USA down to the final Trials for the U-12 Baseball World Cup

USA Baseball announced that 36 players will compete for a spot on the final 18 man roster that will participate in the U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan (Chinese Taipei). The Trials will begin Wednesday 19 July at VTV (Valencia Travel Village) Baseball in Castaic, northern part of Los Angeles County, California. The World Cup roster will be announced on Friday 21 July.
“We had a very competitive selection process at all 3 of our identification events this year” saida Kyle Valente, Director of the U-12 National Team Program, through USA Baseball website.

After the 2016 U-11 NTIS (National Team Identification Series) and the 2017 USA Baseball Futures Invitational, 17 athletes earned invitations. The other 19 players were selected during the 2017 USA Baseball National Open. Amomngst the 36 players competing, Kai Caranto, Owen Egen and Raffaele Velazquez are the only 3 alumni: they won a silver medal in the 2016 COPABE Pan Am in Piebla (Mexico).

Team USA shows emotion during the 2015 U-12 Baseball World Cup (WBSC archives)

This is the complete list of players invited to the Trials:
Trent Abel (IF-San Diego, California), Antonio Anderson (IF/OF-Atlanta, Georgia), Daniel Arambula (IF/RHP-Redlands, California), Josh Atomanczyk (RHP/C/IF-Franklyn, Texas), Errick Barnes (IF/OF-San Diego, California), Hank Benny (RHP/IF-Austin, Texas), Conner Boyd (C/RHP/OF-Parker, Colorado), Brad Burnes (OF/RHP-Belvedere, California), Spencer Butt (IF/RHP-Davie, Florida), Kai Caranto (IF/RHP-Santa Clarita, California), Alxander Clemmey (LHP/IF-Middletown, Rhode Island), Ian Duarte (IF/OF-Santa Clarita, California), Owen Egen (OF/RHP-Yucaipa, California), Colt Emerson (IF/C-Cambridge, Ohio), Trotter Enright (IF-Calabras, California), Miles Ghossein (OF/RHP/IF-West Hills, California), Gavin Grahovac (C/OF-Orange, California), Zachary Justice (C-Oakland, California), Ashton Larson (OF/LHP-Overland Park, Kansas), Jose Mendoza (IF/RHP-San Ysidro, California), Andre Modugno (UTL-Upper Saddle River, New Jersey), Nicholas Montgomery (RHP/OF-Cypress, California), Brandon Olivera (RHP/C-Hialeah, Florida), Keilon Parnel (OF/IF)-Pascagoula, Missouri), Gregory Pierantoni (IF/RHP/OF-Valencia, California), Pavlos Piperakis (LHP/IF-Pembroke Pines, Florida), Isaac Quintanilla (IF/RHP-Diamond Bar, California), Bryce Rainer (OF/RHP-Simy Valley, California), Benjamin Reiland (C/OF-Irvine, California), CJ Rice (IF/RHP-Pleasanton, California), Dominic Smaldino (RHP/IF-Ladera Ranch, California), James Theodore (OF/IF-Carisbad, California), Tomas Valincius (LHP-IF, Lockport, Illinois), Raffaele Velazquez (C/IF-Long Beach, California), Macon Winslow (C/OF-Hertford, North Carolina), Ty Wisdom (OF/RHP-Kansas City, Missouri).

The U-12 Baseball World Cup will take off in Tainan on Friday 28 July. The championship game is scheduled for . It’s a 12 team event and the USA won the 2013 and 2015 editions.
David Sharp will manager Team USA. Todd Fine, Butch Chaffin and RJ Farrell will be his coaches.