USAB Media Advisory

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2017
Contact: Brad Young - mediarelations@usabaseball.com, (919) 474-8721 x212
OR Emily Fedewa, (919) 474-8721 x255


USA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT OF STARS BEGINS TUESDAY, JUNE 27
80 of the nation's top 18U age-eligible athletes will face off in Cary, North Carolina

DURHAM, N.C. -- The 2017 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars (TOS) begins at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, on Tuesday, June 27; highlighting 80 of the nation's top baseball players that are eligible for the 18U National Team. The Tournament of Stars begins Tuesday, June 27 and ends on Saturday, July 1.

Event Information: The Tournament of Stars is a five-day tournament hosted by USA Baseball and Major League Baseball. The Tournament of Stars participants will be divided into four teams of 20 players and 40 participants will be invited to the 2017 18U National Team Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesoate.

The 18U National Team will compete in the 2017 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada later this September. Team USA is the three-time defending U-18 world champion.

Teams: The four teams (Brave, Free, Pride and United) are made up of 20 players each from across the United States. Each team will have a coaching staff comprised of a manager, assistant coach and pitching coach.

This year's Tournament of Stars managers include Royce Clayton (Pride), Rick Jones (United), Jack Leggett (Free) and Fred McGriff (Brave). Clayton is a 16 year MLB veteran and one time all-star as well as a 1987 USA Baseball 18U alum. Jones was the head coach at Tulane University for 11 seasons, where he led the Green Wave to College World Series two times, and was the manager for the 2009 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Leggett recently finished an illustrious 22-year career as head coach at Clemson University where he led the Tigers to the College World Series six times..Lastly, McGriff is an 18-year MLB veteran, five time All-Star and 1995 World Series Champion.

Event Schedule: The opening game of the tournament will be played at Bill Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex on Tuesday, June 27 at 10 a.m. ET between Pride and Brave.

Two games will be played daily starting on Tuesday, June 27. No games will be played on Friday, June 30, as the participants will participate in all-day structured evaluations.

The bronze medal game will begin at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 1, followed by the gold medal game at 12:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed live on MLB.com and USABaseball.com.

Home Run Derby: Eight Tournament of Stars athletes will join sixteen 11U Futures Invitational athletes for a Home Run Derby at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, June 30 at Bill Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. The full event schedule is available online at USABaseball.com or via hyperlink here.

USA Baseball will host a Food Truck Rodeo prior to the Home Run Derby. Visit USABaseball.com for more information.

Scoring: Live stats will be available for all games played at the Tournament of Stars. Visit USABaseball.com for daily updates.

Streaming: Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) will stream the bronze medal and gold medal games on Saturday, July 1. Streams will be available on MLB.com and USABaseball.com.

Media Information: Media credentials must be requested through USA Baseball. Media credentials will be available for pick-up in the USA Baseball Team Store at the National Training Complex.

For credentials please submit a USA Baseball Media Credential Request Form or contact mediarelations@usabaseball.com. Media credentials are only approved for accredited media outlets and any photos taken at the events are not permitted for commercial use.

USA Baseball enforces a strict camera lens policy for non-MEDIA credentialed patrons. Telephoto or zoom lens are strictly prohibited at the National Training Complex for non-MEDIA credentialed patrons.

USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC): The USA Baseball National Training Complex is located at 200 Brooks Park Lane; Cary, NC 27519 Google Maps

Social Media: Follow us on Twitter: @USABaseball and @USABaseball18U and on Instagram: @USABaseball.

News: Alumni of the 18U National Team include recently elected Hall of Famer John Smoltz as well as seven number one overall picks in the MLB First-Year Player Draft: Joe Mauer (2001), Delmon Young (2003), Justin Upton (2005), Luke Hochevar (2006), Bryce Harper (2010), Mickey Moniak (2016), and Royce Lewis (2017). Additionally, 2012 American League Rookie of the Year and 2014 AL Most Valuable Player Mike Trout played in the 2008 TOS and 2012 National League Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper played in the 2009 TOS.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Olympic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, USABaseball.Education, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.