and the final roster will be announced on Friday, July 21.
Three members of the 2016 12U National Team will compete for another opportunity to wear the red, white and blue in 2017. Kai Caranto (Santa Clarita, Calif.), Owen Egen (Yucaipa, Calif.) and Raffaele Velazquez (Long Beach, Calif.) won a silver medal in the 2016 COPABE Pan Am “A” Championships in Puebla, Mexico.
“We had a very competitive selection process at all three of our identification events this year,” said Kyle Valente, Director of the 12U National Team Program at USA Baseball. “Our coaching staff is extremely excited to get underway with the top thirty-six twelve-and-under players from across the United States.”
Nineteen athletes earned a spot on the 12U National Team Trials roster based on their performance at the 2017 USA Baseball National Open in Castaic, California, from July 16-18. The National Open is a three-day identification event comprised of 111 athletes selected from 12U Open Development Camps across the country.
Seventeen additional athletes previously earned invitations to join the 12U Trials from the 2016 11U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) and the 2017 USA Baseball Futures Invitational.
Following the final roster announcement on July 21, the 2017 12U National Team will participate in training from July 22-24 at VTV Baseball before traveling to Tainan City, Taiwan, for the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Team USA is the two-time defending champion in the event.
Two-time USA Baseball coaching alum David Sharp will lead Team USA in 2017. Todd Fine, Butch Chaffin, and RJ Farrell will join him on the staff as assistant coaches.
For more information on the 12U National Team and the selection process, please visit USABaseball.com or follow along on Twitter, at @USABaseball12U.
2017 USA Baseball 12U National Team Trials Roster:
(Name; Position; Hometown)
Trent Abel; IF; San Diego, Calif.
Antonio Anderson; IF/OF; Atlanta, Ga.
Daniel Arambula; IF/RHP; Redlands, Calif.
Josh Atomanczyk; RHP/C/IF; Franklin, Texas
Errick Barnes Jr.; IF/OF; San Diego, Calif.
Hank Benny; RHP/IF; Austin, Texas
Conner Boyd; C/RHP/OF; Parker, Colo.
Brad Burnes; OF/RHP; Belvedere, Calif.
Spencer Butt; IF/RHP; Davie, Fla.
*Kai Caranto; IF/RHP; Santa Clarita, Calif.
Alexander Clemmey; LHP/IF; Middletown, R.I.
Ian Duarte; IF/OF; Santa Clarita, Calif.
*Owen Egen; OF/RHP; Yucaipa, Calif.
Colt Emerson; IF/C; Cambridge, Ohio
Trotter Enright; IF; Calabasas, Calif.
Miles Ghossein; OF/RHP/IF; West Hills, Calif.
Gavin Grahovac; C/OF; Orange, Calif.
Zachary Justice; C; Oakland, Calif.
Ashton Larson; OF/LHP; Overland Park, Kan.
Jose Mendoza; IF/RHP; San Ysidro, Calif.
Andre Modugno; UTL; Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Nicholas Montgomery; RHP/OF; Cypress, Calif.
Brandon Olivera; RHP/C; Hialeah, Fla.
Keilon Parnell; OF/IF; Pascagoula, Miss.
Gregory Pierantoni; IF/RHP/OF; Valencia, Calif.
Pavlos Piperakis; LHP/IF; Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Isaac Quintanilla; IF/RHP; Diamond Bar, Calif.
Bryce Rainer; OF/RHP; Simi Valley, Calif.
Benjamin Reiland; C/OF; Irvine, Calif.
CJ Rice; IF/RHP; Pleasanton, Calif.
Dominic Smaldino; RHP/IF; Ladera Ranch, Calif.
James Theodore; OF/IF; Carisbad, Calif.
Tomas Valincius; LHP/IF; Lockport, Ill.
*Raffaele Velazquez; C/IF; Long Beach, Calif.
Macon Winslow; C/OF; Hertford, N.C.
Ty Wisdom; OF/RHP; Kansas City, Mo.
*National Team Alumnus
