World No. 2 USA Baseball names roster for U-15 Baseball World Cup 2016
USA Baseball revealed the 20 elite players who will represent the United States of America in the III WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup® 2016 in Iwaki, Japan.
The U.S. will be looking to improve upon a second-place finish at the U-15 Baseball World Cup 2014
CARY, North Carolina (U.S.) – USA Baseball revealed the 20 elite players who will represent the United States of America in the III WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup® 2016 in Iwaki, Japan. Eight of the 20 players named to the top U-15 team in the U.S. are from baseball hotbed California.
The U-15 Baseball World Cup, which is the world’s highest level of competition for players aged 13- to 15-years-old, opens Friday, 29 July. Twelve nations are gathering the best players in their respective countries to compete For the Title of World Champion in Iwaki.
Recent Major League Baseball first-round draft picks Mickey Moniak (overall No. 1) and Blake Rutherford (No. 18) were members of past U.S. U-15 National Teams, as well as last year’s U-18 National Team.
The U.S. will open against world No. 3 Chinese Taipei at Iwaki Green Stadium at 13:00 JST. These National Team powerhouses collided in the Super Round of the II U-15 Baseball World Cup 2014 in Mazatlán, Mexico, where the U.S. scored three late runs to overcome Chinese Taipei, 5-4. The U.S. lost their only game in Mazatlán to Cuba, in the world championship finale.
USA’s Opening Round schedule
With the U.S. only 63 ranking points behind current world No. 1 Japan, USA Baseball could reclaim the world’s top spot in the world rankings with a strong performance in Iwaki. The U-15 world champion will be awarded 440 ranking points.
The U.S. qualified for the #U15WorldCup in Iwaki by winning the U-15 Americas Championship 2015.
USA Baseball is coming off one of the most successful years in international baseball history, capturing world titles at the U-12 Baseball World Cup, the U-18 Baseball World Cup, while the U.S. Men’s National Team captured the silver medal at the Premier12® global championship. The U.S. also won the gold and silver medals in Women’s Baseball and Men’s Baseball at the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games.
See U.S. U-15 National Team Roster
