Beginning in 2010, USA Baseball will implement a rolling invitation process for the players named to the 16U National Team Trials. A minimum of 38 athletes will be identified for the 16U Trials through the USA Baseball 16U Championships, the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS), USA Baseball development camps, additional secondary events and recommendations from professional scouts, college and high school coaches, and the amateur baseball community. As players are named to the team, USA Baseball will publicize the announcement(s) through a press release and/or by posting to USABaseball.com.
The primary identification vehicle for the 2010 USA Baseball 16U National Team Trials will be the two 16U Championships tournaments (East and West) to be held simultaneously from June 18-26, 2010. To attend this event, players must be on one of the 72 teams that will be admitted to participate at each site (144 total teams). A minimum of 30 trials invitations will come from the 16U Championships based upon a player's performance during the week as evaluated by USA Baseball's on-site scouting task force.
Players may also qualify for the following calendar year's 16U National Team Trials by competing in the NTIS. The NTIS is held each September and provides USA Baseball with an advanced look at the upcoming class of top players at the 14U, 16U and 18U competition levels.
At the NTIS, USA Baseball Task Force members will identify a minimum of eight (8) players for the following season's 16U National Team Trials. Players may participate in the NTIS through a regional qualification process or via the USA Stars at-large program. For 2010, these invitations have already been made based on the 2009 NTIS.
Additional secondary events may be held throughout the year by USA Baseball which may also be used to identify players for current or future 16U National Team Trials. These events may include -- but are not limited to -- the 14U Championships, Breakthrough Series, USA Baseball development camps and additional events held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
Once the 38 players have been invited, they will convene at a location and time yet to be determined to participate in the 2010 USA Baseball 16U National Team Trials. At the 16U Trials, players will participate in practices and intrasquad Red vs. Blue games to compete for one of the final 18-20 roster spots on the 2010 USA Baseball 16U National Team. In 2010, the 16U National Team will compete in the COPABE "AA" Pan Am Championships to be held in Culiacan, Mexico, at a time yet to be determined.
Information contained in this selection process document is subject to change at the sole discretion of USA Baseball and without further notice.
