Jan 2, 2013
USA Baseball announced Wednesday the 16 high schools that will compete in the second annual National High School Invitational (NHSI) at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., March, 27-30, 2013. The tournament will include teams from 10 states and will feature some of the top prep baseball programs and players in the country. Baseball America, The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and The Town of Cary are partnering with USA Baseball in the hosting and presenting of the event.
The participating teams are as follows: Bingham High School (South Jordan, Utah), Cathedral Catholic High School (San Diego, Calif.), Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, Tenn.), Eustis High School (Eustis, Fla.), Florida Christian School (Miami, Fla.), Grayson High School (Loganville, Ga.), Hamilton High School (Chandler, Ariz.), Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.), Jenks High School (Jenks, Okla.), Lexington High School (Lexington, S.C.), Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.), Milton High School (Milton, Ga.), T.C. Roberson High School (Asheville, N.C.), The Woodlands High School (The Woodlands, Texas), Tullahoma High School (Tullahoma, Tenn.), and Venice High School (Venice, Fla.).
“We are pleased to build on the success of last year's event by welcoming 16 of the of the nation's premier high school baseball programs, including defending champion Mater Dei, to the 2013 USA Baseball National High School Invitational," said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball’s Executive Director/CEO. "With these 16 teams and the inclusion of some of the game's top draft-eligible high school players, this year's tournament promises to be one of the premier events on the high school baseball calendar.”
The NHSI kicks off the high school season for many of the programs, and the annual event has already become one of the premiere prep events in the country. The tournament will feature nine of Baseball America’s top 100 2013 draft-eligible high school prospects -- including four of the top 20 -- and six of the nine have past USA Baseball National Team experience.
"There was a need for a tournament like the National High School Invitational and while we talked about this idea for years, it took the work of USA Baseball and the event partners to make it a reality," said John Manuel, Baseball America's Editor in Chief. "The inaugural tournament was all we could have hoped for as a true showcase of high school baseball, both for the players and, more crucially, the teams. We look forward to continuing to make the NHSI a must-see event on the baseball calendar."
Among Baseball America’s top 100 draft-eligible high school prospects are nine players scheduled to compete in the NHSI. The list is highlighted by Grayson's Austin Meadows (No. 1), Tullahoma’s Jordan Sheffield (No.7), Stephen Gonsalves (No. 13) of Cathedral Catholic, and Lexington’s Nick Ciuffo (No. 19).
Also set to compete in the NHSI are three members of the World Champion 2012 USA Baseball 18U National Team. The players who won gold with USA Baseball at the IBAF 18U World Championships in Korea include Gonsalves, Jeremy Martinez (Mater Dei) and Chris Okey (Eustis).
The NHSI will be a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games. An event schedule will be announced as part of the NHSI Bracket Selection Show on www.USABaseball.com in February.
"Our team had a great experience at the inaugural USA Baseball National High School Invitational, and we know we will have to play at a top level to have a chance to defend our title from last year," said Burt Call Mater Dei's head coach. "The tournament committee does an incredible job hosting the event and it is a first class experience for all of the teams participating."
Materi Dei captured the 2012 USA Baseball National High School Invitational with a 3-2 extra-innings walk-off victory over Harvard-Westlake.
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