By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

Since 2007, USA Baseball has hosted the Tournament of Stars at the National Training Complex in Cary, NC. With more than 100 of the country’s top high school players invited, it serves as a tryout for the 18U National Team. The 2015 edition begins Tuesday with a workout, two days of games, another workout on Friday and games again on Saturday and Sunday. At the conclusion of the event, a 40-man roster will be selected and remain in North Carolina for a trials period from June 29-July 4. They will reconvene in mid-August at Cal State Fullerton for more trials and training before flying to Taiwan and eventually Japan for the WBSC 18U Baseball World Cup.

The participants in the Tournament of Stars are split up into six teams: Brave, Free, Pride, Stars, Stripes and United. Below are the rosters and notes on each of the teams.

BRAVE: This team is the only one with all players currently committed, 16 of which are to schools in the ACC, Big 12, Pac 12 or SEC…Most of the participants in the Tournament of Stars are rising seniors, but there are some juniors as well. LHP Jordan Butler (Alonso HS, FL) is one of them. He can pitch in the high 80s with a breaking ball that flashes sharpness. A Florida recruit, he can also handle the bat…RHP Kevin Gowdy (Santa Barbara HS, CA) has a clean, easy delivery and can pitch in the low 90s with good life and a sharp breaking ball.