OKLAHOMA CITY (July 12, 2024) — USA Softball has announced the U.S. Men’s National Team (MNT) roster that is set to compete in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s World Cup Group Stage event. Slated for September 17-21, the 16-player roster will travel to the Softball Capital of the World® where they will look to qualify for the 2025 WBSC Men’s World Cup Finals set to take place in Prince Albert, Canada next year.
“It is always an absolute honor to represent our country in any event, especially when it is on home soil,” said head coach, Ron Hackett. “We are very pleased with where our program is currently and this team embodies the type of softball we want to play,” he added.
Click here to view the 2024 WBSC Men’s World Cup Stage Event roster »
The first of its kind to be played under the new two-stage format, 18 teams will compete across three groups (Groups A, B and C) in Stage 1 followed by Stage 2, which will be held in 2025 and will include the top two teams from each group battling it out in the finals. With sights set on a gold medal finish, the No. 7 Team USA will compete in Group C alongside No. 17 Colombia, No. 13 Guatemala, No. 4 Japan, No. 19 Netherlands and No. 18 South Africa.
Returning for his third stint as head coach will be Ron Hackett (Virginia) after guiding the 2022 MNT squad to a historic bronze medal finish at the WBSC World Cup – a feat that snapped a 18-year medal drought for the program.
The 2024 U.S. MNT World Cup Group C roster includes 12 returners from the 2022 season where the Eagles took home the bronze medal at the WBSC Men’s World Cup to snap an 18-year medal drought. Also included is Junior Men’s National Team veteran Jeff Lewis and former U-23 MNT member, Frank Kimlinger. Two athletes — Freddie Bradford and Marco Diaz — will represent the Red, White and Blue for the first time in their careers.
The selected athletes represent seven states with Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri leading the pack with three athletes apiece, while Arizona, California and Florida are each represented by two athletes. Pennsylvania is also represented on the roster with one athlete.
Click here for more information on the WBSC Men’s World Cup Stage event »
“Hosting is pretty cool for us, and I know this team will be ready to perform come September,” said Hackett. “The players, coaches and all of the supporters of USA Softball have worked very hard to get to this point and I look forward to leading this team to achieve our goals.”
Athletes selected to the U.S. MNT are part of the USA Softball athlete pool, having attended previous softball camps and clinics, league softball events and/or attended events coordinated by USA Softball.
To learn more about the USA Softball Men’s National Team, visit USASoftball.com.