Slade Cecconi '18 is one of 40 players in the U.S. selected to participate in the USA Baseball 18 and Under (18U) National Team trials in September 2017. He is one of only six players in the United States who have already been selected, bypassing the Tournament of Stars.
"It's an incredible opportunity that my family and coaches have helped prepare me for, and I look forward to using this as motivation to work even harder in the future," Slade said.
Eventually, the competition will be whittled down to the best 20 players in his age group in the country to complete the roster of the 18U USA National Team, which then competes in international play. It is a huge accomplishment in an amateur athlete's career to represent the United States, competing against the best baseball players in the world.
The process of being chosen for the final roster of the 18U USA National Team starts in the summer before a player's junior year of high school. The first step is participating in a regional National Team Identification Series (NTIS) event. From these regional events, a team is selected to go to Cary, North Carolina to play against other regions, and then 106 players go on to the Tournament of Stars, which takes place in a four-day period before their senior year. The staff narrows the list down to 40 players who then go to the 18U National Team trials where Slade will be competing next fall.
"The entire Trinity community and I are very excited for Slade and proud of him for this accomplishment. We look forward to following his journey next fall as he works toward his goal of playing on the 18U USA National Team," said head varsity baseball coach Trevor Berryhill. "This is an unbelievable opportunity and a testament to all the hard work Slade puts into being the best pitcher he can be."