WBSC Jr. Men’s World Championship Runs July 24 through July 30, 2016
United States national team coach Tim Lyon isn’t sure how his squad of 19-and-under men’s fastpitch softball players will stack up against the best in the world next week in Midland. With Team USA’s blend of athleticism and experience, however, Lyon admitted that he is “cautiously excited.”
“We have some really nice players, and we do have some returning players (from the 2014 U.S. team),” said Lyon, whose team will open play at the WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship against Botswana at Currie Stadium on July 24 at 9:30 a.m. “But until you get on the field, you don’t know how they’ll perform. I do think this is the best team we’ve put on the field in 30 years.”
The U.S.-Botswana matchup will be the first game of the tournament, and the Americans will play their second game of pool play later the same day against two-time defending world champion Argentina at 8 p.m., also at Currie Stadium, following the 6:30 p.m. opening ceremony.
The tournament will continue through July 30, with all games being held at Emerson Park.
Team USA is in Pool A along with Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Botswana, and Venezuela, while Pool B will consist of New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, and Israel.
“Argentina is the two-time defending world champion, and so they’re going to be good. We play them on opening night, so that’ll be an interesting draw,” said Lyon. “Australia, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand have pretty much made the playoffs (in the world tournament) for the past 30 years. Those four teams have been in the playoffs for all but a handful of those (world tournaments).
“The Czechs are greatly improved, Mexico is greatly improved, and Venezuela always has good athletes,” he added. “(Junior men’s softball) is so different from men’s. With men, you know from cycle to cycle who’ll be good, because (the rosters) don’t really change much. With these kids, the turnover (from one year to the next) is huge. The fact that I have five returners is almost unheard of, and some of these teams don’t have any returners (from 2014).”
Those five returners to whom Lyon refers are pitcher Zane Chason from Alma, Ga.; outfielders Bryce DuCharme from Hudson, Wis., Steven Nessler from Mankato, Minn., and Justin Perez from Northeast, Pa.; and catcher Peyton Hall from Prairie du Chien, Wis., who was named a Wisconsin high school baseball player of the year recently. Chason and Derek Martin from Stevens, Pa., are Team USA’s top pitchers.
“Those are my two main pitchers, and they’re good,” Lyon noted.
Lyon said that, in assembling his national team roster, the first step was identifying young men who would take the game of fastpitch softball seriously.
“The first thing we looked for was somebody whose dad, grandfather, or brother has played softball, because then we don’t have to convince them that softball isn’t just a sport that their girlfriends play,” Lyon said with a chuckle.
“Myself and our coaching staff are like a college staff that has to go out and recruit. We have to convince them to come to camps.”
In fact, Lyon said that just identifying potential national team players is one of the most critical parts of his job.
“We try to identify about 80 kids (who have a shot at making the national team) so that we end up with 17 (of the best after the final cuts),” he said, noting that his staff uses social media, a vast network of friends and coaches, and good old word-of-mouth to learn about players. “ … That’s what takes up a lot of our time — just finding players.”
Joining the five returners on Team USA’s roster are infielder Logan Amend from Vassar, Mich.; outfielder Sergio Balderrama from El Paso, Texas; outfielder Kelly Fagan-Beam from Bakersfield, Calif.; shortstop Jonathan Broadbear from Bloomington, Ill.; first-baseman Michael Douds from Erie, Pa.; centerfielder Isaac Hormann from Young America, Minn.; infielder Lane Kurtz from Ephrata, Pa.; pitcher Craig Lewis from Winston, Mo.; infielder Jeff Lewis from Amboy, Minn.; catcher Devin Martin from Stevens, Pa.; utility player Matthew Martin from Myerstown, Pa.; outfielder Chase Stratton from Clearfield, Utah; catcher Brady Parker from Midland, Texas; first-baseman Brogan Potter from Prairie du Chien, Wis.; third-baseman Martin Valencia from Perris, Calif.; and pitcher Taylor Weldin from Bakersfield, Calif.
Of those 22 players, 17 will comprise the active roster, while the remaining five will be alternates. Those final roster spots had not yet been determined as of this writing.
Lyon characterized his team as “very athletic.”
“We have a lot of real good athletes, and we’ll play some good defense and hope to get some timely hitting,” he said. “It’s so much different than a men’s program, because you’re dealing with teenaged boys. You just don’t know who’s going to show up (and play to their potential) sometimes. But we’re going to go with the traditional play good defense, get good pitching, and hope for timely hitting (approach).”
When it comes right down to it, though, Lyon admitted that in softball good pitching typically trumps good hitting.
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