Carolinas Baseball Center is proud to announce they have been selected by USA Baseball as the Mid-Atlantic National Team Identification Series (NTIS) organization for USA Baseball.

Carolinas Baseball Center (CBC) will be responsible for identifying players across the region and forming a 13U, a 15U and a 17U team through a series of ID events. 

These teams will then compete at the USA Baseball NTIS which will be held on September 10th, 11th and 12th in Cary, North Carolina. It is from this event that USA Baseball will be selecting a group of players to participate in Team USA Trials in 2011.

The Mid-Atlantic NTIS events leading up to Cary are set up in three stages. Stage one will consist of ten, one day Pro-Style workouts that will take CBC into each state of the Mid-Atlantic region. Stage two will be a two day Sub Regional ID/Showcase with games that will take place in NC and GA. Stage three will consist of a three day format and will be held in Charlotte, NC.  

You must attend a Stage 1 Event to be considered for a Stage 2 Event.  Both Stage 2 and Stage 3 Events are by invite only.  Additional fees may apply to Stage 2.

The 2010 USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) will consist of three separate age groups and will feature a total of 648 players. The event will be held Sept. 10-Sept. 12, 2010, and will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and adjoining Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, N.C.

The three age groups (17U, 15U, 13U) within the 2010 event will be divided based on 2011 National Team (18U, 16U, 14U) aspirations. As per international guidelines, players competing in the NTIS in the three age groups must conform to the following:

• 2010 17U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1993, for the 2011 18U NT
• 2010 15U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1995, for the 2011 16U NT
• 2010 13U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1997, for the 2011 14U NT

From these three separate age groups, USA Baseball will name a minimum of eight players to the 2011 18U National Team Trials (18U); a minimum of eight players to the 2011 16U National Team Trials (16U); and a minimum of 24 players to the 2011 14U National Team Trials. While the NTIS is designed to supplement the existing programming being done at the 18U and 16U age groups, it will constitute the primary identification opportunity for the 14U National Team.

Activities will start on Friday morning, Sept. 10, and will be scheduled to finish by mid-day on Sunday, Sept. 12. Each team within the 17U and 15U age groups will play a total of three 9-inning games, while the 13U age group will feature four 7-inning games; programming for all age groups will also include USA Baseball instruction and training. The NTIS will present all participating athletes not only with great national exposure but also with an opportunity to develop their skills through an unparalleled baseball experience.

Of the participating organizations in the event, eleven of the twelve teams within each age group will be organized on a "regionalized club-team" basis, similar to the USA Baseball 16U Championships (formerly known at the USA Junior Olympic Baseball Championships). Existing baseball programs which have previously entered teams into the 16U Championships and the 2009 NTIS have been selected to fill these slots with entry fees defraying some of the costs of the event and the 2011 USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams. As with the 16U Championships, these various baseball programs will be responsible for identifying and selecting 18-player teams which will participate in the event.

Similar to the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars, USA Baseball will select one of the twelve teams within each age group -- as "at-large teams." USA Baseball will rely on its National Member Organizations, existing events, and other entities, as well as its established athlete database to identify players for the two USA Baseball at-large teams in each age group (three total). As part of this initiative, USA Baseball will encourage the inclusion of all athletes when filling roster spots for the at-large teams.

NTIS Features:

• Identification opportunity for the 2011 USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials; all players must be born 1993 or later.
• Identification opportunity for the 2011 USA Baseball 16U National Team Trials; all players must be born 1995 or later.
• Primary identification opportunity for the 2011 USA Baseball 14U National Team Trials; all players must be born in 1997 or later.
• Individual skills testing and evaluation.
• 17U and 15U teams will play three nine-inning games.
• 13U teams will play four seven-inning games.
• College and university coaches, and professional scouts will be in attendance.
• Event held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex -- the home of Team USA.