USA Reveals 20-Player Squad for 2027 U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
The United States has announced its 20-player roster for the U-18 Pan American Championship, which will serve as the Americas qualifying tournament for the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2027 presented by RAXUS.
The Dominican Republic will host the qualifying competition from October 22 to 29, 2026. The USA enters the tournament as the defending U-18 Baseball World Champion and the world’s No. 3-ranked team.
Brian Schneider Confident in Final Squad
USA U-18 manager Brian Schneider said selecting the final 20 players was a challenging process following a competitive training camp.
Schneider expressed confidence in the group selected and said the team is looking forward to competing in the Dominican Republic with the goal of winning the gold medal.
The roster was finalized after a week of training camp, where players competed for places on the national team.
Vidal Set for Third USA Baseball Appearance
Isaac Vidal is set to make his third appearance for a USA Baseball national team. His previous experience across different age levels puts him in an exclusive group alongside Pete Crow-Armstrong and Anthony Volpe, who have also represented the United States at the U-12, U-15 and U-18 levels.
Vidal previously played alongside Cooper Collins during the USA’s 2024 U-15 campaign.
Meanwhile, Samir Mohammed will make his second appearance for a USA Baseball national team.
Nine Players Have USA Development Experience
Nine members of the 20-player squad have previously taken part in USA Baseball’s national team development programs.
Six players — Cooper Collins, Ethan Gustus, Graham Houston, Samir Mohammed, Connor Salerno and Brogan Witcher — have experience with the U-16 and U-17 National Team Development Program (NTDP).
Dylan Seward and Isaac Vidal have competed in the U-13 and U-14 Athlete Development Program (ADP), while Chase Fuller has experience in both development programs.
Players With MLB Development Program Experience
Several members of the roster have also participated in development events organized in partnership with Major League Baseball.
Malachi Butler previously competed in the MLB ID Tour, while Samir Mohammed took part in the DREAM Series.
Chase Fuller and Sebastian Wilson have participated in the Hank Aaron Invitational.
In addition, 14 players selected for the U-18 national team featured in the 2026 MLB High School All-American Game in Dyersville, Iowa, earlier this summer.
Experienced Coaching Staff
Schneider will be supported by a coaching staff that includes several former Major League Baseball players and Team USA representatives.
Former MLB reliever Luke Gregerson will serve as the team’s pitching coach. Gregerson spent 11 seasons in Major League Baseball and represented Team USA twice during his playing career.
The coaching staff also features Doug Mientkiewicz, a former MLB first baseman and member of the United States team that won the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Former MLB switch-hitting outfielder Tim Raines Jr. is also part of Schneider’s staff.
USA Targets Qualification and Gold
With a mixture of experienced national-team players, development-program graduates and young talent from the MLB pipeline, the United States will now prepare for the Pan American Championship in the Dominican Republic.
The tournament represents an important step toward the 2027 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, with the USA aiming to maintain its strong position in international youth baseball and secure another major title.
