Contact:  Brad Young – mediarelations@usabaseball.com, (919) 474-8721 x212
OR Emily Fedewa, (919) 474-8721 x255.

Seventh-annual event to be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex

USA Baseball invites the local and national media to the 2018 USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) and the Town of Cary. MLB is the preferred media partner for the event.

The NHSI is a 16-team, single-elimination championship tournament. Each participating team is guaranteed to play four games. The NHSI will present participating athletes with national exposure in addition to providing the opportunity for the best teams in the country to compete against each other.

            WHAT:            USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI)
            WHEN:           March 28 – 31, 2018
            WHERE:         USA Baseball National Training Complex
                                    200 Brooks Park Lane
                                    Cary, N.C., 27519

The NHSI will bring together 16 of the top prep teams in the country to compete against each other in what has become the premiere event on the high school baseball calendar. As no event currently brings in a level of talent from top to bottom that which the NHSI promises, the eventual tournament champion will kick off their respective season with recognition as the top high school baseball team in the country.

Credential Application
Members of the media can apply for a credential by visiting the USA Baseball Media Services page on our official website: www.usabaseball.com/about/media-services

Opening Ceremony
For the first time ever, USA Baseball will host an opening ceremony for the NHSI.  It will take begin approximately at 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28 on Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

Immediately following the Opening Ceremonies, Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.) will take on Green Hope High School (Cary, N.C.) will play the final game of Day 1 on Coleman Field.

USA Baseball will honor members of the 2017 18U and 15U National Teams during the Opening Ceremony for winning gold medals at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup and COPABE Pan Am “AA” Championships, respectively.

Triston Casas (American Heritage High School) will also be honored during the Opening Ceremy for winning the 2017 USA Baseball Richard W. “Dick” Case Award.  The award annually recognizes USA Baseball’s top player while honoring the memory of the organization’s founding Executive Director/CEO.

Hometown team to compete in the NHSI for the first time
Green Hope High School (Cary, N.C.) will serve as the host for the 2018 National High School Invitational.  Green Hope High School is located roughly one (1) mile from the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  This will be the first-ever appearance for Green Hope at the event.

USA Baseball Coverage
Live Stats: GameChanger
Social Media: @USABEvents (Twitter) and @USABaseball (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat)
Streaming/TV: Select games will be broadcast live on USABaseball.com, MLB.com, and Facebook Live

Participating Teams and Schedule
In total, 10 states are represented in the 2018 NHSI field.

Alabama: Florence High School (Florence, Ala.)
Arizona: Mountain Ridge High School (Glendale, Ariz.), Sandra Day O’Connor High School (Phoenix, Ariz.)
California: Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.), Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.), Santiago High School (Corona, Calif.)
Florida: American Heritage High School (Plantation, Fla.), Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), George Jenkins High School (Lakeland, Fla.), Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, Fla.)
Georgia: Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.)
Illinois: Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.)
Louisiana: John Curtis Christian School (River Ridge, La.)
Mississippi: Hattiesburg High School (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
North Carolina: Green Hope High School (Cary, N.C.)
Virginia: Hanover High School (Mechanicsville, Va.)

For the full schedule, please visit the NHSI Schedule page on USABaseball.com.

Past Champions
2017: Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.)*
2016: Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
2015: San Clemente High School (Calif.)
2014: The First Academy (Fla.)
2013: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)*
2012: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)*
* denotes participants in the 2018 NHSI

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.