USA Baseball to Host 2020 National High School Invitational in Cary

USA Baseball has announced the 16 teams that will compete in the 2020 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Town of Cary. The ninth annual event will take place from April 1–4 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, and select games will be streamed live on USABaseball.com, MLB.com and Facebook Live.

Reagan High School (Pfafftown, N.C.) will serve as the host team in this year’s tournament. Led by Head Coach Gary Nail, the Raiders finished the 2019 season with a 21-7 record and advanced to the semifinals of the NCHSAA AAAA state playoffs.

“USA Baseball is excited to continue celebrating high school baseball on the national stage with the ninth annual National High School Invitational,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. “In its sterling history, the NHSI has drawn elite baseball talent and the premier prep teams from across the United States for a truly one-of-a-kind tournament, and this year will be no different. We look forward to welcoming all sixteen teams, their families and their fans to our National Training Complex for an unforgettable baseball experience.”

The three-time defending champions, Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.), return to the NHSI in 2020 for the sixth time in program history (2012, 2014, 2017-19). The Lancers have won its last 13 consecutive games at the NHSI dating back to 2014 and holds an 15-4 all-time record at the event.

Also returning to the NHSI in 2020 is American Heritage School (Plantation, Fla.), Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), three-time NHSI finalist Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.), Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.), Parkview High School (Lilburn, Ga.), Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, Colo.) and St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

In total, nine states are represented in the 2019 NHSI field, led by California and Florida with four teams apiece. Joining Harvard-Westlake and Orange Lutheran out of the Golden State is Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Thousand Oaks High School (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), who are both making their first-ever trip to Cary. Florida returns three schools to the NHSI in 2020 with American Heritage Plantation, Calvary Christian and St. Thomas Aquinas, and they are joined by newcomer American Heritage School (Delray Beach, Fla.). Georgia is the only other state with multiple schools participating in the event in North Gwinnett High School (Suwanee, Ga.) and Parkview.

Rounding out the 2020 field are schools from Alabama, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, whom are all making their debut at the NHSI: Bob Jones High School (Madison, Alabama), Red Land High School (Lewisberry, Pa.) and Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.).

“The National High School Invitational is the gold-standard event in high school baseball,” said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. “There is no better national showcase of premier teams and elite players at the high school level, and USA Baseball has done a fantastic job of creating and cultivating this event, both in terms of generating excitement and its economic impact. The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance is proud to be on board as a host partner.”

The National Training Complex (NTC), in partnership with the Town of Cary, has been the official home of USA Baseball since 2007, and the NHSI since its inception in 2012. The NTC has had numerous Major League Baseball players venture through its gates, including Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg and Mike Trout. The Town of Cary received the National Gold Medal Grand Plaque Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management in 2016. The award honors U.S. communities that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.

There has been no shortage of premium talent to take the field at the NHSI in the nine years following its debut. Major Leaguers Cody Bellinger, Joey Gallo, Austin Meadows, and Jack Flaherty are just a few of the more notable professional athletes who have played in the event, with more recent standouts including MLB first-round draft selections CJ Abrams, Triston Casas, Riley Greene, Matthew Liberatore, Brice Turang and others. 

The NHSI is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games. The 2020 championship game will be played under the lights on Coleman Field with the first pitch scheduled for Saturday, April 4, at 6 p.m. 

USA Baseball will host its second annual NHSI Championship Festival beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the National Training Complex. Prior to the first pitch of the title-game, family-friendly activities—including a baseball skills competition, games and music—will be available for fans on the front lawn, in addition a food truck rodeo featuring six of the Triangle’s most popular vendors.

The complete list of 2020 NHSI participants is as follows:

High School (City, State)

• American Heritage School (Delray Beach, Fla.)
• American Heritage School (Plantation, Fla.)
• Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
• Bob Jones High School (Madison, Ala.)
• Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
• Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.)
• Mount Carmel High School (Chicago, Ill.)
• North Gwinnett High School (Suwanee, Ga.)
• Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
• Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.)
• Parkview High School (Lilburn, Ga.)
• Reagan High School (Pfafftown, N.C.)
• Red Land High School (Lewisberry, Pa.)
• Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, Colo.)
• St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
• Thousand Oaks High School (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

For more information on the USA Baseball National High School Invitational, visit USABaseball.comor follow @USABaseballand @USABEvents on Twitter.

About USA Baseball - USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Olympic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, SportDev.org, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.