Now that I shared our first experience with the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) let’s explore the path to Team USA.
For youth players the US National Team has 3 ages when a player can play for Team USA: 12U, 15U, and 18U. The other years a player can still participate in the NTIS Process and potentially make the Athlete Development Program which provides additional training and helps pave the way for potentially making Team USA in the future.
The rules around ages are completely different from Travel Ball and Little League. Travel Ball rules are based on a May 1st birthday, for Little League your age is based on August 31st, and for Team USA they use birth year to determine the age of the player. As an example, if your son was born in 2010, in 2024 your son will turn 14 BUT they will actually be trying out for the 15U team that will play games in 2025.
It’s because of these various age requirements that I’m OK with kids playing “at Grade Level”. I’ll write a full post on that later.
NTIS has the country broken down into 6 Regions and KY falls into the Midwest. Typically, each state within the region will have at least 1 tryout and some states may have 2 tryouts early in the Spring. If your son successfully advances past Round 1, they will move on to Round 2 tryouts in Rantoul, IL which will be held in June/July.
After Round 2 each Region will select 32 players and build 2 separate rosters that will travel to Cary, NC in August to compete for the Champions Cup. With a total of 12 teams, each team will receive 3 pool play games with the top 4 teams moving on to compete in a single elimination tournament to bring home the Gold Medal.
While in Cary, the boys will be put through various assessments to evaluate their skill set and overall athletic ability. They will also receive instruction from the various Scouts and Coaches within the USA Baseball Organization.
It is during the Champions Cup that players can further the dream of playing for Team USA. Players are evaluated by a Task Force during the week and watched intently to see if their athletic ability is good enough and do they possess other intangibles that necessary to play for Team USA. Is your son a good teammate? How does he respond when he fails? Does he hustle on/off the field? Are his parents crazy? Making this next round of cuts is tough, I mean real tough. You are literally playing against some of the best players in the country. It’s also at this point I had my melt down from year 1 (see previous post).
It’s kinda weird, even having team success in Cary does NOT guarantee you a spot at the next round. Kip’s team has won the Gold Medal the past 2 years with an overall record of 9-1 in those two tournaments. Of the 32 kids that could advance from the Midwest, only 1 kid has advanced from Kip’s teams. The team we beat this past season in the Championship (Southeast Stars) had 4 players move on to the Athlete Development Program but we brought home Gold….Again.
Is it Worth it?
That’s a great question and only you can answer what baseball means to you and your family. For me, it’s worth every bit of it. The process is tough and long but the experience along the way is amazing. Everything about USA Baseball is 1st class and it should be.
In my opinion, the Champions Cup in Cary is the pinnacle of youth baseball and the games are the best youth baseball you’ll see all summer. Kip’s 12-year-old year the championship game went into extra innings 0-0. The pitching was amazing and the defense was even better. I saw double plays (a near triple play), multiple players thrown out from the outfield at home, and every single routine play was fielded just like the big leaguers. These dudes can rake!
If you decide to take a chance and go through the tryout process, there is something you need to remember. This is hard! Each step in the process gets tougher. Even making it to Rantoul, you’ll compete with the best players in the Midwest and if you earn a spot on a Midwest Team, count your blessings and enjoy it. It is a huge accomplishment for your son! Keep in mind, your son is trying out for the most Elite Travel Team in America. 😊
Round 1 Tryouts in KY are scheduled for February 25th at Champions in Lexington if you want to give it a shot. Here is the link if you are interested.
Midwest – NTIS : Tryouts (leagueapps.com)
NTIS Age Divisions
- 11U – Born in 2013
- 12U – Born in 2012
- 13U – Born in 2011
- 14U – Born in 2010
- 15U – Born in 2009
- 16U – 2008 or 2026 HS Grad Year
Some Personal News!
I’ve mentioned a couple of times over the past couple of weeks that I have some exciting news! I’ve known for a few months but I wanted to let all of you know that I have officially joined the Midwest NTIS Team as a Regional Scout! It is truly an honor and a little hard to comprehend as I type this out. I’ve even got a card to prove it! 😊 I will be assisting with Round 1 Tryouts and I’ll be in attendance at tournaments and game all summer long looking for the next batch of talent. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at dusty_allen15@yahoo.com.
Also, if you decide to attend Round 1 Tryouts, please use the promo code: USADA This helps the Midwest Leadership team identify the scouts that are promoting the Team USA brand.
